Have a Break

- Written by Patent Attorneys, Patent Engineers, Trademark Engineers, Translators, and Administrative staff -

Milk Frother

  • October 9, 2024
#trademark

　This is an introduction to the trademarks we see every day without thinking. This time, I will be introducing ‘ZWILLING (registered trademark)’. I have been using kitchenware from this brand for a long time. Recently, I think I have been seeing this twin logo more and more. The pots, knives, etc. are functional and well-designed, and the kitchen appliances such as blenders have a simple design without any unnecessary functions, so they are easy to use and I really like them.

　I use a capsule-type coffee machine. Usually, I can drink it black and it’s delicious enough, but sometimes I want to drink it with the kind of foamed milk you see in coffee shops. Also, sometimes black coffee seems too strong for my taste. In these cases, this Milk Frother is very convenient. In Japan, it’s usually called a milk foamer, but it’s basically a milk frother.

ZWILLING Milk Frother

ZWILLING Milk Frother

　The ZWILLING Milk Frother I recently bought can’t be used to make latte art like an espresso machine, but it can easily make fine frothy milk, and it can also be heated, so it can easily make delicious café au lait. I’ve also tried using it with soymilk, and it worked perfectly.

　This summer was long, but recently, it finally feels like autumn is blowing through, and mornings and evenings are becoming more comfortable. This Milk Frother is going to be put to good use.
(blink)

Misonoza

  • October 2, 2024
#trademark

I went to Misonoza with my family to celebrate Respect-for-the-Aged Day.
Misonoza is a long-established theater in Nagoya City that was rebuilt in 2018, and its modern and impressive architecture is famous as a tourist spot.
The white lattice pattern on the exterior wall is distinctive, and the vivid vermillion of the entrance and the green of the sign and logo mark are eye-catching.

Misonoza
Misonoza
Misonoza

When you search for “Misonoza” on J-PlatPat, you will find 5 registered trademarks.
Of the 4 that were applied for in 1991 and 1992, Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6042219, which was applied for in 2017, is a registered trademark with color. It is used vertically on the exterior walls and entrance pillars (see below).

Misonoza

Unlike the previous four cases, there are many divisions, and the content of the designated goods and the timing of the application show that the management after the reconstruction was taken into consideration.
Although I was unable to stop by, I assume that there are many souvenirs using this registered trademark on display in the attached shop.

It was my first time at the Misonoza, and I had a great time laughing and spending time with my family.
We had Yamamotoya’s miso-simmered udon for dinner, and it was a day full of Nagoya treats♪ (Cacao)

Coleman -THE SUNSHINE OF THE NIGHT-

  • September 25, 2024
#design #patent #trademark

　Have you heard of Coleman? It is an American outdoor brand (company) that has long been known among campers. I remember using a Coleman gasoline-powered lantern when I was a kid on a camping trip with my family. That lantern lit up the darkness as brightly as daylight. Decades later, Coleman products such as tables and cooking stoves are still in use at the camps I have come to visit with my own children. The photo shows the LP gas cans used for the cooking stove and gas lantern. The white Coleman logo on a red background stands out.

Coleman Lantern Gas

　Research shows that Coleman was founded in Oklahoma around 1900 by William Coffin Coleman. Initially, the company specialized in gasoline-powered lamps, but as electric lighting became more widespread, it developed a gasoline-powered lantern that could be used outdoors, which it began selling in 1914 as the ‘Arc Lantern’. (Wikipedia – Coleman (camping equipment)). Today, a wide range of Coleman products, including tents, are sold in camping supply shops, home improvement centers and online retailers.

　A trademark search on J-PlatPat revealed 136 registered trademarks where the right holder is ‘The Coleman Company Incorporated’. The first registered trademark in Japan (1950), Japanese Trademark Registration No. 387738 (see image), reads ‘THE SUNSHINE OF THE NIGHT’between an illustration of the sun and the Coleman logo letters. Does it refer to a lantern?

Coleman Logo

　Of the 136 registered trademarks, approximately 60 contained the words ‘Coleman’ or ‘コールマン(Coleman in Japanese katakana)’. In addition, there were approximately 100 patent applications and 110 registered designs where the applicant/right holder was Coleman. A large number of intellectual property rights protect Coleman products and services (Hiro).

