patent

note-Note

  • 2024年10月23日
#patent #trademark

At first glance, this file looks like an ordinary file. Actually, it is a patented product (Japanese Patent Registration No. 6505669).

note-Note music score file

This is the “note-Note music score file” sold by Music Eight Co. By holding the paper (sheet music) in place with the four corners, it does not get in the way of writing. The applicant is a joint application between Music Eight and Tanpopo Co. Ltd. In addition, “Note-Note” is also a registered trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5738437).

note-Note music score file

note-Note music score file

　When I was a student, I used to use various methods to make use of sheet music, such as using drawing paper or connecting pieces of paper together with cellophane tape, but now I’m impressed to see how convenient this product is.
This has been an autumn of art for me, and I feel that I might want to try working on music again. (Marron)

Website :The “note:Note” file for writing on sheet music (Japanese only)
https://www.music8.com/user_data/notenote_04.php

Coleman -THE SUNSHINE OF THE NIGHT-

  • 2024年09月25日
#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).

Monetization of Patent Rights (Part 2)

  • 2024年09月12日
#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)

  • 2024年09月10日
#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

  • 2024年09月06日
#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.

The Yellow and White Paper

  • 2024年08月21日
#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)

Early Detection of Cancer by Urine Test “miSignal”

  • 2024年07月31日
#patent #trademark

　“miSignal” (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6548820), a cancer risk test, has been newly added as an optional test this year in the regular health checkups that our firm employees receive.

miSignal

　This test analyzes microRNAs contained in urine and enables early detection of five types of cancer in men (lung, stomach, colon, esophagus, and pancreas) and seven types of cancer in women (ovary and breast cancer). When I took the test for the first time, I received a 20-page test result report following the page in the photo below.

miSignal report

　Craif Inc, which operates the test, is a venture company from Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (Nagoya University). By using an exosome extraction device with zinc oxide nanowires, it is now possible to detect a wide variety of microRNAs from a small amount of urine. The invention of “body fluid extract containing microRNA” disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-92688 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-123592 (divisional application) is presumably related to this technology.

　We hope that the miSignal test will be widely used and that many people will be able to extend their healthy life expectancy through early detection of cancer risk. (Conan)

　(Reference site)
https://misignal.jp/ (Japanese only)
https://craif.com/en/

Sweet Buns

  • 2024年07月11日
#invention #patent #trademark

　Hello. This is Raspberry, Kiku.
　This time, I would like to introduce you to high-grade sweet bean and high-grade jam sweet buns from Yamazaki Baking Co. There are several bread manufacturers, but I would like to focus on Yamazaki Baking Co.
　This is the first time I bought their high-grade sweet bean and high-grade jam sweet buns.

high-grade sweet bean and high-grade jam sweet buns from Yamazaki Baking Co.

　Yamazaki Baking produces not only sweet buns but also Japanese sweets and rice balls.
　The company’s sweet buns have a relatively long expiration date and can be stored for a long time, making them a valuable food in times of disaster.
　Yamazaki Baking Company has been applying for patents since 1972, and for trademark registration since 1954.
　The year 1954 was the year that the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) decided on January 28, 1954 to designate April 18 of every year as “Invention Day” for the purpose of promoting and educating people about the patent system and other industrial property rights systems.
　I felt the history and future potential of intellectual property.

Yamazaki Baking Company (English) https://www.yamazakipan.co.jp/english/businesses/bread/index.html
Japan Patent Office Invention Day (English) https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/introduction/rekishi/hatsumei.html

Mattress worth more than the price

  • 2024年06月05日
#design #patent #trademark

　I am considering buying a new bed. There are many factors to consider when choosing a new bed, such as the comfort of the mattress, whether it is firm or soft, and the material it is made of. When I went to Nitori the other day, I found a “Patent Registered” mark on the “N Sleep Luxury Series” mattress.

　A J-PlatPat search for “Nitori Holdings, Inc.” and “mattress” yielded 11 patents (8 of which were valid), 10 designs, and 16 trademarks related to “N Sleep,” the name of the mattress product series.

　At the store, I could lie down without taking off my shoes, and it was fun to try different kinds of products. I also found out that I prefer “firm” sleeping comfort. Since it is something to use for a long time, so I will carefully consider my choice. (Marron)

Nitori N Sleep Mattress Special (Japanese only)
https://www.nitori-net.jp/ec/feature/nsleepmattress/

Guinomi and Masu

  • 2024年03月26日
#patent

　We would like to introduce a product related to a patent obtained at our firm (Hattori & Partners) on behalf of our client. They are “Guinomi” ,a sake cup and “Masu” , a square wooden container or measure.　The “Masu” can be used to measure the mass of sake or rice, and can also be used as a sake container.

Guinomi and Masu

　Furthermore, if a lid is attached, it can be used as a wooden box for storing the sake cup as a sake container. Sake drinkers can choose to use the Masu as a container for holding sake, or they can choose to use the sake cups taken out of the Masu box as a sake drinking container. Full of good things !(^^)!

Guinomi and Masu

　You can also enjoy choosing the Masu or the Guinomi according to your mood at the time. To give a gift, you can change the shape and design of the Guinomi to match the taste of the person giving or receiving it.
　This is a thoughtful, elegant, and chic gift for those who are interested in sake. How about this versatile and multifunctional souvenir?

Guinomi and Masu

　In these days of the sake boom, this is a collection of ideas for promoting sake. Japanese Patent Registration No. 7190194 is an example of how a simple, everyday idea can be patented. Furthermore, this product was produced to support Tanegashima pottery. (rice ball)

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