Unexplained Nintendo trademarks prompt speculation
Fans prise "Nintendo V-Pocket" and "PCGP" out of the Japanese trademark register, but there's no word on what either might turn out to be from Nintendo or otherwise.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Others suggest that it could be the name of a new DS peripheral, or something else entirely.
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.
"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.
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.
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."