Takahashi Meijin is a Hudson Trademark

See that hatted bald guy with hot gamer idol Haruna Anno? You can call him Takahashi Meijin... for now. Starting May 31, though, you may have to call him by his real name, Toshiyuki Takahashi.

In the days following Takahashi's announcement that he'll be leaving Hudson later this month, it's come to light that the Takahashi Meijin name that he's used for his public PR character since 1985 is a trademark of Hudson.

Getnews posted this trademark filing today:

It's dated September 15, 2005, a few months after Hudson became a Konami subsidiary (this is not to be confused with Konami's more recent full acquisition of Hudson).

Getnews notes that Konami has had some trademark troubles in the past. Apparently, the company tried to trademark the term "Visual Novel" at one point, causing gamer rage (and even a planned boycott, it seems). The filing was rejected by the patent office.

It's unclear if Takahashi will be able to continue using the name Takahashi Meijin following his departure. Maybe Konami/Hudson will give him the name as a reward for 25 years of loyal service. Or maybe they'll be jerk faces and find a replacement Takahashi.

Whatever the case, we all look forward to seeing what Takahashi, Meijin or Toshiyuki, is up to and how it involves Haruno Anno.