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- Written by Patent Attorneys, Patent Engineers, Trademark Engineers, Translators, and Administrative staff -

Grave Demolition Business Model

  • March 11, 2026
#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.

Grave Demolition

Toga Shrine and Inari Sushi ~Toyokawa City~

  • March 5, 2026
#trademark

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

Toga Shrine

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.

Toga Shrine

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

Toga Shrine

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)

Nikko Saru Gundan monkey show lucky monkey handprint souvenir

※“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

  • February 25, 2026
#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.

Mount Fuji

　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

  • February 18, 2026
#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.

Van Gogh Exhibition

Van Gogh Exhibition

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.

Van Gogh Exhibition

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)

What Holds Things Together

  • February 10, 2026
#invention

It’s me Swimmer. Though the first day of spring has passed, the cold days continue, don’t they?
When winter comes, safety pins find use in various places around my home. Their purpose is warmth—securing fluffy towels to the quilt, and holding garments together.
Now, the history of this safety pin is quite ancient, apparently dating back to the Mycenaean civilization around the 14th century BC. By the 13th century BC, it seems to have taken on a form almost identical to the one we use today.
However, perhaps because its use was mainly for jewelry, it gradually faded into obscurity amidst the shifts of time and civilizations. Its revival came surprisingly late, in 1849, when it was reinvented by American inventor Walter Hunt.

safety pins

Since then, safety pins have undergone refinements and improvements, remaining a convenient household item to this day.
Today, this object that “connects and holds things together” seems to have taken on additional roles: its shape and function now also symbolize rebellion and signify solidarity.

Safety pin – Wikipedia

Fab 4

  • February 4, 2026
#copyright

Today, February 4th (Feb. 4), is celebrated as the anniversary of a certain great artist, inspired by their nickname, the “Fabulous Four.”

That artist is “The Beatles.”

Debuting over 60 years ago, they produced numerous songs—their so-called works—until their de facto breakup in 1970. All self-composed songs released during their active period were written and composed by the members themselves, with the most frequent credit being “Lennon-McCartney,” the joint name of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Lennon-McCartney works continue to captivate and influence people worldwide. However, the copyrights to these works would lead to prolonged financial disputes between the parties involved.

This is attributed to the fact that when they first established the music publishing company “Northern Songs” to manage the copyrights of Lennon-McCartney works, John and Paul entered into a contract with the company without fully understanding copyright law.

For those interested, the following book details this extensively, so please check it out. (ｐ)
Northern Songs: Who Bit the Beatles’ Apple? | Shinco Music Entertainment | Publisher of Sheet Music [Scores], Music Books, and Magazines (Japanese only)

Reference Links
The Beatles – Wikipedia
Lennon–McCartney – Wikipedia

Finally, here’s a little something for everyone: an irregular time signature.

Geographical Indications (GI Mark) Protecting Regional Intellectual Property

  • January 28, 2026
#Geographical Indication #GI Mark

Upon closer inspection of the individually wrapped “Iburi Gakko” pickles I received as a souvenir, I noticed the label stated “Geographical Indication GI, Registered by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, No. 79” (bottom right of the package in the photo).

Iburi Gakko

The Geographical Indication Protection System protects the names of products that possess characteristics such as quality and social reputation cultivated within the unique natural, cultural, and social factors of a specific region, treating them as the region’s intellectual property. (Geographical Indication (GI) Protection System: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

According to the public notice for the registration of the GI “Iburi Gakko,” it states: “‘Iburi Gakko’ is a type of takuan pickle made using Akita Prefecture’s unique method, where the drying process of the daikon radish is done by smoking. The raw material is domestically produced daikon radish. Food additives used in preparation are primarily naturally derived. As sweeteners, saccharin and its salts, food yellow No. 4 and food yellow No. 4 aluminum lake as colorants, and sorbic acid and its salts as preservatives.” (Iburigakko｜Product Introduction｜Geographical Indication Product Information Site)
For consumers, the GI mark is helpful when choosing higher-quality products from similar items. Clear regulations on ingredients and additives mean you can eat with confidence.

As mentioned in the previous article on “Iwate Kirizumi,” under the Geographical Indication (GI) protection system, only products meeting the registered criteria can use the “Geographical Indication (GI Mark).” This ensures only quality-protected products (goods) circulate in the market.
Geographical Indications serve as the government’s seal of approval that a product meets certain quality standards. By differentiating it from other goods, it helps protect producers and brand value.

Incidentally, among Aichi Prefecture products, “Hatcho Miso,” “Toyohashi Nanbutougan,” and “Toyohashi Hanao” are registered as GI products. (Syszo)
Top Page｜Information Website on Japan Geographical Indication Products

Ghibli and Hot Spring Town

  • January 21, 2026
#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.

巡浴祈願 (Onsen Hoping for Blessings)

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

  • January 7, 2026
#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.

Okuhida Bear Park

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.

Okuhida Bear Park

Okuhida Bear Park

Okuhida Bear Park

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

Okuhida Bear Park

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

  • December 26, 2025
#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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