trademark アーカイブ | HATTORI & PARTNERS - Patents,Trademarks,Designs

A Collaboration Between Hasegawa Buddhist Altars and Noritake

2026年04月01日

　The other day, I purchased an incense burner and an offering cup at the “Hasegawa Buddhist Altars” store located in a shopping mall. They are made of Noritake bone china, and when I looked at the back, I saw the logos of both Hasegawa and Noritake.

　The design next to the “Hasegawa” text (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5557659) and the Noritake logo are both registered trademarks. While Noritake has several registered logos, the oldest one was registered in 1963! (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 631574)

　We don’t have a Buddhist altar at home, but I really love this Noritake cup. It blends well with our interior decor, and despite its small size, it’s just as beautiful as a standard-sized cup. It allows me to easily place an offering and pray, so I’m very fond of it.

　At Hasegawa, in response to changing lifestyles, they offer a variety of products designed to make “moments of prayer” more accessible. In addition to Noritake Buddhist altar ware, these include living room altars created in collaboration with “Karimoku Furniture” in Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture, and the “Oshidan” (fave altar), where you can enshrine your fave. The “Oshidan” was apparently conceived by a company employee, is trademarked (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6776045), and was even available at the store I visited. (Marron)

　Oshidan https://www.hasegawa.jp/blogs/corp/worldshopping-guide-hasegawa-co-ltd

Peach Castella

2026年03月26日

#collective trademark #trademark

I recently went on a trip to Nagasaki Prefecture.
One thing I absolutely wanted to buy in Nagasaki was “Peach Castella.”

It’s a very cute treat featuring a fluffy castella sponge cake and sugar decorations shaped like a peach.
In Nagasaki, it’s apparently given as a gift for various celebrations, including the Doll’s Festival.
Perhaps because March is a month full of celebrations, I saw it being sold at various confectionery shops throughout the city.

For example, the Peach Castella shown above is from a shop called “Hakusuido.”
Peach Castella | Hakusuido Official Online Shop

This one is from a shop called “Mangetsudo.”
Mangetsudo
(I’m sorry for using a pamphlet—it lost its shape after I carried it around for a long time.)

Even though they’re all peach castella, each shop has its own unique style.
Since many other confectionery shops also sell their own versions of peach castella, I’d love to try them all someday.

The trademark “Peach Castella” is a “collective trademark” (*) owned by the Nagasaki Prefecture Confectionery Industry Association (Japanese Trademark Registration No.: 5151942; Designated Goods: Class 30 “Castella shaped like a peach, Castella”; Registration Date: July 18, 2008).

You can really feel the Nagasaki Prefecture Confectionery Industry Association’s desire to protect Peach Castella as a signature confection and further boost its popularity.

*If you’d like to learn more about “collective trademarks,” please refer to the “Regional Collective Trademark System” section on the Japan Patent Office website below.
https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/system/trademark/gaiyo/chidan/index.html

(Sakuramochi)

Tireless Socks

2026年03月18日

#patent #trademark

I would like to introduce patented products that we often see without giving them a second thought.
This time, I will be introducing “Tireless Socks.”

Tireless Socks are socks that utilize patented technology from Nishigaki Socks Co., Ltd. (Yamatokada City, Nara Prefecture), which was also featured in the Japan Patent Office’s newsletter “Tokkyo” Vol. 65. Attracted by the colorful design, I decided to order a pair to try them out.

According to the website, these are “high-performance socks that reduce fatigue through a special taping knit, non-slip woven grips, and cushioned knitting on the sole.” While the product packaging only mentions cushion knitting as a patented technology, it appears that grip knitting is also a patented feature.

When I tried them on, the cushioning under the arch felt very firm. Essentially, it feels like the type of insole you’d place inside your shoe is attached to the sock itself. Also, even though there isn’t any obvious anti-slip material visible at first glance, they were surprisingly slip-resistant, making them easy to walk in and comfortable.

These days, you can buy a wide variety of functional socks at local home improvement stores and workwear specialty shops. Even something as simple as the way a sock is knitted has a lot of depth to it. I really feel the power of the inventions and ingenuity that drive the world forward, and it gives me a sense of reassurance.

