wraggster
February 12th, 2005, 11:03
Eagle-eyed Nintendo fans have unearthed a pair of trademarks registered with the Japanese Trademark and Patent Office late last year, prompting plenty of speculation as to how they may be used but no official clarification.[br][br]On 7th December 2004, Nintendo registered "Nintendo V-Pocket" by itself, while Nintendo and Pokémon series developer Game Freak jointly registered "PCGP" on the same day, according to reports.[br][br]The V-Pocket trademark applies to a very wide range of products, but amongst them are portable LCD game machines and adapters that would allow them to display images and play audio stored on memory cards.[br][br]The latter description has fuelled speculation that V-Pocket may be an abandoned name for the Play-Yan adapter, which will allow GBA and DS handhelds to play back MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio via a GBA cartridge slot adapter and flash media and is due out in Japan shortly.[br][br]Others suggest that it could be the name of a new DS peripheral, or something else entirely.[br][br]Whatever it turns out to be, it's unlikely to become prevalent outside Japan - a quick search of the US Patent & Trademark Office reveals that the mark "V-Pocket" is currently owned by Sports Licensing, Inc. for use in Lacrosse sticks and has been for several years.[br][br]"PCGP", meanwhile, the logo for which features rings around each letter, is even less descriptive, and speculation there is currently focused on the involvement of Pokémon developer Game Freak.[br][br]For the moment though, unless Nintendo comes out and announces products adopting one or other, both marks are likely to remain rather anonymous and subject to speculation.[br][br]In a statement this morning, a Nintendo spokesperson told this website, "We are filing hundreds of patent and trademark applications every year, and it is our policy not to comment on any one of them."