Selling on Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping or Qoo10 Japan? Why You Need a Japanese Trademark (2026)

"A shop on Rakuten is selling fakes under our brand name." "Someone copied our product photos on Qoo10." "Can we report them with our Chinese trademark?"

More and more overseas brands and cross-border sellers are opening stores on Japan's major marketplaces — Rakuten Ichiba, Yahoo! Shopping and Qoo10 — not only on Amazon Japan. Once your products sell well, copycats usually follow. To have infringing listings removed, the marketplaces generally expect you to show rights that are valid in Japan, and for brand names that means a Japanese trademark registration.

In this article, Japanese Patent Attorney Toru Kano of BrandAgent explains when a Japanese trademark helps on these marketplaces, how their infringement reporting systems work, and what a trademark cannot do.

*Marketplace procedures described here are based on the operators' official pages as checked in November 2026. Marketplace rules change often — always check the latest seller and rights-holder guidelines before acting.

What you will learn

Why a Chinese or other foreign trademark is not enough in Japan
How Rakuten Ichiba, Yahoo! Shopping and Qoo10 handle IP reports
Why a pending application is usually not enough
A step-by-step approach to copycats and stolen photos
What a trademark cannot stop, and which classes to file

Your home-country trademark does not protect you in Japan

Trademark rights are territorial. A registration in China, Korea, the EU or the US has no effect in Japan, and Japanese marketplaces handle infringement reports on the basis of Japanese rights. Japan is also a first-to-file country: if someone else registers your brand in Japan first, it is your listings that may be reported as infringing.

A company without a domicile or business office in Japan must file through a Japanese patent attorney (Benrishi). If you already have a home-country application, you can claim Paris Convention priority within 6 months of that first filing, or designate Japan through the Madrid system.

Four ways a Japanese trademark helps marketplace sellers

Removing counterfeits and copycats: a registration is the basis for asking the marketplace to take down listings that use your brand name or logo.
Preventing brand hijacking: registering first stops a reseller or competitor from registering your name and reporting you.
Proving you own the brand: the registration certificate is the clearest evidence for marketplaces, distributors and retail partners in Japan.
Action outside the marketplace: warning letters to copycat websites or social media accounts, and customs measures against imports.

Marketplaces may also ask for documents about the brand when you open a store or list branded goods in some categories. These requirements vary by marketplace and category and change from time to time, so check the current seller guidelines.

How the three marketplaces handle IP reports

Rakuten Ichiba: Infringement Report Form

Rakuten provides an online form (in Japanese and English) for reporting intellectual property infringement on Rakuten Ichiba. As checked in November 2026:

The report can be made by the right owner or by an agent with a power of attorney.
Trademark, copyright, design and patent rights are covered, with one report per right.
For a trademark, you need a registration number valid in Japan — application numbers are not accepted — plus the designated goods/services, the registration certificate and screenshots of the infringing pages.
You may be asked for a written opinion explaining the legal grounds, for example from a lawyer.
Rakuten may share the report and attachments with the reported shop, and says it may not be able to handle disputes about resale and distribution.

Yahoo! Shopping: IP Protection Program

LY Corporation runs an "Intellectual Property Protection Program" covering Yahoo! Auctions, Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Shopping. Listings are removed on requests from right holders (or their agents) who are legally entitled to seek an injunction. There are two tracks:

	Program A	Program B
Advance registration	Not required — report each case via a web form	Required — then a simplified request procedure
Scope	Infringing listings in general	Copyright, trademark, publicity and breeders' rights — only clear-cut infringement types
Key conditions	Evidence prepared for each case	Not open to individuals; documents (e.g. a copy of the trademark register and company registration) sent by post; review usually takes about 2–3 months

For Program B, agents are limited to lawyers and patent attorneys licensed in Japan. If copycats keep appearing, registering for Program B is worth considering.

