Monthly Archives: September 2023

Otsukimi

  • September 25, 2023

#trademark

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.

Ryoguchiya Korekiyo Sasaragata Tsukimi

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)

Ryoguchiya Korekiyo Sasaragata Tsukimi

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

Heart-shaped grapes

  • September 22, 2023

#intellectual property

I received grapes from my neighbor.

My Heart

They said that they buy them at Komadachi in Okazaki City.
The grapes are a rare heart-shaped variety called “My Heart” and can be eaten without seeds and with the skin intact. They are sweet and delicious, and the beautiful heart-shaped grapes make me very happy. It is a treat every year during this season.

My Heart

I found out that “My Heart” is a grape variety developed by Shimura Grape Research Institute, which is a cross between “Shine Muscat” and “Wink”.
https://dr-tomio.com/pages/myvariety (Only in Japanese)

Excellent varieties can be protected under the variety registration system (Seed and Seedling Law).
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has a variety registration data search page that shows that “My Heart” is not registered, but “Shine Muscat” and “Wink” are registered.

Intellectual property is also important in the field of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
The Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA) website provides an overview of agricultural and fisheries intellectual property, including agribusiness that utilizes intellectual property.
https://www.jpaa.or.jp/nousui-ip/index.html (Only in Japanese)

Leave your agricultural and fisheries intellectual property matters to us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Now, Komadachi is famous for grapes in Okazaki City.
Grapes picking seems to be open until around October 10, so if you are considering leisure activities in the Okazaki area, I recommend you visit. (Cacao)
https://www.coma-grape.com/ (Only in Japanese)

“Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki” -Unno Juza

  • September 13, 2023

#copyright #patent #patent attorney

　I would like to introduce a novel in which a patent attorney is the main character. The title is “Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki (Patent Multi-Armed Human Method)” and it is a novel written by “Unno Juza” (海野十三), a writer in the early Showa period.

　Unno Juza (real name: Sano Shoichi) published many mystery and science fiction novels and is called the “father of Japanese science fiction novels”. After his debut as a writer, in 1936, at the age of 39, Mr. Unno qualified as a patent attorney, and two years later, he opened “Sano Electric Patent Office.

　The “Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki” was published in 1941, when Mr. Unno was 44 years old. The story begins when an inventor visits a patent attorney who runs a patent office and requests a patent application for a “third arm”. A humorous and surreal scene appears in which the patent attorney writes the specification for the application while interacting (playing two roles) with the 100-yen bill (a large sum of money in those days) received from the inventor as the application fee and the application stamp fee. There is also a scene in which the patent attorney shows off his skills as a patent attorney by using the expression “at least” in the description of the claims, claiming that he has expanded the scope of the patent (scope of rights), and another scene in which he receives a notice of reasons for refusal after filing an application, meets with the examiner, and struggles to resolve the reasons for refusal. I feel that this is a story that is also relevant to the current practice of patent attorneys.

Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki (Patent Multi-Armed Human Method)

　There is a lot of humor scattered throughout, and the punchline is quite good. Because it is a short novel, I finished reading it in no time.
　Since more than 50 years have passed since Mr. Unno’s death and the copyright protection period has expired, this work can be freely read at Aozora Bunko and other libraries (Hiro).

Tokkyo Tawan Ningen Hoshiki (Aozora Bunko) (only available in Japanese)

Toyota Ecoful Town

  • September 8, 2023

#intellectual property

　The other day, I went to “Toyota Ecoful Town” in Toyota City.
Toyota City has been selected by the government as an “SDGs Future City” to lead activities to achieve the SDGs.
The city is expanding its efforts to achieve the SDGs, focusing on “energy,” “mobility,” and “wellness”.
The Toyota Ecoful Town is a base for prosperous lifestyles and a facility where visitors can experience examples of new initiatives that look 10 to 50 years into the future.

Toyota Ecoful Town

　The Toyota Ecoful Town had exhibits on compact mobility, global issues, drones, Toyota City’s history, and the SDGs, including a hydrogen station, a plant cultivation unit, and an off-grid trailer house.
Visitors were also able to see a device that converts water in the air into drinking water and can generate 4 liters per day. This can be expected to help with water shortages in emerging countries where water is cut off during disasters and clean water is not available.

　It was very impressive to learn about both the vision and the direction of society, from a manufacturing town to a town where things, matters, and people are created, and also to see the society 50 years from now, with the video of Toyota City 50 years from now.
If you are interested in the contents, please visit Toyota Ecoful Town. (Raspberry)

Toyota Ecoful Town https://toyota-ecofultown.com/en/