Have a Break

The results of the “Japan Naming Awards 2023” was announced recently.
This year marks the fourth annual holding of this award, and this year’s grand prize went to the singing voice synthesizer “Hatsune Miku”.

The competition was not limited to names created during the year, but also included “product names,” “service names,” and “company names” that were sold or offered in Japan during this period.
In addition, the entry must be “trademark registered”.

Among the permanent awards is the “Regional Soul Brand Category/Award,” which sets a strategic area each year and encourages a large number of entries to revitalize the local economy. This year it was Fukuoka Prefecture, last year it was Okinawa Prefecture, and the year before that was Hokkaido. When Aichi Prefecture becomes a strategic area, we hope that a large number of local companies will enter the competition to boost the local economy.

After developing a new product or service, it is important to dress it up with a thoughtful “name” and send it out to the world.
We can help you register your name as a trademark. We can also advise you on how to review your naming strategy by checking to see if something similar to your name is already in use by a competing company.
Please feel free to contact us.

Incidentally, on a personal note, I was surprised to see that “Rental Do Nothing Person”, which won the Jury’s Special Award, was properly registered as a trademark.(Cacao)
Japan Naming Award website (Japanese only)

Nagoya Station and Sakae are two of the most popular downtown areas in Nagoya, but Sakae is currently lagging behind Nagoya Station, which is being revitalized through remarkable redevelopment.
One reason is that Sakae is in the process of demolishing and rebuilding many of its aging buildings, resulting in fewer commercial facilities and stores overall, and therefore attracting fewer customers.

One of the buildings under reconstruction is the Chunichi Building.
Built in 1966, it has long been a familiar building with a retro Nagoya feel, and will have its grand opening in the spring of 2024.

The building complex will consist of stores and restaurants from the basement to fifth and seventh floors, a hotel, hall, rooftop plaza, and offices.
The rooftop plaza on the 7th floor will inevitably become a popular spot for relaxation and a place to overlook the Sakae cityscape.
(Time)

Chunichi Building Official Website (Only in Japanese)
https://chunichi-building.jp/

Related trademarks (from J-PlatPat)
Trademark owner: Chubu-Nippon Building Co.
Registered trademark (standard characters): “Korekaramo, machitosakaeru.”
Registration number: Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6698883
Date of registration: May 17, 2023
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/TR/JP-2022-135505/41DB6D48172104020DBBB54A428156D99454BB5AE423959C1508690DC2257226/40/en

The other day, I saw the book “Sequel to Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window” at a bookstore and bought it. The book was published in October 2023. When I was in elementary school, I wrote a book report on the book “Totto-chan at the Window” and received an honorable mention in the Nagoya City Book Report Competition. Seeing this book reminded me vividly of the commendation. The author of the book is Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, and the publisher is Kodansha Ltd.

“Totto-chan at the Window” is a registered trademark for newspapers, magazines, etc. (Product Category 16). The right holder is Kodansha Ltd. and the Japanese registration number is No. 3253119, with a registration date of January 31, 1997.

I thought visiting bookstores was a nice way to encounter a variety of books and topics depending on the time of year. (Raspberry)

　Hello, this is Hiro.
　The other day, I received a gift of chocolate from my brother and his wife who were in Italy on their honeymoon. The chocolates are made by Perugina, a company founded in Italy in 1907.

　The name “Baci” is the plural of “Bacio,” the Italian word for kiss, and when it was first developed in 1922, it was called “Cazotto” (fist) because of its appearance, but when it was changed to “Baci” it became very popular in Italy.
　The bite-sized chocolate with hazelnuts is not too sweet, and the aroma of chocolate and nuts fills the mouth; each piece contains a Cartiglio, a piece of paper with a saying about love written in four languages.

　The “PERUGINA” on the package was registered as a Japanese trademark on October 27, 1975 (Japanese Registration No. 1167253), and the “Baci” logo was registered on February 27, 1979 (Japanese Registration No. 1374902). The company and products themselves have a very long history, but the history of trademark registration in Japan is also long.

Baci Chocolate official website: https://www.baciperugina.com/intl/

Would you like to register your company name, product name, or service name as a trademark?
If you have any questions or concerns about Japanese trademark registration, please feel free to contact us at Hattori & Partners by clicking “here“.

This is Swimmer.
When shopping at the supermarket, I often see rows of capsule toy instruments. Looking at them, I feel that the number of acrylic key chains and stand toys has increased in the past few years. Various items, such as characters that have become popular on the Internet and regional limited editions, are colorfully printed on transparent acrylic resin, and when I see something that interests me, I try my hand at turning it.

Acrylic resin is called by various names, including “Smelly Glass,” which is the title of my blog this time. Acrylic resins seem to have many trademark names, and one of them is “Plexiglas” made by Evonik of Germany.

Wikipedia – Poly(methyl methacrylate)

Some time ago, an acquaintance of mine gave me a “tsuitachi mochi” (first day of the month rice cake).
“Tsuitachi mochi” is a seasonal rice cake sold on the first day of each month, excluding New Year’s Day, to welcome people who visit the Ise Jingu Shrine on “Tsuitachi mairi” (first day of the month visit).

At the Akafuku main store in Oharaimachi of Ise Jingu Shrine, many people line up from early in the morning for the tsuitachi mochi. For take-out, numbered tickets distributed the day before are required, but reservations can also be made online, and department stores in Mie, Aichi, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo also carry them.

Akafuku is a standard souvenir of Mie Prefecture, but the tsuitachi mochi is only sold once a month, making it very special. (Syszo)
Akafuku Tsuitachi Mochi (only in Japanese) https://tsuitachi.akafuku.co.jp/okuru

Akafuku Tsuitachi Mochi, Tsuitachi Mochi, has four registered trademarks (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 1949801, No. 2016873, No. 2300175, and No. 2707540).

There are many registered trademarks around us. The reason is that by registering and continuing to use a company’s logo, original product name, or service name as a trademark, you will have great brand power. Not only can you expect to increase your name recognition and sales. It is also important for any business, as it prevents other people from registering your trademark and selling inferior products.
If you have any questions or concerns about your company’s trademark registration, please feel free to contact us at Hattori &Parners by clicking “here“.

　Shichimi is often associated with a red-based coloring, but “Kuro Shichimi” is made by roasting the ingredients, and it looked really black.

　I looked up the “registered trademark” printed on the wooden container and found that not only the overall design (Japanese registration No. 4224606), but also “Kuro Shichimi” in vertical brushstroke characters (Japanese registration No. 5157375) had been registered. The registration information for No. 5157375 shows that the decision of refusal was made on the grounds that “since the overall design is easily recognizable as ‘black seven spice chili pepper,’ it is recognized as merely indicating the quality of the product (omitted),” but a subsequent appeal against the decision of refusal was filed. However, at a subsequent appeal against the decision of refusal, the trial court ruled that “it is reasonable to consider that the word as a whole is recognized and understood as a kind of coined word (omitted), and can fully fulfill its function as a mark to distinguish between their own goods and other goods,” and the decision was made to register the mark.

　The color of the word “Shichimi” is usually red, and the word “Shichimi” is black and the vertical brushstroke characters. The trademark has been registered.

　The taste is savory and it seems more mildly spicy than typical shichimi, and we enjoyed it over stewed beef tendon. (Marron)

Hararyokaku Corporation “Kuroshichimi”
http://www.hararyoukaku.co.jp/lineup/yakumi.html