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Japan's animal cafe boom sinks 'micro pig cafe' trademark at IP Court

By Toko Sekiguchi ( January 16, 2026, 08:11 GMT | Insight) -- Japan’s IP High Court overturned a patent office decision that upheld trademark protection for “Micro pig cafe,” ruling that the term had already become a descriptive label for animal interaction cafes by the time the mark was registered.Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court overturned a patent office decision that upheld trademark protection for “Micro pig cafe,” ruling that the term had already become a descriptive label for animal-interaction cafes by the time the mark was registered....

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