Have a Break | HATTORI & PARTNERS - Patents,Trademarks,Designs

A Collaboration Between Hasegawa Buddhist Altars and Noritake

April 1, 2026

　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

March 26, 2026

#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

March 18, 2026

#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

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.

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.

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

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.

　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.

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)

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.

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).

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

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