Trademark Hall of Fame

Name

Canon

Official website

Owned by

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Description

Canon, a Japanese multinational corporation, was founded in 1937 as Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd. by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida, and Takeo Maeda. The company initially focused on the development and production of cameras and optical products. In 1935, they released their first camera, the Kwanon, named after the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Canon's IP activity started with a trademark registration for "Canon" in 1935. This trademark marked the beginning of Canon's commitment to innovation and excellence in the field of imaging technology.

Canon has continuously emphasized its commitment to combating counterfeiting globally, with a specific focus on protecting customers from fake and potentially unsafe products that misuse the Canon brand. On May 11, 2023, Canon Inc. and Canon U.S.A., Inc., in collaboration with Amazon.com, Inc., and Amazon.com Services LLC, jointly initiated legal action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The lawsuit targeted 29 selling accounts on Amazon's U.S. store that were allegedly involved in selling camera batteries and chargers, infringing on Canon's trademark rights.

Selected trademarks

Registration number:

1817359

Filing date:

2013-09-26

Office:

USPTO

Registration number:

3675768

Filing date:

2019-05-29

Office:

USPTO

Registration number:

2595095

Filing date:

2022-12-19

Office:

USPTO