A request from Asahi Breweries Ltd. to name an alcoholic drink Ina Bauer after a figure-skating move made famous by Olympic gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa has been rejected, the Patent Office said Tuesday.
"Such behavior to capitalize on the fame of Ms. Arakawa would offend public order and morals," an official from the Patent Office said, adding that the brewery has not received approval from Ina Bauer, the German who invented the move.
Arakawa won the women's figure-skating competition in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
She is famous for her flexible take on the Ina Bauer move.
The major beer maker filed an application to register the trademark in March 2006 because the move is now well known, an Asahi official said.
"Our firm does not intend to appeal the Patent Office's decision," the official said.
