Many Japanese people love to eat sea urchins. They also hate food that looks less-than-excellent. So when Kanagawa Prefecture (capital: Yokohama) faced a glut of starved sea urchins and reject-quality cabbages, what did it do? It filed for a trademark.
The Kanagawa Prefecture Fisheries Technology Center was dealing with massive depletion of ecologically vital seaweed along the coast, attributed partially to voracious sea urchins. It tried feeding captured, starved urchins various things in order to make use of them, and found that the urchins enjoyed the local discarded cabbages (not shipped for sale due to damage or size problems). In fact, they grew healthier and tastier.[1]
The Center filed a trademark application for “Kyabetsu Uni” (cabbage urchin) to start a local enterprise opportunity. The trademark passed examination and was registered by the JPO on October 21, 2020.Now local fisheries and other related parties will be allowed to seek permission to use the trademark when selling related products.[2]
Social media have spread the love for the “cute” urchins vying for cabbage pieces and making a win-win situation by producing good food and reducing waste while protecting the environment. Researcher Usui was happy and hopeful that this research and the popularity of the kyabetsu uni will encourage others to innovate to overcome ecological damage with positive ideas.[1]
Japanese penchants for the “cute” and rising interest in the environment may mean other great trademark ideas are available for the registering!
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Taro Yaguchi
Sources
[1] O Tele News 24. “ネットで話題の「キャベツウニ”」が商標に [Internet sensation ‘cabbage urchins’ registered as trademark].” https://www.news24.jp/articles/2021/01/20/07806870.html Nippon Television Network News. January 20, 2021. Accessed January 21, 2021.
[2] Nikkei Shimbun. “「キャベツウニ」商標登録 神奈川県の水産技術センター [Kanagawa Prefecture’s fisheries technology center registers trademark for ‘kyabetsu uni’].”https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOFB096HW0Z01C20A2000000 January 12, 2021. Accessed January 21, 2021.
Header image by takedahrs from Pixabay, cropped.
