TTAB Cancels Fujiiryoki Massage Chair Trademark Based on Fraud

A Japanese health appliances company won its claim that a distributor fraudulently registered its trademark for massage chairs, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board said in a precedential decision.

American Crocodile International Group Inc. misrepresented itself through false claims to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that it was the owner of the Fujiiryoki mark for massage chairs, the TTAB said.

The board canceled the registration, saying that Fuji Medical Instruments Mfg. Co. Ltd. didn’t abandon its mark through non-use or naked licensing and that ACIGI wasn’t the owner just because it had the registration.

Fuji, a Japanese company that ...