trademark

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

When I visited Mie Prefecture the other day, I bought “Unemenagon”, a famous confectionery in Yokkaichi.

It is made and sold by “Nagamochi Sasaiya Co., Ltd.” in Mie Prefecture, which is famous for “Unemenagon” a type of rice cake with a water wheelhouse inside, and filled with sweet bean paste and gyuhi.

The combination of the delicate monaka, which crumbles when eaten, the generous amount of sweet bean paste, and the soft gyuhi is the best.
The filling is so rich that you will be satisfied with just one piece, but after a while you will want to eat it again.

The “Unemenagon” trademark was registered on March 6, 2009 for the designated product “confectionery and bread” (Japanese registration No. 5211846). (Sakuramochi)

Otsukimi (Moon Viewing) will soon be upon us.
Otsukimi is an event held on the most beautiful day of the year, and the date is different every year according to the calendar. This year (2023), it will be held on September 29 (Friday).
The reason why the autumn moon is the most beautiful of the year is because there is less water vapor in the air, the moon appears clearer, and the height at which the moon is visible is just right.
During “Otsukimi,” people appreciate the “Mid-Autumn Moon” while giving thanks for the harvest and praying for a good harvest.

The other day, I found a box of Japanese sweets with a cute design associated with “Otsukimi”. It is “Sasaragata Tsukimi,” a new product from Ryoguchiya Korekiyo, a long-established Japanese confectionery in Nagoya.

The box of five pieces is decorated with a full moon, a rabbit, and a Japanese pampas grass, depicting rabbits looking up at the big full moon in the night sky and moon-watching (otsukimi). (Time)

Registered trademark:
Standard character trademark: Sasaragata
Japanese Registration number: No. 5528598
Date of registration: October 19, 2012
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/TR/JP-2012-028325/E50EC86B647DBB4719B95C4B948BABA589C69DE91E8C4FFF3A247D049AC633B5/40/en

This is Swimmer. This is another Hokuriku story.
When I visited Toyama Prefecture, I bought these sweets as a souvenir.

I was very interested in the design of the wrapping paper, which had a trademark registration number blended into the design in a cute way, and it was a very interesting gift so I picked it up.
It is a very casual and eye-catching way of asserting the right to use the trademark.

Mitsuya Corporation Hankontan
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/TR/JP-1960-026872/2F99BCDA77B870542CFA25CF779804849C728A7FB45D45655A43ACE3F2231CB0/40/en
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/TR/JP-1958-021282/03561336DC7912C5C68F75FDC5A5F719F399260CA7D1FBB31DF6AB69CADABD0D/40/en

The other day, I saw a product called “Kiyome-pan” (Kiyome-bread) and bought it.
Kiyome-pan is a product of Kiyome Mochi Sohonke, a long-established confectionary store located near the east gate of Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya City.

The signature product of Kiyome Mochi Sohonke is Kiyokemochi, a famous sweet made of sweet red bean paste wrapped in soft Habutae rice cakes, which has long been a favorite souvenir of pilgrims to Atsuta.

According to the leaflet inside the package, Kiyome Mochi Sohonke was once used to make bread for rationing during the chaotic postwar period, and is a reincarnation of the “KIYOMEPAN” of that time, a “manju like bread”.
Indeed, the moist and chewy texture of the dough is a little different and mysterious from bread.

Like “Nago-Nyan” introduced the other day, a derivative of a well-known product attracts a lot of attention, and I would like to buy it together with “Kiyome Mochi”. (Syszo)

“KIYOME” of Kiyome Mochi Sohonke was registered as a Japanese trademark in 1954.
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/TR/JP-1952-003921/8B5623A71A4A77B0B352B1E399F4D4C8D5662B52E2EFE0D13AC831629BE22C42/40/en

I downloaded Pokémon Sleep, a game app for smartphones released in July of this year. It is a game that allows you to measure and record your sleep by simply running the app when you go to bed and placing your smartphone next to your pillow. The concept is “to look forward to getting up in the morning”. When I actually played the game, I could see my own sleep data and came to realize anew the importance of sleep. Also, the sleeping faces of the Pokémon in the game are so cute that I can’t help but keep playing.

“Pokémon Sleep” is a registered trademark (Japanese Trademark No. 6271841) and is a joint application by Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and Game Freak Inc. As you can see from the application date (May 22, 2019) and registration date (July 21, 2020), it was released this year after several years of planning and development (Rabbit)

Pokémon Sleep official website: https://www.pokemonsleep.net/en/

　The service name of Twitter has been changed to “X”. In response, YOSHIKI of the rock band X JAPAN tweeted, “I think X JAPAN trademark is registered”. Indeed, if you replace the “Twitter” part of Twitter JAPAN with “X”, it becomes “X JAPAN”.

　Under the Japanese Trademark Law, “a trademark consisting solely of an extremely simple and common mark” cannot be registered (Article 3.1 of the Trademark Law), and the Examination Guidelines provide an example of an “extremely simple and common mark” as “a mark consisting of one or two Roman characters. In other words, “X” alone, without a logo, has no distinguishing power and will not be registered as a trademark.

　The above-mentioned “X JAPAN” has been registered as a trademark in standard characters (Japanese Registration No. 4750523). In the U.S., Microsoft and Meta have also registered “X” as a trademark, although not in standard characters. There are many other registrations for the letter X as well.

　It will be interesting to see the future of the branding of Twitter and “X”. (Marron)

Reference URL:
Twitter” is now “X” and “Twitter Japan” is now “X Japan” ……?　YOSHIKI: “I think it’s trademarked…”
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e32abb6c2170e977c0e6e91e5ac751ba7dd7e1ee

Meta and Microsoft have already trademarked X in the US
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/kuriharakiyoshi/20230725-00359274

　I have never had any connection with fountain pens, which had been in vogue long before the Corona disaster, nor with the popular buzzword “ink swamp,”. I have recently started using a fountain pen, though it is an inexpensive one with a regular price of about 1,000 yen, and I like it because it is very easy to write smoothly with almost no pressure.

　There are many kinds of fountain pens in the affordable price range these days, but I chose a fountain pen called “Kakuno” by Pilot Corporation (Japanese trademark registration 5641486, 5697648), which I noticed in the writing instruments section of my local bookstore. I bought one with a transparent body and cap, which is convenient because it is easy to check the remaining amount of ink cartridge. It is inexpensive, so you may purchase one for each ink color.

　The package says, “You will surely enjoy writing”, and the nib has a humorous illustration. The company’s website has an introduction on how to use the pen written in an easy-to-read format for children, so even those who are new to fountain pens should have no trouble using it.

　The fountain pen is light and smooth to write with, so it is said to be easy to use for a long time without getting tired. It is also understandable that writers love to use fountain pens. When I get used to Kakuno, I will try another fountain pen. (blink)