On July 28, 2026, Taiwan’s IP Office (“TIPO”) denied a trademark opposition filed by Crocodile International Pte Ltd. (“CIP”), finding that the contested trademark, while featuring two cartoonish crocodiles, would not cause confusion with CIP’s classic “Crocodile” trademarks (e.g., Reg. No. 00785647, 00158414, 00149758, and 02293801).
TIPO sided with Lurng Furng on July 28, 2026, reasoning that:
1. The contested trademark consists of two personified cute crocodiles standing back-to-back to each other, with their heads facing to different directions. While CIP’s cited trademarks also feature crocodile, given that crocodile is a common animal, when assessing similarity, one should consider the differences in design, style, and touch. In this respect, the crocodiles displayed in CIP’s cited trademarks are different in their overall appearance, design concept, facial expression, and posture. As such, CIP’s crocodiles should be dissimilar to Lurng Furng’s.
2. Additionally, upon research, registered trademarks that feature the theme of crocodiles have been widely adopted across the industries in Taiwan. Hence, trademarks that only feature image of crocodile would be less distinctive. It is true that CIP’s cited trademarks were recognized as well-known in apparel and footwear, but consumers should be able to distinguish the contested trademark from CIP’s based on the differences in style and appearance.
3. In light of the above, considering the dissimilarity between the two trademarks, the weak distinctiveness of crocodile design, and the long co-existence of other trademarks that also feature crocodile images, the contested trademark is unlikely to cause confusion among the consumers. CIP’s opposition was denied accordingly.
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