Protecting GUI, Icon, Building and Interior Designs in Japan: What Qualifies Since 2020

"Can we register our app's interface as a design in Japan?" "We are opening stores in Tokyo — can the store interior be protected?" "Our building has a distinctive facade. Is that registrable?"

Since 1 April 2020, the answer to all three can be yes. Japan's amended Design Act now protects images (including those not recorded on a physical product), buildings and interiors. In this article, Japanese Patent Attorney Toru Kano of BrandAgent explains what qualifies, what does not, and how overseas app developers, retail brands and architects can use these systems in Japan.

*Information as of November 2026.

What you will learn

What changed in Japanese design law in April 2020
Image designs: which GUIs and icons qualify, and which do not
Building designs and interior designs, including the "unified aesthetic impression" requirement
The 1-year grace period if you have already disclosed the design
How foreign companies file in Japan: representative, priority and fees

What changed in 2020

Before the amendment, Japanese design law essentially protected only the appearance of movable articles. A screen design was protected only if it was recorded or displayed on a product, and buildings (real estate) and interiors could not be registered at all.

For applications filed on or after 1 April 2020, the following can also be registered:

Images: images used to operate a device, or displayed as a result of a device performing its function — whether or not they are recorded on a physical product
Buildings: structures fixed to land, such as stores, offices and houses
Interiors: the fixtures and decoration inside a facility such as a store or office, where the whole creates a unified aesthetic impression

The same amendment extended the design term to 25 years from filing and expanded the related design system.

According to JPO figures, as of 1 October 2026 there had been 8,546 design applications for images, 2,310 for buildings and 1,561 for interiors (JPO statistical categories; pending applications included). The new systems are clearly in use.

Image designs: what qualifies

The key question is whether the image is connected to the function of a device.

Category	Examples
Can qualify	App and web-service GUIs, icons, menu screens, status displays of a device, operation images projected onto a wall or floor, images delivered from a server each time they are used
Does not qualify	Images unrelated to the device's function (such as decorative wallpaper) and content images such as movies or games

Practical tips for image designs

Make the purpose clear: the application and drawings must show what function the image serves.
Use partial designs: claiming only a distinctive button layout or icon, rather than the whole screen, helps against copies that change the rest of the screen.
Animated images: screen transitions that change with operation may be filed as a sequence.
File before launch: an app release is a worldwide disclosure. If your home filing is in China, Korea, the US or Europe, remember that design priority in Japan is only 6 months.

Building designs

Building designs protect the external appearance of stores, office buildings, houses and similar structures. For brands whose storefronts are part of their identity, or for companies selling distinctive prefabricated houses, this is a new tool in Japan.

Points to watch for buildings

File before the building is visible: once built — or once renderings are published — the design is public. File before publication of images or opening events.
Common shapes are hard to register: ordinary building forms may lack novelty or creativity. Identify what is truly distinctive.
Drawings: registration drawings can be prepared from architectural plans or 3D data.

Interior designs: a unified aesthetic impression

Interior designs protect the inside of facilities such as stores, offices and hotel rooms. Even if the interior consists of several elements — furniture, fixtures, walls, floors, lighting — it can be registered as one design if the interior as a whole creates a unified aesthetic impression.

This is especially relevant for overseas restaurant, café and retail chains opening in Japan. If a local competitor copies the look of your store, a registered interior design gives you a clear right to rely on, instead of depending only on unfair competition or copyright arguments.

Practical tips for interiors

Show the unity: the drawings should convey a coherent overall design, not a collection of separate items.
Decide what to include: more elements make the design specific, but a copy that changes one element may escape. Balance precision and scope.
File before opening: previews, press releases and social media posts are all disclosures.

Already disclosed? The 1-year grace period

A design that has been made public before filing normally loses novelty. If you disclosed it yourself, Japan's grace period may still save it.

Grace period requirements

Deadline: file in Japan within 1 year of the disclosure
Claim: claim the exception at the time of filing
Proof: submit a document proving the disclosure within 30 days of filing

The grace period is a safety net, not a strategy. If a third party files or publishes a similar design in the meantime, your application may still fail. Also note that other countries' grace periods differ, so a disclosure that is curable in Japan may not be curable elsewhere.

Design, copyright, trademark or unfair competition?

Overseas clients often ask whether a design registration is really necessary when copyright or unfair competition law might already apply. Each tool has a different role:

Design registration: a registered right with a defined scope (the registered design and similar designs). You do not need to prove that the other side copied you, and the right lasts up to 25 years from filing.
Copyright: arises without registration, but whether a functional screen layout, a building or a store interior is protected as a "work" can be difficult to establish, and copying must be shown.
Unfair competition: may help where your get-up is already well known in Japan — which is rarely the case when you are just entering the market.
Trademarks: protect names, logos and other indications of origin, not the overall look of a screen or space as such.

For a company entering Japan, the design system is often the most predictable way to protect a new interface or store concept from day one, and it works well alongside trademark registration of the brand name.

What to prepare before contacting an attorney

For images: screenshots or design files of each screen, the order in which screens change, and a short explanation of what the user does with each screen.
For buildings: elevations, plans or 3D models, and a note on which features you consider distinctive.
For interiors: renderings or photos from several angles, and a list of the elements (counters, shelving, lighting, wall finishes) that make up the concept.
For all: the dates and places of any disclosure so far, and details of any earlier design filings abroad.

Filing in Japan as a foreign company

Representative: applicants with no domicile or business office in Japan must file through a Japanese patent attorney, who also handles any refusal.
Paris priority — 6 months: you can base the Japanese filing on your home design application within 6 months.
Translation and drawings: the application is filed in Japanese. Screen captures, CAD data and architectural drawings can be adapted to Japanese drawing requirements.
Communication: we work in English and Chinese, and accept bank transfer or PayPal (JPY).

Official JPO fees

Official design fees (as of November 2026)

Filing fee: JPY 16,000 per design
Registration (annual) fee: JPY 8,500 per year for years 1–3; JPY 16,900 per year for years 4–25 (only year 1 is required at registration)
Secret design request: JPY 5,100 (keeps the design secret for up to 3 years from registration — useful before a store opening or product launch)

Image, building and interior designs pay the same official fees as product designs. Attorney fees depend on the drawings required; ask us for a free quote.

FAQ

Q. Can a website design be registered?
A. Operational images such as buttons and menu screens can qualify. Pure decoration and content such as articles or videos cannot.
Q. Can game screens be registered?
A. Game content itself cannot. Menu and settings screens used to operate the game can qualify.
Q. Our store in Japan opened eight months ago. Is it too late?
A. Not necessarily. If you file within 1 year of the opening and meet the grace period requirements, registration may still be possible — but act quickly.
Q. We have a design registered in China for our app GUI. Can we claim priority in Japan?
A. Yes, within 6 months of the Chinese filing date. After that, Japanese novelty will be judged as of the Japanese filing date.

Key points

Since April 2020, Japan protects images, buildings and interiors as designs.
Images must relate to operating a device or displaying its function; wallpaper, movies and game content are excluded.
Interiors must create a unified aesthetic impression as a whole.
A 1-year grace period exists, but filing before disclosure is safest.
JPY 16,000 per design; foreign applicants file through a Japanese patent attorney.

Planning to register your design in Japan?
Send us screenshots, store photos or building drawings — we will tell you what can be protected in Japan and send a free quote.

BrandAgent Patent Office (Kyoto, Japan)
Toru Kano, Japanese Patent Attorney

Free consultation — visit BrandAgent's English site