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Author Topic: Uhh ...  (Read 4053 times)

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« on: March 08, 2016, 07:19 »
0
So like ... not that I needed a real reason to delete my portfolio or anything but, you're going to let the contributors bear all of the weight of poor reviews over a copyright issue? I'm not entirely sure who this company is (though I think I've seen that on soy sauce before) ... your agency, reviewers and other employees need to bear as much of the weight of this as any single person. That's ridiculous.

Dear Contributors,

In light of the above, 123RF would like to inform all our Contributors to not submit any content containing or pertaining to Kikkoman products and design.

Content comprised of or containing Kikkoman Bottle and Cap Design, the wording KIKKOMAN, the Hexagon and Kanji Design, and other registered elements used in connection with Kikkomans products, should not be submitted, and be removed if previously submitted without any delay. Also note that full responsibility will be beared by the Contributor should any of their content are still available, displayed and available for licensing on 123RF after this notification should Kikkoman decides to take further legal action.

Further details of Kikkoman Brand's Trademark and Patent can be found here:

US Registration Number:   3236076 (Click Here For more Information)
Description of Mark:   The mark consists of a three-dimensional bottle and cap design featuring a bell shape which gradually tapers up to the neck and which then flares out to the top of the bottle and the cap. The cap features small protruding knobs on either side.
Design Search Code(s):   19.09.01 - Bottles, jars or flasks of conical or triangular shape; Jars with conical or triangular shape; Jars with conical or triangular shape; Flasks with conical or triangular shape

US Registration Number:   3385372 (Click Here For more Information)
Description of Mark:   The mark consists in part of a three-dimensional bottle and cap design featuring a bell shape which gradually tapers up to the neck and which then flares out to the top of the bottle and the cap. The cap is colored red and is outwardly flared and features small protruding knobs on either side. The color yellow-orange appears in the wording "Kikkoman", in the hexagon design and the Chinese character "man"; the color black appears in the interior of the bottle.
Design Search Code(s):   19.09.01 - Bottles, jars or flasks of conical or triangular shape; Flasks with conical or triangular shape; Jars with conical or triangular shape; Jars with conical or triangular shape
26.15.01 - Polygons as carriers or as single or multiple line borders
28.01.03 - Asian characters; Chinese characters; Japanese characters

US Registration Number:   1045670 (Click Here For more Information)
Design Search Code(s):   19.09.02 - Bottles, jars or flasks with bulging, protruding or rounded sides; Jars with bulging or protruding sides; Flasks with bulging or protruding sides

US Registration Number:   1045671 (Click Here For more Information)
Design Search Code(s):   19.09.02 - Bottles, jars or flasks with bulging, protruding or rounded sides; Jars with bulging or protruding sides; Flasks with bulging or protruding sides


Regards,
123RF Content Team


« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2016, 07:29 »
+1
The shape of the jar thing gets me ... like ... a patent on the shape of a jar?!

« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2016, 09:11 »
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It seems to be a new trend called "patent/trademark bullying".  The company files a patent on anything even remotely resembling their product, packaging or trademark.  They then count on the high costs of legal defense to intimidate others into giving in to their demands, no matter how ridiculous.

« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2016, 10:33 »
+2
It seems to be a new trend called "patent/trademark bullying".  The company files a patent on anything even remotely resembling their product, packaging or trademark.  They then count on the high costs of legal defense to intimidate others into giving in to their demands, no matter how ridiculous.

Not really, it's to protect a products identity and prevent copying. The company must challenge copying or close copies, or risk losing the product name and trademark protection.

Sriracha maker didn't bother and he says it's free advertising. The green cap and rooster logo are trademarked, but the US Patent and Trademark Office considers the name "sriracha" to be a generic term.

Using trademarked materials on a products packaging will prevent a competitor from using a similar packaging arrangement for their product. This is an excellent way to build and strengthen brand recognition. This is not new.

Kikkoman makes Soy Sauce. Anybody can make that. The trademark bottle, which everyone should recognize if they have been to an Asian restaurant, is just as important as their name and logo. I don't know why they wouldn't want the free advertising and exposure in stock photos?

« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2016, 11:56 »
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The ink color for John Deere's logo are trademarked. Seems really ridiculous, considering a printer could accidentally print their yellow or green unintentionally. I am not sure how that would work, or how it could even be policed. I suppose they would only be irate about it if a company selling the same products used the same colors.

Quote
Kikkoman makes Soy Sauce. Anybody can make that. The trademark bottle, which everyone should recognize if they have been to an Asian restaurant, is just as important as their name and logo. I don't know why they wouldn't want the free advertising and exposure in stock photos?

I agree. I can totally see restricting other soy sauce manufacturers from using the same shape bottle, same style logo, etc. but what difference does it make if their product is in a stock image, as long as it isn't the sole focus of the image? (Like if it's a restaurant/food shot, with a soy sauce bottle in the background) They pay big bucks for brand advertising in TVs and movies, this advertising would be free for them. I think it's basically all about control.

« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2016, 11:57 »
0
...I don't know why they wouldn't want the free advertising and exposure in stock photos?
Perhaps because some of the stock photos may be of low quality and would hurt the brand? Maybe their product appears in some context they don't agree with? Also, they completely lose the overview of images that contain their product.


 

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