A Japanese court dismissed an appeal from perfect replica Audemars Piguet, finding that the Swiss watchmaker failed to show that the design of its coveted Royal Oak has acquired distinctiveness in the market. In a decision in late March, the Japanese IP High Court dismissed an appeal filed by luxury fake Audemars Piguet Holding SA, which sought to overturn the Japanese Patent Office (“JPO”) and its Appeals Board’s earlier refusals to register a trademark that covers the octagonal face of the Royal Oak watch (for use on watches in Class 14) on the basis that the mark lacks inherent distinctiveness and the watchmaker failed to establish that the appearance of…