Monthly Archives: March 2025

Hida Sarubobo

  • March 26, 2025
#Regional Collective Trademark #trademark

Last month, I went to Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture with some friends.
We took the JR Hida train from Nagoya and arrived after about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

We enjoyed taking photos, eating our way around the city, and sightseeing.
One thing I saw a lot in Takayama was the “Hida Sarubobo”. These dolls, which are called “Sarubobo” because they look like baby monkeys, are popular as good luck charms. The “Hida Sarubobo” is also registered as a regional collective trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration no. 5087585).

Hida Sarubobo

As a memory of this visit, we made Sarubobo beanbags. It took about 30 minutes to make them, and was a simple activity that could be enjoyed by both adults and children, involving sewing the cloth and attaching the Sarubobo head with glue.

Our firm has experience supporting intellectual property in the Tokai region, including Aichi, Gifu and Mie prefectures. We can also handle clients from outside the Tokai region, so please feel free to contact us. (Rabbit)

Unchanging taste, unchanging name

  • March 19, 2025
#trademark

I bought Yoguret because I saw it on sale in a shop and it brought back memories. It was not the old-fashioned tablet type in a box, but the sugar-coated type in a pouch, and Yoguret had evolved! The shop I happened to visit only sold the sugar-coated type, but looking at the website, it seems that the old-fashioned Yoguret and Hi-lemon in a box are still going strong.

Yoguret

While looking at the packaging with the intention of eating it, I suddenly wondered, “I think Yoguret was made by Meiji Seika, wasn’t it?”, so I looked into it and found that Meiji Seika, the company that used to make Yoguret and High Lemon, became a subsidiary of Marubeni in 2023 and changed its name to ATRION Co., Ltd.
The original trademark rights for Yoguret belonged to Meiji Seika, and the current trademark rights holder is ATRION Co., Ltd. Looking at the progress information, it seems that the rights were transferred in 2023. The same is true for Hi-lemon, and the current trademark rights holder is ATRION Co., Ltd.

Even if the same quality product was on sale, I don’t think I would have picked it up if the name or packaging had changed. This was an event that made me realize once again that even if the company changes with the times, we can still enjoy the same taste, protected by trademark rights. If I find the boxed type on sale, I’ll buy it. (Marron)

Cat Day

  • March 12, 2025
#trademark

The other day, February 22nd, was Cat Day.
As a cat lover, Cat Day is a very special day for me, when I can see lots of cats in photos and videos from morning to night.

This year, I bought some sweets to celebrate Cat Day.

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

They are “Shofuku Neko Manju” (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen, a shop in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture.

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

The impact of this appearance.
Once you’ve seen it, you’re unlikely to forget it, aren’t you?
As the name “Shofuku” suggests, it seems to bring good luck.

Incidentally, there is also a cat drawn on the paper bag.

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

It was a very satisfying Cat Day in 2025, as I was able to eat the manjuu I’d been wanting to try ever since I first heard about them a few years ago.

The word “猫子(Neko)” in “Shofuku Neko Manju” was registered as a Japanese trademark on June 15, 2022 for “Japanese sweets” and other designated products (Registration No. 6572445).

Why not register your important product or service name as a trademark?
For consultations and requests regarding trademark registration, please feel free to contact us here.
Of course, we also welcome individual customers. (Sakuramochi)

YOINED

  • March 5, 2025
#trademark

　I would like to introduce a trademark that we see every day without thinking about it. This time, I will be introducing YOINED, an ‘edible’ coffee from UCC UESHIMA COFFEE Co.

　A while ago, an article introducing this product was also published in the Japan Patent Office’s public relations magazine ‘Tokkyo’ Vol. 63. I have also included another article for reference. It seems that this time, the product has been relaunched.

　The price is a little high (2,700 yen (including tax) for 6 pieces → 450 yen per piece!), so I hesitated for a while (lol), but I decided to give it a try because I use a UCC capsule coffee machine at home.

YOINED, edible coffee from UCC UESHIMA COFFEE

　The packaging looks like a bar of chocolate. When I opened the package and took a bite, the inside also felt like a single bar of chocolate. The one on the left is MELLOW BROWN (15% coffee bean content), and the one on the right is CRAZY BLACK (40%).

YOINED, edible coffee from UCC UESHIMA COFFEE

　I didn’t really notice the coffee bean taste in the MELLOW BROWN, but the CRAZY BLACK had a strong coffee bean flavor. The pamphlet that came with it says “The name YOINED comes from the aftertaste (aftertaste in Japanese is “Yoin”)”, and I could certainly enjoy the aftertaste of coffee for a while.

　Incidentally, it may be obvious because it is mentioned in the Japan Patent Office’s public relations magazine, but YOINED makes use of patented technology (Japanese Patent Registration No. 6849552). It is said that 20 years were spent to bring to the world “food products that use coffee to allow people to easily enjoy the aroma and taste of coffee”. Why not try a different sensation to your usual cup of coffee?
(blink)