Please note that the used trademark “Tsukare shirazu no Kutsushita (Tireless Socks)” is registered as “Tsukare shirazu no Kutsushita (Tireless Socks).”
(blink)

Grave Demolition Business Model

2026年03月11日

#patent #trademark

　“Grave demolition” refers to the process of removing existing graves, clearing the land, and returning it to the land administrator. The exhumed remains are generally reinterred in perpetual care graves or columbariums. In recent years, demand for grave dismantling has increased due to factors such as population concentration in major cities, aging and declining birth rates making it difficult to manage rural cemeteries, and rising rates of lifelong unmarried individuals and declining birth rates leading to a lack of successors to manage graves. Consequently, specialized businesses offer “grave dismantling services” that bundle grave removal, handling administrative procedures for reinterment permits, and arranging reinterment locations. For example, one company operates under the registered trademark “Grave Closure SOS” (Trademark Registration No. 5958751).
https://www.bishoo.co.jp/hakajimai_sos.html

　Another company has patented and registered an invention called the “Remains Consolidation System” (Patent Publication No. 7370611). This system involves, upon the death of the final inheritor, reburying the remains of the final inheritor and specified relatives within a defined scope into a consolidated grave and conducting memorial services for a set period. The patent specification states: “Use of this system incurs necessary operational costs. Regarding these costs, it is conceivable that the administrator could receive the necessary amount from the final inheritor’s estate (inherited property) after their death. However, complications in receiving these costs are also anticipated due to factors like the existence of heirs. Therefore, the optimal approach is for all necessary expenses to be paid at the start of system usage.”
　Grave closure is also a theme I must resolve in my own future life. (Conan)
※ The photo is unrelated to the text.

Toga Shrine and Inari Sushi ~Toyokawa City~

2026年03月05日

#trademark

In early January, I visited Toga Shrine in Toyokawa City to have my car purified.

The shrine grounds still echoed with the lingering atmosphere of the New Year’s first visit, adorned with large zodiac ema plaques wishing for good fortune. I hope to receive this year’s blessings for our firm by taking photos of these auspicious items.

The shrine also houses Japan’s largest sazare-ishi (pebbles), and I felt energized by this power stone.

Since I was there, I wanted to enjoy Toyokawa’s local cuisine! Toyokawa’s specialty is inari sushi. I wanted to try the stuffed kind, but since they’re sold in the temple town of Toyokawa Inari and close by evening, I unfortunately missed the chance and had to give up.
Incidentally, “Toyokawa Inari Sushi” is a regional collective trademark of the non-profit organization “Everyone’s Toyokawa City Promotion Team”.
Trademark Registration No. 6013646: Toyokawa Inari Sushi (Toyokawa Inari Zushi) | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan Patent Office
The “Toyokawa Inari Sushi Guidebook” also shows how the branding of Toyokawa inari sushi is being promoted.

In the end, I didn’t get to try the Toyokawa gourmet, but I was able to receive a purification ritual at Toga Shrine, said to be the most prestigious in Mikawa Province. I feel like I got off to a good start this year.

While waiting for the purification ritual, I watched the Nikko Saru Gundan monkey show in the shrine grounds. I laughed a lot and got a lucky monkey handprint souvenir. May this year be one where “misfortune flees”♪ (Cacao)

※“Saru Gundan” is a registered trademark of Osaru Land Co., Ltd.

Mount Fuji in a Flash: Learning Initial Response in Intellectual Property from a Shinkansen Window

2026年02月25日

#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark

　Hello, this is Hiro.
　The other day, I took a photo of Mount Fuji from the window of the Shinkansen heading to Tokyo on a business trip. The visible time was surprisingly short. To catch the moment between passing buildings, I pressed the shutter the instant I thought, “This is it.” A split-second difference drastically changes both the captured scene and the impression.

　In the world of intellectual property, this “initial response” also determines the outcome. The moment a new product or service is unveiled, the risk of imitation skyrockets. Simultaneously, the available protection options later on (i.e., the “scope that can be protected”) can narrow.
　For instance, with technology (patents) and design (design patents), the timing of disclosure is crucial from a novelty standpoint. Naming (trademarks) is also an area where acting early generally offers an advantage. Preview posts on social media, early listings on e-commerce sites, or “peek-a-boo” reveals at trade shows – that first step can sometimes make subsequent applications or negotiations much harder.
　In reality, stories like “I tested reactions on Instagram before launch, only to see similar products appear the next month” are not uncommon. While some fields (patents, designs) offer remedial systems (so-called exception provisions) even after disclosure, these come with requirements and deadlines and are not universal solutions. This is precisely why considering and preparing applications before disclosure is a highly cost-effective risk management strategy.

　A glimpse of Mount Fuji from a train window passes in an instant, but the “publication” of your business (ideas, designs, naming) remains online, continuously exposed to public view. When you have an idea, start by planning how to protect it. Acting early allows you to “design” how to secure rights and manage disclosure.
　For intellectual property consultations (initial checks for patents, designs, trademarks, etc.), please feel free to use our contact form.

Van Gogh Exhibition

2026年02月18日

#copyright #trademark

The other day, I visited the “Van Gogh Exhibition: The Painter’s Dream Passed Down by His Family” currently on display at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art.

