A Variety of Successful Regional Brands! “Regionally Based Collective Trademarks 2012” ReleasedGuide for People Engaging in Regional Development Nationwide on Strategies for Creating New Regional Brands

To spread and promote the use of the Regionally Based Collective Trademark System, the JPO is releasing "Regionally Based Collective Trademarks 2012," which contains the introduction of the 500th case of registration, profiles of trademark holders, photographs and other information on registered regionally based collective trademarks, in addition to successful practices together with the 519 cases registered up to November 2012.
This booklet aims to present the effects (benefits) of registering and utilizing brands to entities intending to create new brands registered as regionally based collective trademarks, mainly by introducing direct opinions of trademark holders. In addition to successful practices, the booklet contains a new Q&A section and key points for dealing with examination procedures.

[Content 1] The number of registered trademarks having reached 500

On April 6, 2012, "Sendai Ichigo (Sendai Strawberry)," a brand of strawberries grown in Miyagi prefecture, an area which has been endeavoring to reconstruct the regions severely damaged by the tsunami, was newly registered as a regionally based collective trademark, which brought the total number of registered trademarks to 500.
The JPO took this memorable 500th registration as a good opportunity to further promote the utilization of the system and held an award ceremony, inviting people from the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) and JA ZEN-NOH Miyagi, the holder of the trademark, after the award ceremony of the Intellectual Property Achievement Awards held at the Tokai University Club (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) on April 18, 2012, which is Invention Day.

[Content 2] Introduction of Successful Practices

Case 1

Trademark:

Masaki Wakame (Registration No. 5109632)

Designated product/service:

Salted wakame seaweed gathered in the Taro-Masaki sea area, Miyako city, Iwate prefecture, and processed in Taro, Miyako City, Iwate prefecture

Right holder:

Taro-cho Fisheries Cooperative Association

Right holder's comment:

After obtaining the regionally based collective trademark, we started to indicate the registration number on packages and leaflets, etc. of Masaki Wakame. Also as a result of proactive PR activities by the association, the brand of Masaki Wakame is achieving name recognition. Sales prices have also been rising as the brand achieves name recognition.

Due to the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake, association members decreased by around 20%, but we believe that registration as a regionally based collective trademark is motivating the remaining members and is working to have them develop confidence.

The total volume of wakame seaweed harvested landed decreased to around 70% of the level before the earthquake, partly due to a decrease in fish farmers, but the quality is the same as before. Although the shipments are still small, we consider Masaki Wakame a symbol of our reconstruction. All workers now feel happiness that they can work as they did before the disaster.

Case 2

Trademark:

Taisho May Queen (Registration No. 5051631) / Taisho Nagaimo (Registration No. 5051632) / Taisho Daikon (Registration No. 5051633)

Designated product/service:

May Queen potatoes, Nagaimo (Chinese yam), and Daikon (radish) grown by members of the JA Obihiro Taisho who engage in farming in Taisho hon-cho, Taisho-cho, Aikoku-cho, Showa-cho, Kofuku-cho, Sakuragi-cho, Itaira-cho, Izumi-cho, and Nakajima-cho of Obihiro City, and within the areas of Furumai, Sakae, and Mikawa of Makubetsu-cho, Nakagawa-gun, Hokkaido

Right holder:

JA Obihiro Taisho

Right holder's comment:

As three brands of May Queen potatoes, Nagaimo, and Daikon were registered at a time, we named them "Three Taisho Vegetable Brothers" and created original characters. We use these characters not only for regional events but also at sales promotion fairs in the Kansai area to advertise Taisho vegetables.

Through such efforts, fully utilizing the regionally based collective trademarks, these products have been achieving name recognition, and the place name "Taisho" and the products came to be widely known. At the same time, other factors, such as enhanced quality management and increase in the strength of product brands themselves, have comprehensively worked to raise sales prices compared to products of other regions.

At present, more than 500 regional brands are registered as regionally based collective trademarks, and with the efforts made by trademark holders, the system is evaluated to have made a considerable contribution to the revitalization of local communities and the development of regional industries.

On the other hand, suggestions and requests have been made on the requirements for registration under the Regionally Based Collective Trademark System. Therefore, the Trademark System Subcommittee of the Intellectual Property Policy Committee, Industrial Structure Council, is now deliberating on the easing of requirements for registration.

[Reference 1] Regionally Based Collective Trademark System

The Regionally Based Collective Trademark System was launched in April 2006 with the goal of enhancing the competitiveness of regional products and maintaining their credibility, and thereby invigorating regional economies by properly protecting regional brands.

Regional organizations such as business cooperatives and agricultural cooperatives can register a trademark consisting of a place name and a product (service) name as a regionally based collective trademark if it is used for a product/service closely related to the local region and is well-known in a specific geographical area, if not nationwide.

[Reference 2] Number of registered trademarks and its breakdown

1. Number of registered trademarks (total): 519 (as of November 2012)

2. Breakdown by prefecture

* The trademarks across multiple prefectures are counted for each prefecture involved (Honba Yukitsumugi (fine silk fabric) for Tochigi and Ibaraki, Edo Kimekominingyo (wooden dolls) for Tokyo and Saitama)

[Reference] Top prefectures
1st: Kyoto (60 trademarks); 2nd: Hyogo (31); 3rd: Gifu (28); 4th: Ishikawa (27); 5th: Hokkaido (20); 6th: Shizuoka (19); 7th: Tokyo and Fukuoka (16); 9th: Fukui and Okinawa (15); 11th: Kagoshima (14); 12th: Mie and Hiroshima (13)

3. Breakdown by product type

• In the number of trademarks registered since the inauguration of the system in April 2006, Kyoto ranks first among prefectures, followed by Hyogo.
• The breakdown by product type shows that food-related products including primary products (agriculture and fisheries) account for 53.6%, and other products such as industrial products account for 46.4%.

[Reference 3] Registering regionally based collective trademarks

A trademark that consists of a place name and a product (service) name and meets the following requirements can be registered as a regionally based collective trademark.

1. Application by eligible applicants (incorporated cooperatives that provide the freedom of participation for those qualified for membership)
   Examples: business cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives, fishery cooperatives, brewery associations
2. Clear relationship between the place name and the product (service) (e.g., the product is produced in the place, the service is provided in the place)
   Example: The trademark "Tokyo Mikan" may be registered for mandarin oranges (mikan) grown in Tokyo.
3. The trademark is recognized to a reasonable extent (e.g., in an area including neighboring prefectures) by consumers as a trademark of the applicant because the applicant has been using it.
4. The trademark in its entirety is not a common name of a product (service).
   Examples of words regarded as common names: satsumaimo (sweet potato), iseebi (spiny lobster)

[Reference 4] Information on regionally based collective trademarks

Detailed information is available at the JPO website (special page on the Regionally Based Collective Trademark System).

Available information

・Database on registered regionally based collective trademarks

・Application/registration status of regionally based collective trademarks

・Textbook and brochure

・Application and examination issues

・"Regionally Based Collective Trademarks 2012" (PDF file)

URL: http://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi/t_torikumi/t_dantai_syouhyou.htm (in Japanese)

[Appendices]

• Reference 1: Registration status of regionally based collective trademarks (Prefectural MAP) (as of the end of November 30, 2012)(PDF:260KB) (in Japanese)
• Reference 2: 44 regionally based collective trademarks newly introduced in "Regionally Based Collective Trademarks 2012"(PDF:885KB) (in Japanese)

February 22, 2013

Trademark Division, Trademark, Design and Administrative Affairs Department, Japan Patent Office