Distinctive Identity of a specialized magazine – Nikkei BP’s magazine media

  • September 18, 2024
#trademark

　Nikkei BP, a group company of Nikkei Inc., publishes online and magazine media in the broad areas of management (business), technology, and lifestyle. Many of the names of those media are registered as trademarks. For example, the names of the following lifestyle-related magazines have been registered as trademarks since their first issue over 30 years ago, and are widely known among readers of all ages.

　“Nikkei Personalcomputing” first published in 1983: Japanese Trademark registration No. 1730485 (registered on November 27,1984)
　“Nikkei TRENDY” first published in 1987: Japanese Trademark registration No. 2260352 (registered on August 30, 1990)
　“Nikkei WOMAN” first published in 1988: Japanese Trademark registration No. 2247543 (registered on July 30, 1990)

　Among these, “Nikkei TRENDY” is an information magazine that publishes articles on currently trending products, services, and businesses under the catchphrase “a fashionable information magazine that stimulates personal life”.

Nikkei TRENDY

　In the October 2024 issue of Nikkei TRENDY (released on September 4), an advertisement article of Hattori & Partner (p. 131) appears in the “Intellectual Property Professionals / Selected Patent Attorney File” (p. 128 – p. 132). We would appreciate it if you could take a look at our advertisement article when you see the magazine in bookstores. (Conan)

　(Reference site)
https://info.nikkeibp.co.jp/media/TRE/ (Japanese only)
https://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/media/media_list.html (Japanese only)

Monetization of Patent Rights (Part 2)

  • September 12, 2024
#intellectual property #patent

　This is a continuation of the previous article. This is a continuation of the typical methods of monetizing patent rights.

5, Litigation and patent infringement warnings

　If another company infringes on your patent rights, you can warn the other company and claim damages by entering into a license agreement with them or by filing a lawsuit against them. However, litigation is time-consuming and expensive and should be done strategically.

6, Building and managing a patent portfolio

　By building a portfolio that combines multiple patent rights (which can include design rights, trademarks, etc.) and proceeding with licensing agreements based on this portfolio, profits can be maximized. Alternatively, the entire portfolio could be sold to a specific company.

7, Participation in patent pools and consortiums

　This is a way to earn licensing fees by participating in a patent pool or consortium and working with other patent holders to license technology to the market. This is particularly effective for patent rights related to standard technologies.

8, Partnering with investors and venture capitalists

　This is a way to monetize patent rights by launching a startup that utilizes the patented technology and obtaining funds from affiliated investors and venture capitalists. If successful, the business based on the patented technology has the potential to generate significant revenues.

9, Leverage tax strategies

　In some cases, tax incentives may be available through the use of patent rights. For example, by utilizing the patent box system (currently not established in Japan), a lower tax rate can be applied to earnings related to patent rights.

　As explained in the above two articles, the ways to monetize patent rights vary depending on the nature of the patent, the market situation, and the company’s strategy, and also vary depending on the country or region where the patent was acquired. By combining the above methods, it is possible to maximize the value of the patent rights (so-called intellectual property rights) acquired in each country.

　If you have any questions or need further advice, please contact us.
(Maruhachi)

Monetization of Patent Rights (Part 1)

  • September 10, 2024
#intellectual property #patent

　There are several possible strategies for businesses to monetize patent rights. Typical methods are listed below.

1, Licensing

　Exclusive license: this is a method of granting a patent right exclusively to a specific company for a license fee. This gives the company an advantage over other competitors.
　Non-exclusive license: a method of obtaining a broad license fee by granting a license to several companies at the same time. License fees tend to be lower than those for exclusive licenses, but it allows diversification of revenues.

2, Cross-licensing

　This is a strategy of exchanging patent rights with another company to make the technology owned by both parties mutually available. This reduces the payment of license fees and the risk of patent infringement and encourages the development of new technologies.

3, Commercialization

　This is a way of earning direct revenues by commercializing the patented technology in-house and offering it to the market as a product or service. This requires manufacturing, sales and marketing capabilities.
　Offering the product, service or business model covered by the patent right to the market on your own (e.g. by implementing the product on your own, using the method on your own) is an inherently basic and core way of implementing a patented invention (the traditional way of utilizing the patent system).
　Commercialization has the potential to maximize the value of the patent.

4, Sale of patent rights

　Selling the patent rights in a lump sum is a way of obtaining immediate capital. It is important to estimate the future value of the patent rights and sell them at an appropriate price. Possible sellers include other companies in the same industry, patent brokers or investors.

