新タイプの商標で商売繁盛

商品やサービスを差別化し印象を強くするために、商標は大切な武器となります。とりわけ、昨今グローバル化が進み、海外展開も検討しなければいけない時代では、より効果的な販売、提供の戦略が求められています。

これまで商標と言うと、文字、図形、記号の組み合わせによる伝統的な商標が念頭にありました。現在の日本の商標法では、商標の対象である標章を「文字、図形、記号もしくは立体的形状もしくはこれらの結合またはこれらの色彩との結合」と定義しています。

昨今、これに加えて、「動き」、「輪郭のない色彩」、「音」なども企業のブランドとして機能していることを踏まえ、こうしたものを商標権として保護する改正論議が進められています。

諸外国の商標登録例としては、その他に、「ホノグラム」、「位置」、「匂い」、「味」、「触感」等が挙げられます。「位置」の例では、アディダスの平行した三本線がよく知られています。

また、画面上時間とともに変化する商標や動く商標などは、見る人をワクワクさせることでしょうし、自動車や器具の起動時の鳴る音に特徴があれば製品の出所を鮮やかに知らせることを期待できます。機能的な面でも、例えば、図形が見る角度によって変化して見えるホノグラムは、類似商品との区別をチェックすることに役立ちそうです。

商標の特定方法はどうするのでしょうか。視覚で認識できる商標は、図面とその説明で足りますが、視覚で認識できない商標は、音なら楽譜、音声を記録した電子媒体、においの標本やその記述的な表現の組み合わせにより特定することが考えられています。

韓国では2012年施行の改正法で音と匂いの商標などが加えられました。条約や協定により、登録出願モデルの検討も進められています。

匂い、触感、味については、特定の難しさも伴います。ゴルフティーについて、ユーカリの匂いからなる商標（豪州）という例がありますが、「写実的に表現できる」という登録要件を満たさないとして現在は登録を受付ていない国もあるようです。

新しい商標は世界の趨勢ですが、企業や事業者にはブランディングとともに、大切なことがあります。例えば、コカコーラの成分は企業秘密として明らかにされていません。競争の激しい企業間で、ブランディングの発想とともに企業のノウハウの秘密保護もまた大切な事柄と思います。

〈中部経済新聞　「中経論壇」平成26年５月6日掲載　池田桂子　〉

Prosperous Business Under The New Type Of A Trade Name

In order to strengthen the impression and to differentiate products and services, trademarks have and will provide an important weapon and safeguard in business. Especially in this era of globalization advances as seen recently. This should also be a consideration in overseas expansion, as sales are a more effective strategy of offering products and services and is or should be required.

When talking about a trademark up until now, what we had in mind what was a traditional trademark with the use of a combination of letters, shapes, and symbols. However, the Trademark Law of Japan today; we now have been able to define the trademark as “binding to these colors or combination of characters, figures, or three-dimensional shapes or symbols” any mark that is the subject of the trademark, is now the trademark.

Reform debates these days are the addition and the use of, “Motion”, “Color With No Outline,” and “Sound” are also working and used as a brand name of a company, and protected as a trademark and these considerations are now underway.

The trademark registration examples of other countries, also may include, “Holograms”, “Positions”, “Smells”, “Tastes”, “Textures”, etc. In an example of “Position”, the three main parallel lines of the Adidas Trademark is very well known and easily recognized.

In addition, to such trademarks, those trademarks that move and change with on-screen viewing, will be exciting to the viewer, and can be used and are expected to inform and or leave a vivid impression as too the origin of the product.

As an example if there is a feature to the start-up of a piece of equipment or a motor vehicle such as a unique sound as an example, or in terms of that which is functional, and then has audio recognition for example, or a the use of a Hologram which the viewer is able to see the changes depending on the angle of view and displays a figure or figures is likely to be useful to be able to check the distinction between similar products.

What is the method of identifying a trademark or would you do a trademark? Trademarks can be recognized visually which is enough of a description, as well as drawings, trademarks that cannot be recognized visually, like that of electronic medium for music recording, or audio, and can be identified by a combination of expressions that are descriptive specimens as well as smell if for example sound is considered.

Such trademarks of smell and sound have been made in the Amendment Act of 2012 in South Korea. By treaties and agreements, reviews of the applications for registration models are on the way.

Trademarks being identified by smell, texture and taste is difficult specifically for a golf tee, which is an example of a trademark consisting of the smell of eucalyptus called (Australia), but it seems that in some countries they do not accept registration and currently do not meet the registration requirements of “can be represented realistically.”

The new trademark is becoming the new trend of the world, along with branding; this has become something very important to companies and business.

For example, the composition component of Coca-Cola has not been revealed as a trade secret. With the intense competition between rival companies, I think the important thing is to also protect trade secrets and company know-how along with the idea of perhaps the branding a product.