Nikon’s new logo trademark application is a bit of a mystery
News | By Stephan Jukic | March 3, 2023
Nikon recently trademarked a new logo design with the Japan Patent Office that’s unusual and making people speculate about what product it’s for.
The legal description behind the logo, which appears to show a video camera of some kind, is also vague enough that it doesn’t clear much up. The trademark application was filed in January of this year.
Speculatively, simply by looking at the design, it could be referring to something involving video production, either in the form of software or a new 360-degree camera that Nikon might introduce in the near future.
A search for recent Nikon device patents doesn’t turn up anything too recent and especially anything that seems to match the above speculation, but that might not mean anything.
The linked Japan Patent portal classification system segments referenced in the trademark application are labeled as, “Photographic or cinematographic apparatus, projection apparatus and lanterns including video cameras and photographic lenses” under section 16.3.1
However, the detailed description beyond that is so broad that the logo could be for a whole range of things.
The most relevant part states:
“(511)[Classes of goods and services and designated goods or designated services] No.9Kind [ cameras, photographic machines and apparatus, cinematographic machines and apparatus optical machines and apparatus, cameras, measuring or testing machines and instruments, an image inspection device, and an image processing function provided with application software, the computer software for image processings, computer software, smart cameras, and an image processing function ] The inspection apparatus united with the cameras which it had, telecommunication machines and apparatus, digital cameras, an image processing system, the image processing system united with cameras, electronic machines [apparatus and their parts]”
That’s quite a bit to unpack for what seems to be a simple logo design, so guessing is all we’ve got for now.
One thing we do know is that Nikon has made a “save the date” announcement for March 25th and will probably reveal something on that day. It might have something to do with the above trademark application, or it might not.
One comment on the Nikon Rumors post that originally covered this logo mentions the possibility of a connection to Nikon Creates, a new company announced by Nikon in April of last year.
Nikon Creates is a video production subsidiary of Nikon and is supposedly involving itself in the creation of new video hardware and video production technologies. Among these could be a 360-degree camera, which the logo seems to suggest.
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Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.