Qoo10 Japan: Qsafe

Qoo10 operates "Qsafe", a program for right holders to report infringing shops and products. You first apply for membership with supporting documents (such as a certified company registration), and after approval you search current listings and report infringing products with reasons. The report history shows the progress of each case, including mediation with the shop and any rebuttal documents.

A pending application is usually not enough

Takedowns generally need a registration

In Japan, a trademark right arises only on registration. Rakuten's form expressly requires a Japanese registration number and does not accept application numbers. Normal examination takes around 9–12 months, so if you only file after copycats appear, you will be unable to report them on trademark grounds for most of a year. File before you launch in Japan — or at the latest as soon as sales start to grow.

If you need protection urgently, accelerated examination may be available if the requirements are met, which can bring a decision in around 2–3 months.

Step by step: dealing with copycats and stolen photos

1. Preserve evidence: save listing URLs and dated screenshots, and if possible test-purchase the product and photograph it.
2. Check your rights: are the goods the same as or similar to your designated goods, and is the sign the same as or similar to your registered mark?
3. Choose the right basis: brand name or logo → trademark; your own product photos → copyright; copied product shape → design right.
4. Report to the marketplace: use each marketplace's form or program. A Japanese patent attorney can act as your agent, and handle Japanese-language communication.
5. If it continues: consider a warning letter or an import suspension application at Japan Customs.

What a trademark cannot stop

Resale of genuine goods: reselling genuine products bought from you or your distributors is generally not trademark infringement. Rakuten also notes that it may not be able to handle resale disputes.
Copies of the product shape without your brand: a trademark does not cover the product design itself; a Japanese design registration is the tool for that.
Goods outside your designated goods: your right may not extend to unrelated products, so choose classes that match what you sell.

Prevention checklist for marketplace sellers

Brand protection checklist

Your brand name and logo are registered in Japan for the classes you sell in.
Your listings and packaging use the mark exactly as registered.
You keep the original files of your product photos, with dates.
You search for your brand on each marketplace regularly.
Products with a distinctive shape are considered for a Japanese design registration before launch.
Your agreements with Japanese distributors state that you own the brand in Japan.

Which classes and which form to register

Start with the classes for the products you actually sell — for example class 25 for clothing, class 3 for cosmetics, class 9 for phone accessories — and add classes for products you plan to launch soon. Register the brand name or logo exactly as it appears on your products and listings. If Japanese shoppers are likely to search for your brand in katakana, a katakana registration can also be useful.

Official JPO fees: filing JPY 3,400 + JPY 8,600 per class; registration (10 years) JPY 32,900 per class. BrandAgent's fees: JPY 25,000 per class at filing and JPY 25,000 per class at registration (excluding Japanese consumption tax). For one class, the total including official fees is about JPY 94,900. The prior search is free when you instruct us to file; consultations and quotes are free. Payment by PayPal (JPY) or bank transfer.

FAQ

Q. Can we report copycats with our Chinese trademark?
A. Generally no. Japanese marketplaces rely on rights valid in Japan; Rakuten's form asks for a Japanese registration number.
Q. Can we use a pending Japanese application?
A. Usually not for trademark-based takedowns, because the right arises only on registration. Rakuten's form does not accept application numbers.
Q. A competitor copied our product photos. Do we need a trademark?
A. Not necessarily — you may be able to report on copyright grounds. Keep the original image files.
Q. Can you file the marketplace reports for us?
A. We can help with the evidence and the report. The cost depends on the work involved — ask us for a free quote.
Q. Who will handle our case?
A. We have handled more than 4,000 applications, and every case is handled personally by a licensed Japanese patent attorney, in English or Chinese.

Key points

Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping and Qoo10 all have systems for right holders to report infringing listings.
Trademark-based reports generally need a Japanese registration — file early.
Stolen photos → copyright; copied shapes → design right.
Resale of genuine goods generally cannot be stopped with a trademark.
BrandAgent fees: JPY 25,000 per class at filing and at registration; free prior search when you instruct us to file.