Monthly Archives: April 2024

　The other day, I received a tax return gift from a municipality in Fukuoka Prefecture to which I donated last year. They are “Hakata Amaou” strawberries.

　My children were delighted with the bright red, large strawberries. They ate them in no time.
　The name “Amaou” is said to stand for the initial letters of the words “red, round, large, and delicious,” which represent the characteristics of this strawberry (variety), as well as a wish that it will become the king of sweet strawberries.

　“Hakata Amaou” is the brand name used by the JA Group in Fukuoka Prefecture for sales, and is registered as a trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5042710) for “fruits” and other designated products. “Amaou” was also registered as a trademark for the designated goods such as fruits before “Hakata Amaou” (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 4615573).
　Under the Trademark Law, the name of the variety cannot be registered as a trademark, but in the case of “Amaou,” the application for variety registration was filed before the product name was decided, so the variety name (“Fukuoka S6”) and the product name (“Amaou”) were different, and as a result, “Amaou” could be registered as a trademark and the brand could be improved. This resulted in the registration of “Amaou” as a trademark, and also led to brand enhancement (Hiro).

Hakata Amaou website
Amaou (Wikipedia: Japanese only)

The other day, I received some sweets with a rather unusual name. It is a souvenir from Ehime　Prefecture, and its name is “I~yokan shika shinai!”.

I~yokan shika shinai! is a flavorful madeleine filled with the peel and juice of Iyokan citrus produced in Ehime Prefecture, and is a product of Ichiroku Co., Ltd, a well-known confectionery in Shikoku and Ehime known for its Ichiroku Tart. I don’t think an explanation is necessary, but it is a combination of “Iyokan” and “iiyokan” which meaning good feeling.

Actually, I had known about this product for a long time and thought it was a bright and bold name. The fact that it is limited and emphasized with “shika(only)” is also good.

I was definitely going to buy it when I go on a trip to Ehime, but I realized that this is a great name for a souvenir that makes you feel happy when you receive it. Because I have only a good feeling about it!
Naming is very important. I have a feeling that something good will happen. (Syszo)

I~yokan shika shinai! is a registered trademark (J-PlatPat).
Would you like to protect your company’s important product or service name by registering it as a trademark?
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