trademark

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

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