On April 1, 2020, the Design Law was amended, providing for the protection of designs for images, buildings, and interiors. The design system has also been expanded, allowing related design applications to be filed after the publication of the design gazette of the principal design (before the date on which 10 years have elapsed since the filing of the basic design).
Following these revisions, the JPO published design registration application trends. As of November 1, 2022, there were 3,366 design registration applications filed for images, 925 for buildings, and 925 for interiors. Of these, 1,817, 538, and 336 were registered, respectively.
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