YKK
YKK is notable because it is one of the most recognisable names in zips and fastening components even if many consumers only notice it on the product itself. That quiet ubiquity makes it editorially strong. It gives Class 26 practical credibility and trade relevance.
UK IPO Record
- Application Number
- UK00800899513
- Word Mark
- YKK
- Status
- Registered
- Applied
- 11 September 2006
- Registered
- 15 October 2007
- Next Renewal
- 11 September 2036
- Owner
- YKK CORPORATION
- Nice Classes
- Class 12
Trademark Classification
Nice Class 26 covers haberdashery. View all Class 26 trademarks and case studies →
Brand History & Trademark Analysis
Tadao Yoshida founded the San-S Trading Company in Tokyo in 1934, renaming it Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki-gaisha, the three initials of which became YKK. Yoshida developed the first YKK zip in 1946. The company is notable for pursuing vertical integration to an unusual degree: YKK manufactures its own brass alloy, spins its own polyester for tape, and makes its own zip-making machinery, which it also patents and trademark-registers. YKK produces approximately 10 billion zips per year, accounting for roughly half of all zips made worldwide. The letterform YKK registered as a trademark is protected in over 70 countries.