Seibu Group Prince Hotels threatens to sue Tabata Prince Hotels for Trademark infringement

Image Credit- Nikkei Asian Review

Seibu Group’s Prince Hotels and Resorts, one of the Japan’s largest hotel leisure businesses, is taking steps to file a infringement action against the owner of the Tabata Prince Hotel on the basis of its trademark rights for “Prince Hotel”, which it has held since 1992. Earlier on April 13, the company issued a warning on its website to the following effect:

“Please be warned that the recently opened hotel named Tabata Prince Hotel in Tokyo’s Kita Ward is neither capitally related nor affiliated to the Seibu Group’s hotels.”

The Tabata Prince Hotel opened on April 1, and has rooms priced between ¥5,500 and ¥15,000 with a modest and casual atmosphere that contrasts strongly with the Seibu Group’s luxurious high-end Prince Hotels. It would appear that confusion may have already occurred with respect to both hotels as Seibu Group claims that after Tabata hotel began operations, they received a number of inquiries and complaints from customers that the new hotel was completely different from Seibu’s other hotels, and advised that they take action to prevent further misconceptions in the future.

Image Credit_ Booking.com

In response to the above, Eikan Otomo, president of the Tabata Prince Hotel stated as follows;

·        There was no intention to infringe on Seibu’s trademark right.

·        Efforts are ongoing to obtain a trademark right for “the Tabata Prince Hotel.

·        Tabata Prince hotel was named after the president’s old last name, ‘Oh,’ which means a king or prince in English.

·        In the light of the fact Tabata Prince Hotels are  really cheap and the building outlook is quite different from Seibu’s Prince Hotels, it’s obvious it’s a different business.

Developments are being monitored with respect to this building case and we will report on the same shortly.