Filing of Lawsuit Against Kao Corporation
IVY COSMETICS CORPORATION (prospective plaintiff), Kao Corporation (prospective defendant)
The company's "BASIC＋" series, Kao Corporation's "SOFINA BASIC＋," and the packaging representations of Kao Corporation's products
The company believes that the name of the Kao Corporation product could cause confusion with the company's products and dilute the "BASIC＋" brand, and that certain representations for the Kao Corporation product may constitute false or misleading advertising or other forms of unfair competition. It also states that it requested a name change or a licence for use, but that Kao Corporation rejected the request.
Related procedures
Civil litigation (injunction against use and other relief under the Trademark Act and the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, together with a partial claim for damages)
Tokyo District Court
IVY COSMETICS CORPORATION
Kao Corporation
¥12 million (partial amount claimed for damages arising from unfair competition)
Fiscal year ending March 2027 (the impact of this matter on earnings for the fiscal year)
The company will file a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the use of the Kao Corporation product's representations, manufacturing, sales and advertising, the disposal of the products, and ¥12 million in damages. The impact on earnings for the fiscal year ending March 2027 will be assessed in light of the progress of the lawsuit and related matters.
The company will promptly disclose any matters requiring disclosure in light of the progress of the lawsuit and related matters.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event name | Filing of Lawsuit Against Kao Corporation |
| Date of occurrence | 29 September 2026 (date on which the company's board of directors resolved to file the lawsuit) |
| Date recognized / date notice received | 24 June 2026 (date on which the planned launch of "SOFINA BASIC＋" became known through Kao Corporation's press release) |
| Subject Entity | IVY COSMETICS CORPORATION (prospective plaintiff), Kao Corporation (prospective defendant) |
| Target Locations / Products | The company's "BASIC＋" series, Kao Corporation's "SOFINA BASIC＋," and the packaging representations of Kao Corporation's products |
| Cause | The company believes that the name of the Kao Corporation product could cause confusion with the company's products and dilute the "BASIC＋" brand, and that certain representations for the Kao Corporation product may constitute false or misleading advertising or other forms of unfair competition. It also states that it requested a name change or a licence for use, but that Kao Corporation rejected the request. |
| Accounting period in which recognized | Fiscal year ending March 2027 (the impact of this matter on earnings for the fiscal year) |
| Type of litigation or proceeding | Civil litigation (injunction against use and other relief under the Trademark Act and the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, together with a partial claim for damages) |
| Court or authority | Tokyo District Court |
| Plaintiff | IVY COSMETICS CORPORATION |
| Defendant | Kao Corporation |
| Claim amount / surcharge amount | ¥12 million (partial amount claimed for damages arising from unfair competition) |
| Outlook | The company will file a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the use of the Kao Corporation product's representations, manufacturing, sales and advertising, the disposal of the products, and ¥12 million in damages. The impact on earnings for the fiscal year ending March 2027 will be assessed in light of the progress of the lawsuit and related matters. |
| Planned follow-up disclosure | The company will promptly disclose any matters requiring disclosure in light of the progress of the lawsuit and related matters. |
Items this document does not state (11)
These are items the company does not state in this document. We do not leave them blank, nor fill them in from other sources or by inference.
The reasons the company gives
The company's own explanation, not something inferred from the numbers.The company believes that the name of the Kao Corporation product could cause confusion with the "BASIC＋" brand and dilute the brand, and that certain representations for the Kao Corporation product may constitute false or misleading advertising or unfair competition. The company states that it requested Kao Corporation to change the name or grant a licence for its use, but that the request was rejected.