Kansai Plascon – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
Kansai Plascon is one of South Africa's leading paint makers, part of the Japanese Kansai Paint group. Its brands include Plascon decorative paints, as well as automotive and industrial coatings.
How Kansai Plascon has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)Kansai Plascon trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/kansai-plascon-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
Kansai Plascon filed its first South African trademark in 1917 and has filed 412 since; its busiest year was 2011, with 54 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| Kansai Plascon | 383 | 1925–2023 |
| Freeworld Coatings Capital | 207 | 1917–2011 |
| Aletris Investment Holdings No 1 | 18 | 2007–2007 |
Where Kansai Plascon expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. Kansai Plascon's portfolio is concentrated in paints (class 2), cosmetics & cleaning (class 3), advertising & retail (class 35). Its most recent moves were into processing materials (2014), finance & insurance (2010), advertising & retail (2007).
Kansai Plascon trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2023
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/kansai-plascon-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Paints | 282 | 68.4% | 1917 |
| 3 Cosmetics & cleaning | 26 | 6.3% | 1941 |
| 35 Advertising & retail | 18 | 4.4% | 2007 |
| 16 Paper & print | 17 | 4.1% | 1943 |
| 37 Construction & repair | 14 | 3.4% | 2000 |
| 1 Chemicals | 11 | 2.7% | 1941 |
| 41 Education & entertainment | 9 | 2.2% | 2007 |
| 19 Building materials | 8 | 1.9% | 1943 |
The brands Kansai Plascon protects most
The word marks and logo names Kansai Plascon has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLASCON | 36 | 13 | 1941–2020 |
| 2 | PARTHENON | 10 | 6 | 1917–1966 |
| 3 | FREEWORLD | 9 | 9 | 2007–2007 |
| 4 | CAPE WATERS | 7 | 7 | 2009–2009 |
| 5 | AEROLAK AUTOCARE | 3 | 3 | 1982–1983 |
| 6 | ALCHEMY | 3 | 3 | 2000–2014 |
| 7 | CHARIOT | 3 | 3 | 2000–2000 |
| 8 | INSPIRED COLOUR | 3 | 3 | 2011–2014 |
| 9 | PLASCON SPACES | 3 | 3 | 2010–2016 |
| 10 | DOUBLE VELVET | 3 | 2 | 1973–2011 |
| 11 | VELVAGLO | 3 | 2 | 1976–2011 |
| 12 | WALL & ALL | 3 | 1 | 1987–2016 |
| 13 | BIOWASH | 2 | 2 | 2011–2011 |
| 14 | CAPE PAINT & PANEL | 2 | 2 | 2012–2012 |
| 15 | COLOUR EXPRESSIONS | 2 | 2 | 2000–2000 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
Kansai Plascon's logos
The 2 different logos Kansai Plascon has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, Kansai Plascon's marks took a median of 2.5 years from filing to registration, faster than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 1.7 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in Kansai Plascon's classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Kansai Plascon's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Kansai Plascon's market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, Kansai Plascon was #5 of 281 filers in class 2 (paints), with 15 of 579 trademarks; #106 of 1,836 filers in class 3 (cosmetics & cleaning), with 5 of 3,958 trademarks; #729 of 5,866 filers in class 35 (advertising & retail), with 3 of 11,124 trademarks.
Kansai Plascon's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 2 (paints), South Africa 1975–2024: Kansai Plascon
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/kansai-plascon-south-african-trademarks/class-2-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like Kansai Plascon
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Kansai Plascon's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
Kansai Plascon's closest competitors in South Africa are Stevensons Paints, Promac Retail, Duram and Ppg Industries Ohio.
