Have a Break

Hello. This is Hiro.
The other day, my sister-in-law and her husband gave us a souvenir of Sanuki udon that they bought in Kagawa prefecture, where they went home.

Because of my work, I was wondering if the trademark of the package is registered.
I looked up the manufacturer name “Ishimaru Seimen Co., Ltd.”, which was written on the back of the package, and found “石を丸で囲んだ図形(the figure with a circle around the stone)” (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5064997) at the top of the package and “讃岐伝統の味／石丸(Traditional Sanuki taste/ Ishimaru)”(Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5061692) at the bottom have been registered.

Two trademarks are protected by trademark rights. The company’s credit will continue to accumulate in these trademarks.

Because it was authentic Sanuki udon noodles, it was very delicious with a chewy and strong texture.
The desire to visit Kagawa prefecture one day and eat in many udon restaurants there increased inside me.

Generally, when you develop a new product or service, you will consider various names for the trademark (naming) as to what kind of name you should use.
However, there are some eccentric people who come up with certain names (trademarks) first and then start thinking about what kind of product or service they will provide with it.

The other day, when I went on a trip to Kyoto and looked around the shrines and temples, I met a person who wanted to use the trademark “Kinkakuji” (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion). That person was thinking what kind of product would be profitable or make him/her happy. He/she came up with “Kinkakuji miso”, “Kinkakuji tea”, “Kinkakuji sake” and so on. The person wants to sell products that fit the image of the name and decide on a business that can make profit from trademarks and products.
I think there will be an era in the future for such an approach to trademarks. Let’s start with search and survey. (Rice Ball)

“Additive-free quality product / Achilles Stick” is a stick-shaped dog food made from turkey tendon, which my dog loves. According to the product description, it has the effects of (1) strengthening chewing ability and protecting health, (2) maintaining health with natural proteins, and (3) having fun chewing to relieve stress. I feed my dog daily, morning and night, mixed with other general nutrition foods and jerky. First, my dog takes Achilles stick and carry it a little further away to secure his space and then enjoys chewing it hard. Because it is made from a natural ingredient, there are variations in size and shape. There is a difference of several times between large and small pieces, and he takes a long time enjoying it especially when it is a large piece.

The product was renewed around the fall of this year in 2021, and the package logo was changed from the original “Additive-free quality product / Achilles stick” to “Additive-free quality product / Achilles stick + (plus))”. Prior to that, the seller, DoggyMan H. A. Co., Ltd. filed an application for trademark registration of the standard character “アキレススティック(Achilles Stick)” (the designated goods are pet food and feed) in addition to the original graphic character trademark (Japanese trademark registration No. 5147261). It was registered after responding to the notice of reasons for refusal (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6285888, registered on August 28, 2020). It seems that the examiner has acknowledged that “アキレススティック(Achilles Stick)” is known to consumers and traders as a series of integrated trademarks. (Conan)

How do you usually pay? In cash or use cashless payment?
I made a debut in cashless payment this year and started using it regularly. I’ve used credit cards before, but only for expensive purchases and online shopping.

Cashless payment is not only limited to credit cards, but also various methods such as using a transportation IC card and payments with smartphones. Among them, I mainly use QUICPay.

One of the reasons I chose QuickPay is that I can pay with my smartphone.
It’s easy to set up and you can use it just by registering your credit card information in the Apple Wallet on your iPhone.
For a person like me, who always carries an iPhone, the condition of QUICPay which allows smartphone payments suited me well.

As with QUICPay and other cashless payments, it makes a sound when the payment is completed. For example, when you pass through a ticket gate with a transportation IC card, you will hear a beep. If you use QUICPay in the same way, you will hear “QuickPay” sound.

Every time I use QUICPay I hear it, and because I work on intellectual property industry, I thought, “Maybe its sound trademark application has been filed or even it has been registered”, so I looked it up with J Plat-Pat.
Then, JCB Co., Ltd. filed an application in July of this year. (Japanese trademark application No. 2021-85332)
The article on the trademark title says, “This trademark consists of a structure that you can hear an electronic voice saying “Quick pay”, and the total length of the sound is about 1 second.”.

I would like to continue using cashless payment while thinking that it is a payment method that fit with the times of our generation. (Rabbit)

QUICPayご利用ガイド｜QUICPay (How to use QUICPay (Japanese only))
J-Plat Pat QUICPay Sound Trademark

Earlier this month, I went to see the training ships “Nippon Maru” and “Kaiwo Maru” that entered the port of Nagoya.
This was the first time in four years that the two ships entered the port at the same time, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Nagoya Port Management Association.
I thought it would be spectacular to see the ships with their sails unfurled up close, but I was a little disappointed when I arrived at Nagoya Port to find that there would be no sails unfurled during the port call.
However, even without the sails, it was spectacular!

L=Nippon Maru,R=Kaiwo Maru

The Kaiwo Maru was not on display, so I could not see it from the side, but I was able to get a closer look at the Nippon Maru, which is so big that it would be difficult to capture them together in a frame unless you were very far away.

The two ships that stopped at the port are both second generation, the first having been retired and now preserved at the Nippon Maru Memorial Park in Yokohama Port and the Kaiwomaru Park in Toyama New Port, respectively. The Nippon Maru is designated as a national important cultural property.

A search on J-PlatPat yielded several hits for the trademarks “Sailing Ship Nippon Maru” and “Kaiwo Maru”. They are owned by a foundation that operates and manages the park that preserves the first sailing ship.

Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy, but it was neither too hot nor too cold, just a nice day to enjoy the sea breeze.
The Nagoya Marine Riders, who came to watch the Nippon Maru from the ocean side, also made an appearance. (Cacao)

JMETS (jmets.j-server.com)
How to get to the English page of the website
Click on the link (this will open the Japanese website)
Click “Foreign Languages” on the top left
Choose the language (English)

English – 帆船日本丸・横浜みなと博物館 (nippon-maru.or.jp)
Guide to Kaiwomaru Park｜海王丸パーク