trademark

The other day, I went for my annual health checkup. I haven’t received the results yet, but it will undoubtedly be a good opportunity to take a fresh look at my health.

This fiscal year, with the addition of new subsidies for health checkup costs by the Japan Health Insurance Association (Kyokai Kenpo), I get the impression that significant effort is being put into promoting and spreading the concept of “Health Management.” In fact, I often see this term in Kyokai Kenpo newsletters and other materials.
Recently, I’ve also started seeing the term “Health Management” in brochures from corporate insurance companies.

Incidentally, “Health Management” is a registered trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 4922981) of the NPO Health Management Research Association, and it was reportedly registered in January 2006. The classification is Class 44, which includes medical care and health guidance. I was a little surprised to learn that this term has actually been around for quite some time.

On the other hand, upon investigation, I found that there are several other trademarks that include the term “Health Management.” For example, there are “Health Management Plus,” “Health Management Alliance,” and “Health Management Support Plan.” Despite being terms that might be deemed similar, it is clear that all of them are registered in classes that include Class 44.
As for why these are registered, while this is just one perspective, it may be that as the term “Health Management” itself has become widely used and acquired a certain degree of genericness, there are instances where the “Health Management” portion alone is deemed to lack distinctiveness. Therefore, it is likely that the decision on whether a trademark can be distinguished from others is based on the overall composition and combination of the trademark.
The world of trademark registration is truly profound.

If you have questions such as, “I want to register this term as a trademark, but will it be possible?” or “Does it resemble someone else’s trademark?”, please feel free to consult with our firm.

Now, on my way back to the office after successfully wrapping up our annual major event (?!), the bright blue sky was so striking that I snapped a quick photo with the Alex Building—where our office is located—in the background. With renewed enthusiasm, I returned to work♪ (Cacao)

*“Health Management Plus” is a registered trademark of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.
*“Health Management Alliance” is a registered trademark of Omron Corporation.
*“Health Management Support Plan” is a registered trademark of AIG General Insurance Co., Ltd.

Popular American singer Taylor Swift has made headlines by filing an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to trademark her voice (HEY, IT’S TAYLOR SWIFT.) and her “live images.”

Recent advances in AI technology have been remarkable, making it possible to mimic the voices and faces of celebrities with astonishing precision. The internet is flooded with advertisements and deepfake images that exploit these technologies to promote investments, creating a serious social problem.

Until now, the concept of “right of publicity” has been discussed as a means to protect the names and likenesses of celebrities. While this right protects the economic value associated with an individual’s name and likeness, its scope and criteria for application vary and remain ambiguous across countries and states. In particular, legal debates continue regarding the extent to which this right can be enforced against “AI-generated content.”

Furthermore, while the “Copyright Act” can protect specific songs or photographs, it has limitations in regulating things like “voices that merely resemble the person (AI-generated voices).”

Therefore, Taylor adopted a strategy to register her iconic phrases and live performance images as “trademarks.” Under trademark law, the subject of the rights is clear, and the scope of regulation extends broadly to include not only ‘identical’ but also “similar” items. By securing trademark rights in advance, the aim is likely to ensure stronger and more direct legal recourse against unauthorized use by AI.

“Sound trademarks” have been recognized in Japan since 2015. In the future, we may see an increase in cases where celebrities in Japan—whose voices are distinctive enough to be instantly recognizable—choose “trademark registration” as a new form of brand protection, in addition to their right of publicity. (Chamomile)

Trademark search　(HEY, IT’S TAYLOR SWIFT.)
Trademark search (live image)

On April 29, 1973, “Othello,” a nationally popular board game, was released.
The trademark “Othello,” which designates “board games” as the goods covered, is a registered trademark of Othello Co., Ltd. Incidentally, “Reversi” is now in the public domain. (p)

Reference Links
Reversi – Wikipedia
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1801/TR/JP-1972-164192/40/en

As we entered 2026, announcements regarding the discontinuation of Blu-ray drive sales began to pour in from various companies.

Notice Regarding the Discontinuation of Blu-ray Drive Sales | Buffalo (Japanese only)
Announcement of end of our external Blu-ray drive sale | ELECOM CO., LTD. ELECOM
Notice Regarding the Discontinuation of External Blu-ray Drive Sales and Support – Logitec INA Solutions Co., Ltd. (Japanese only)

Regarding recorders, TVS REGZA and Sony have made similar announcements, and Pioneer has already withdrawn from the optical disc business.

The Blu-ray Disc standard was announced in 2002. The terms “Blu-ray,” “BLU-RAY DISC,” and related logos were trademarked by the Blu-ray Disc Association as early as 2001. The year 2006, when consumer products first appeared, was dubbed the “Year One of Blu-ray.”

*Image courtesy of J-PlatPat

While I feel there are still situations where Blu-ray is needed, the fact that it is heading toward its end without a complete generational shift from DVD seems to be due to the spread of video streaming services and the rise of HDDs, SSDs, and cloud storage as the mainstream storage methods, leading to a decline in demand for Blu-ray, which is at a disadvantage in terms of capacity and cost.
I sometimes purchase Blu-ray discs for video content I want to keep on hand. There used to be a sense of joy in owning them, but it seems there are quite a few users who rarely have the opportunity to use them.

On the other hand, I-O Data and Verbatim Japan have announced plans to continue supplying Blu-ray drives and discs.

Regarding the Provision of Blu-ray Drive and Disc Products by I-O Data and Verbatim Japan(PDF)

While Blu-ray won’t become unusable anytime soon, if you need to store data long-term or keep backups on hand, you may need to reconsider your storage methods. (Syszo)

　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

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.