　These are some of the ways to monetize (utilize) patent rights, which will be continued in the next article.
(Maruhachi)

About nail clippers

  • September 6, 2024
#design #intellectual property #patent

It’s Swimmer.
The other day, while watching a TV program on new product development failures, I heard a lot of words related to intellectual property, such as ‘patent rights’, ‘infringement’, ‘design rights’, etc. I thought to myself, I usually hear about patents, but in comparison, I don’t hear much about designs.

How to dodge other companies’ intellectual property rights, the hardships of selling new products, and how to strengthen one’s own intellectual property after twists and turns…… were very interesting. I felt that there are more and more opportunities to encounter intellectual property terms even in this kind of variety-style program.

nail clipper

The image shows a nail clipper manufactured by the company featured in the program that has been used in our home for over 40 years. It still cuts very well.

Aomori Nebuta Festival

  • August 28, 2024
#trademark

During the summer, various festivals are held all over Japan, and one festival in particular that I have long been interested in is the Aomori Nebuta Festival. This year I was able to go to the “Aomori Nebuta Festival” for the first time and participate as a haneto (dancer).

Nebuta festivals are held in various locations, especially in Aomori Prefecture, but the “Aomori Nebuta Festival” that I attended this time is held every year from August 2 to 7 in Aomori City. It is considered one of the three major festivals in the Tohoku region and is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset of Japan.

On most days, more than 20 groups parade through the city, with the giant lanterns called “Nebuta” playing the central role, and the musicians consisting of drummers, flutes, and hand gongs, and the haneto, who call out “rassera, rassera” to enliven the scene. Anyone can participate in the haneto without reservations as long as they are dressed in formal attire, making it possible to enjoy the festival on a grand scale even more. This year, approximately 117,000 people participated as haneto over the six days of the festival.

The daytime Nebuta is a sight to behold, but seeing the giant lanterned Nebuta moving around at night is a very moving experience.

Nebuta

Even outside of the Aomori Nebuta Festival period, you can see some of this year’s Nebuta at the Nebuta House Wa Rasse. Also, “Kishibojin” by Asako Kitamura, winner of this year’s Nebuta Grand Prize, will be on display at EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.

Nebuta

A quick J-PlatPat search on “Aomori Nebuta Festival” revealed that the trademark was registered on November 27, 1986 (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 1909292) for the designated goods of “meat products, processed marine products, processed vegetables and fruits, soy milk, tofu, frozen tofu, fried tofu, konnyaku, natto”. The right holder is Yamamoto Shokuhin, which manufactures “Nebutazuke”, a well-known product in Aomori.
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1801/TR/JP-1984-043580/40/en

Nebutazuke

This “Nebutazuke” can also be purchased in Aichi Prefecture from vending machines installed in Nisshin City. (Syszo)

The Yellow and White Paper

  • August 21, 2024
#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark

My family and I often go to “Kura Sushi” in our neighborhood.
However, it is always crowded, and we often have to wait even if we have a reservation.
One day, when we were waiting in the restaurant to be called as usual, I happened to see a familiar piece of paper displayed in a frame behind the waiting seat where I happened to sit.

a patent certificate and a registration certificate

What a surprise…a patent certificate and a registration certificate Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ！
I said to my family, “Look! There are patent and registration certificates!” (laugh).
It was the first time I noticed them at Kura Sushi, a place I have visited many times, and I was a little happy to encounter them in such a familiar place.

With 35 patents, 15 designs, and 531 trademarks, you can see that Kura Sushi Co. puts a lot of effort into intellectual property. (Rabbit)

Toward Zero Heat Stroke

  • August 13, 2024
#trademark

　The other day, I bought some salted kelp with the “Toward Zero Heat Stroke Project Official Item 2024” logo on it. I checked J-PlatPat and found that the Japan Weather Association had obtained a trademark registration related to “Toward Zero Heat Stroke” (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5638669,6672449).

　Project partners included Kurakon’s “Salt Kelp,” Aquarius, Asazuke-no-moto, Salt Charge Tablet, and other foods that can easily replenish salt and minerals, as well as sundries such as the Biore Cold Series.

Kurakon's Salt Kelp

　I like to eat salted kelp with cabbage, cucumbers, and other vegetables with sesame oil. I eat it all year round, but in summer I will use it more actively in my cooking to survive the hot summer to avoid heat stroke. (Marron)

　Heat Stroke Zero Official Website
　https://www.netsuzero.jp/en/

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