Japan concerned at geographical names becoming Chinese trademarks

Thursday 05th June, 05:21 AM JST

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Raymasaki at 11:52 AM JST - 5th June

NOT good at all. it will be hard to tell the difference. i know how to speak Alot of Japanese & some Mandarin.. wheres their Pride they always talk of? just like here in the US, they have Japanese restaurants run by Chinese, anytime there Rude (usually are) people will think there are JP. They should use Chinese names, it would make sense.
jerseyboy at 12:31 PM JST - 5th June

This is rich. The country that has built numerous companies and brands by appropriating/bastardizing other country's geographical names and brands for years -- Georgia coffee and Maxinara spring immediately to mind -- is complaining about someone else doing the same to them.
bushlover at 12:37 PM JST - 5th June

Quick someone! copyright "carry oki" and "saki" to really stick it to japan.
HoDeDo at 01:43 PM JST - 5th June

This article is very vague. It doesn't specify if the Chinese are registering Japanese City or Prefecture names, as I frankly don't see what the purpose would be, or if there are Chinese companies that have names that use the same Kanji as Japanese city names. If it's the latter then that's Japan's problem, should have invented your own language...or anything for that matter.
nigelboy at 02:06 PM JST - 5th June

Georgia coffee and Maxinara spring immediately to mind -- is complaining about someone else doing the same to them.

"Georgia" coffee is a product of Coca Cola. And Coca Cola is headquartered where?

"名称の由来はコカ・コーラの本拠地がジョージア州にあることから"

And let's not get started with where the origin of "Georgia" came from.
Noripinhead at 04:31 PM JST - 5th June

Yeah, this from the nation that created Vermont Curry. Not to mention Bulgaria Yogurt.
capone at 06:29 PM JST - 5th June

kanji was china's written language before it was japan's
OssanULTRA at 12:08 AM JST - 6th June

"Its business and anybody knows China is now one step ahead of Japan."

It is common knowlege globally that Chinese business ethic are several steps below that of the developed nations. Not to mention quality control.
Seiharinokaze at 12:31 AM JST - 6th June

They wait and sell the trade marks at a high price when the Japanese maker who has similar names for their products come into the Chinese market some day. Mercenary motives rather than any question of where kanji came from. What does Nishijin 西陣 or Yokohama 横浜 mean especially in China? Western battle camp? Sideway beach?

At least they should abstain from trademarking "Kutaniyaki 九谷焼" or "Minoyaki 美濃焼" for porcelain tableware even though they are called china. we don't use Chingtechen 景徳鎮 for made-in-Japan porcelain, apart from the question of if Imari 伊万里 has outdone Chingtechen.
VoXman at 05:19 AM JST - 6th June

What does this mean in layman terms for us average folks? What exactly does getting a Japanese name trademark in China do to its trade or how does it impact its economy? The article was not very clear on that point.

What that means is you wouldn't be able to use any of those names in any form of media, whether is be print or TV advertisements without approval of the copyright owner.

Imagine advertisements in China for the Tokyo Olympics. Tokyo officials would have to have the permission of the copyright owner in China to advertise in China.....all BS
VoXman at 05:25 AM JST - 6th June

kanji was china's written language before it was japan's

...and The languages of the western world are written in Roman alphabet, and numbers come from India. What's your point? Its not thewritten language China is trying to copyright its the name in Kanji that has been in place for hundreds maybe even more than a thousand years that at issue.
bamboohat at 11:12 PM JST - 7th June

"As the Chinese and Japanese languages share many kanji characters.."

Is the person that wrote this article an ESL student?
faulkmore at 11:11 AM JST - 10th June

Patent and copyright trolls are everywhere. If this gets out of hand i'd copyright the word China and "Made in China" and then refuse all products from the country temporarily.

OK maybe that might raise too many eyebrows...
keshii at 04:22 PM JST - 11th June

Brand names like Aichi I can understand, but KYOTO? It's a rather famous city, and it's only been around for hundreds of years...
Soochi at 01:22 AM JST - 12th June

I'm still reeling from seeing "registered", "trademark" and "China" all in the same sentence.