It generally takes 7 months from the application date for the applicant to receive a first Office Action from the JPO.
If the JPO examiner does not find any reason(s) for refusing to approve the registration of the applied-for design, a Notice of Allowance will be issued at that time. (Design Law Article 18).
However, if the JPO examiner finds one or more reasons why the application cannot be approved, the JPO will issue a Notice of Reason(s) for Refusal, after which the applicant may submit a Response, including an argument and/or amendment designed to overcome the reason(s) for refusal (Design Law Article 19).
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