Zoom Ordered to Pay 180 Million Yen in Trademark Infringement Case by Tokyo Court
The Tokyo District Court ruled that the 'Zoom' logo used by the video conferencing platform infringed upon the trademark of the Japanese company 'Zoom Corporation' prior to June 2020, ordering damages of approximately 180 million yen.
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- 📰 Published: April 25, 2026 at 13:37
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(CNA News, Tokyo, 25th) The video conferencing platform Zoom has been sued by a Japanese company of the same name for trademark infringement. The Tokyo District Court delivered its verdict on the 24th, recognizing that infringement occurred before June 2020. The court ordered the US operating company and its Japanese distributor to pay a combined total of approximately 180 million yen (about NT$35.52 million), but rejected the request to stop using or delete the logo.
According to NHK reports, Zoom Corporation, a musical electronic equipment manufacturer founded in 1983 and headquartered in Tokyo, obtained trademark registration in 2006. They claimed that the video conferencing platform Zoom's later use of a similar mark constituted trademark infringement. Five years ago, they filed a lawsuit against the US operator and its Japanese sales agent, seeking damages and demanding an injunction against the use and deletion of the logo.
On the other hand, the video conferencing platform Zoom was founded in the US in 2011 and used a logo consisting of the same four letters in its app icons and other materials. This meeting service's recognition surged in Japan due to the widespread adoption of remote work during the 2020 pandemic.
The plaintiff argued that after Zoom released its financial report in June 2020, it caused market confusion, leading to their own company's stock price hitting the daily upper limit for two consecutive days before sharply dropping, causing substantial damage, which led to the lawsuit.
Zoom (the platform) claimed, 'The plaintiff's logo font is black and the design is more mechanical; the appearance of the two is clearly different. Furthermore, the plaintiff has no record of use in video conferencing services, so there is no possibility of confusion.'
The Tokyo District Court's ruling stated that both marks use the same four English letters and have the same pronunciation, thus possessing a certain degree of similarity. However, as the use of video conferencing increased significantly during the pandemic, the Zoom platform has been recognized as a famous mark by the general public since at least July 2020. Therefore, it does not currently constitute trademark infringement, and the request for an injunction or deletion of the mark was not supported.
However, the court found that prior to June 2020, ordinary consumers might still have been confused, thus constituting trademark infringement. The US operator was ordered to pay approximately 166 million yen, and the Japanese distributor about 16 million yen.
The US operator of the Zoom platform responded that they were relieved the court approved the continued use of the mark, but expressed 'deep regret' regarding the ruling on the infringement period and will study future countermeasures.
According to NHK reports, Zoom Corporation, a musical electronic equipment manufacturer founded in 1983 and headquartered in Tokyo, obtained trademark registration in 2006. They claimed that the video conferencing platform Zoom's later use of a similar mark constituted trademark infringement. Five years ago, they filed a lawsuit against the US operator and its Japanese sales agent, seeking damages and demanding an injunction against the use and deletion of the logo.
On the other hand, the video conferencing platform Zoom was founded in the US in 2011 and used a logo consisting of the same four letters in its app icons and other materials. This meeting service's recognition surged in Japan due to the widespread adoption of remote work during the 2020 pandemic.
The plaintiff argued that after Zoom released its financial report in June 2020, it caused market confusion, leading to their own company's stock price hitting the daily upper limit for two consecutive days before sharply dropping, causing substantial damage, which led to the lawsuit.
Zoom (the platform) claimed, 'The plaintiff's logo font is black and the design is more mechanical; the appearance of the two is clearly different. Furthermore, the plaintiff has no record of use in video conferencing services, so there is no possibility of confusion.'
The Tokyo District Court's ruling stated that both marks use the same four English letters and have the same pronunciation, thus possessing a certain degree of similarity. However, as the use of video conferencing increased significantly during the pandemic, the Zoom platform has been recognized as a famous mark by the general public since at least July 2020. Therefore, it does not currently constitute trademark infringement, and the request for an injunction or deletion of the mark was not supported.
However, the court found that prior to June 2020, ordinary consumers might still have been confused, thus constituting trademark infringement. The US operator was ordered to pay approximately 166 million yen, and the Japanese distributor about 16 million yen.
The US operator of the Zoom platform responded that they were relieved the court approved the continued use of the mark, but expressed 'deep regret' regarding the ruling on the infringement period and will study future countermeasures.