Beyond marketing: the motivation and challenge chapters behind Kumamon's trademark management

This study explores the unconventional trademark management strategies used by the Kumamoto Government to manage Kumamon, a mascot with widespread popularity in Asia, the US, and Europe. We investigate the motivations behind the government's shift in its trademark portfolio, focusing on the influence of collective intelligence (CI) in shaping these decisions. Through qualitative document analysis, we assess the role of CI, stakeholder collaboration, and legal factors in the Kumamoto Government's trademark strategy. Our findings reveal that CI significantly impacted these trademark decisions, while also identifying legal and business challenges related to rights ownership, estoppel, and trademark ownership. This research broadens the discussion beyond traditional marketing, contributing to the understanding of how CI affects brand image in the digital age. It also highlights the legal complexities of collaboratively created intellectual property, offering new insights into marketing management.