Van Gogh Exhibition

I love Impressionist paintings and frequently visit exhibitions featuring artists like Monet and Renoir. Lately, though, I feel like there are more immersive exhibitions incorporating digital art.
Since 70 years have passed since the deaths of Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir, their copyrights have expired, placing their works in the public domain. Within the bounds of preserving the integrity of these works, they are reproduced as videos and 3D displays, offering a strange and wonderful experience where you feel as if you’ve stepped into the world of the paintings themselves.

This Van Gogh exhibition features not only paintings but also letters, narrating the relationships between Van Gogh and his family and how “Van Gogh” became a world-renowned painter. Understanding this story while viewing his famous paintings projected on large screens lets you feel the narrative of the art, almost like watching a movie.
About ten years ago, exhibitions typically featured paintings and their descriptions displayed in rooms categorized by era or artist. Technological advances have evolved the experience, bringing the world of art closer to us.

Incidentally, even if someone applied to trademark the name “Van Gogh,” it seems unlikely to be registered due to violating public order and morals (such as unauthorized use of a deceased person’s famous name causing detriment). (Chamomile)

Van Gogh Exhibition: The Painter’s Dream Passed Down by His Family | Exhibitions | Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (Japanese only)

Ghibli and Hot Spring Town

2026年01月21日

#trademark

My final domestic travel destination in 2025 was Shibu Onsen in Nagano Prefecture.
It’s about 3 hours from Nagoya on the JR Shinano Line, then 45 minutes from Nagano Station on the Nagano Dentetsu Limited Express.

Before going, I searched “Shibu Onsen” online and noticed it often appeared alongside “Spirited Away” in search suggestions.
Why Spirited Away? I wondered. Searching revealed that the inn Kanaguya in Shibu Onsen is said to have inspired the model for the inn in Spirited Away.
Indeed, the actual building felt like something straight out of Ghibli’s world.

I couldn’t book Kanaguya this time, so I stayed elsewhere, but I had one thing I wanted to do in Shibu Onsen: the “Nine Hot Springs Tour”.
There are nine public baths accessible only to guests staying in Shibu Onsen. You visit them, collecting stamps on a prayer towel.
When I bought the prayer towel at my inn, some familiar characters caught my eye.

The “Japanese Trademark Registration No. 1565863” in the lower right corner really caught my attention. I dropped my bags in the room and immediately searched for it on J-Plat Pat (laughs). The trademark was for “巡浴祈願” (Onsen Hoping for Blessings), filed in 1979.

I never expected to encounter a trademark in such a historic hot spring town. I was surprised and also felt a little happy. (Rabbit)

“Bear” and Me

2026年01月07日

#trademark

On December 12th, the “Kanji of the Year” for 2025 was announced.
The chosen character for 2025 was ‘熊’ (bear).
Indeed, especially in the latter half of the year, there wasn’t a day when we didn’t hear news about bears.

“Did I have any memories related to bears?” I reflected on my year and recalled visiting the “Okuhida Bear Park” at the end of summer.

Okuhida Bear Park is a bear zoo located in Shin-Hirayu Onsen, Gifu Prefecture.

The park is home to many Japanese black bears, and visitors can feed them.
Bears raising their paws as if to say “Give it to me,”
Bears simply opening their mouths, waiting for food to be tossed in,
Bears waiting right under the fence for scraps,
Bears uninterested in food, scratching their legs… each bear had its own distinct personality.

This image, in stark contrast to the gentle scene above, shows a wild side where sharp claws are clearly visible.

For 2026, I hope that unfortunate incidents and accidents involving both bears and humans decrease, even if only slightly.

“Kanji of the Year” is a registered trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5247080) as of July 10, 2009, with designated services including Class 41 “Teaching of arts, sports, or knowledge” (Rights holder: Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation).
(Sakuramochi)

Ethical Moving

2025年12月26日

#trademark

We introduce trademarks you casually see in daily life. This time, we feature “Ethical Moving”.

In recent years, we’ve increasingly heard the term “ethical consumption”. This is defined as “consumers engaging in consumption activities while considering solutions to social issues relevant to them and supporting businesses tackling such issues” (Consumer Affairs Agency), with various organizations and companies advancing initiatives.
…While that sounds formal, simply put, ethical consumption means actively choosing and purchasing products or services that consider society. For example, buying fair trade goods or vegetables with the JAS organic mark, supporting local production for local consumption, reducing food waste, and conserving energy and water are all forms of ethical consumption.

As one example of this ethical consumption, I recently had the opportunity to participate in something called “Ethical Moving,” which I’ll introduce here.
This is a service offered by Sakai Moving Center. By adding 1,100 yen to the standard moving fee, you can offset the carbon dioxide emitted during your move. This supports activities, carried out through the company’s partner organizations, that sustainably promote forest management and the creation of biodiversity forests in Owase City, Mie Prefecture. I look forward to seeing the results of the forest management efforts delivered in six months to a year.

This “Ethical Moving” service has a trademark application pending and is currently awaiting review.
(blink)

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