IP High Court Dismisses Susaki City's Request to Stop 'Chiitan☆' Mascot Use, Increasing Damages to 18.8M Yen for Business Obstruction

WISECODE Take

In my view, enforcing intellectual property rights is not an unrestricted defensive measure; sending warnings without a solid legal basis may backfire. On October 7, 2026, the Intellectual Property High Court of Japan dismissed Susaki City's request to stop the use of the mascot "Chiitan☆" and ruled that the city's copyright infringement allegations constituted "business obstruction," increasing damages to 18.8 million yen. This proves that improper infringement accusations can turn into a boomerang that severely damages the accuser in business warfare. Local businesses not involved in multinational mascot licensing are not directly affected by this ruling. If your business is planning brand IP development, Zhidian's trademark monitoring service can help monitor potential market risks and avoid blindly launching legal battles before clarifying the scope of your rights. For such disputes, businesses should take two actions. First, before sending infringement warning letters, ensure that the scope of your rights is correct to prevent being countersued for business obstruction. Second, when facing false infringement allegations, actively gather evidence of business losses caused by the opponent's warnings to use as leverage for claiming damages.