Kansai Plascon trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/kansai-plascon-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: Kansai Plascon (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevensons Paints | Direct competitor | 100% |
| 2 | Promac Retail | Direct competitor | 89% |
| 3 | Duram | Direct competitor | 79% |
| 4 | Ppg Industries Ohio | Direct competitor | 70% |
| 5 | AkzoNobel | Direct competitor | 70% |
| 6 | Paintsmiths | Direct competitor | 70% |
| 7 | Rubberroofs | 66% | |
| 8 | Legendary Retail Brands | Retailer's own brands | 64% |
| 9 | Massmart | Retailer's own brands | 64% |
| 10 | Unitrade Management Services | Retailer's own brands | 63% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
Kansai Plascon – relevant export countries
South Africa exported US$2.0 billion of the goods Kansai Plascon's main classes cover in the last year – paints; varnishes; lacquers; colorants (class 2); cosmetics; essential oils; dentifrices; perfumery (class 3); books; posters; stickers (class 16); chemicals; fertilizers; chemical preparations (class 1); building materials; asphalt; building glass (class 19). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where Kansai Plascon's trademarks matter most.
Where South Africa exports Kansai Plascon's top goods
Kansai Plascon's trademarks most often cover paints, cosmetics, books, chemicals and building materials. South Africa's ten largest export markets for these goods took 62% of its exports of them in 2024.
South Africa's exports of each good to the country in 2024 (US$ million). The goods are the ones Kansai Plascon's specifications mention most in its main classes; the figures are national exports, not the company's own sales.
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | 77 | US$234 m | -6% | National | US$2,388 |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | 63 | US$210 m | +36% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 3 | India | 62 | US$7.3 m | -21% | National | US$1,295 |
| 4 | Namibia | 61 | US$168 m | +26% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 5 | Türkiye | 61 | US$15 m | -9% | National | US$1,258 |
| 6 | Zambia | 60 | US$361 m | +7% | National | US$2,610 |
| 7 | Australia | 58 | US$12 m | -11% | National | US$2,380 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 57 | US$2.7 m | -1% | National | US$1,660 |
| 9 | Malawi | 57 | US$28 m | +101% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 10 | Mexico | 56 | US$508 k | -4% | National | US$3,050 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 63 | US$210 m | +36% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 2 | Namibia | 61 | US$168 m | +26% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 3 | Zambia | 60 | US$361 m | +7% | National | US$2,610 |
| 4 | Malawi | 57 | US$28 m | +101% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 5 | Mozambique | 55 | US$92 m | -15% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 6 | Eswatini | 55 | US$75 m | -9% | National | US$446 |
| 7 | OAPI (17 states) | 55 | US$18 m | -1% | National | US$1,563 S&Z |
| 8 | Tanzania | 54 | US$16 m | -11% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 9 | Lesotho | 54 | US$46 m | +1% | National | US$326 |
| 10 | Botswana | 53 | US$137 m | -9% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLASCON | 13 | US$2,639 | US$3,041 |
| PARTHENON | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
| FREEWORLD | 9 | US$1,827 | US$2,302 |
| CAPE WATERS | 7 | US$1,421 | US$1,932 |
| AEROLAK AUTOCARE | 3 | US$609 | US$1,194 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
TM Country Selection Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.
Word marks you may have considered opposing
For Kansai Plascon's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Kansai Plascon's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to PLASCON (classes 2, 3, 16, 35, 37; searched 2021-12-22 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to PARTHENON (classes 1, 2, 4, 16, 19, 21; searched 2019-09-25 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to FREEWORLD (classes 2, 3, 16, 35, 37; no close matches in the search)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.
Similar to CAPE WATERS (classes 1, 2, 3, 16, 35, 37, 42; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to AEROLAK AUTOCARE (classes 2, 3, 4; searched 2022-02-23 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
Kansai Plascon's next five years of renewals
122 of Kansai Plascon's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$7,599 over the five years.
Kansai Plascon: frequently asked questions
What should Kansai Plascon consider for its trademarks?
- Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Zimbabwe, Namibia and Malawi – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “Kansai Plascon – relevant export countries”).
- Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 9 (electronics & software) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.