The Taipei City Government should not charge local businesses licensing fees for using the city mascot, Bravo the Bear, in their advertising, a Taipei city councilor said yesterday.
The bear is an asset that belongs to all Taipei residents, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said, adding that it would raise the mascot’s profile if all businesses could use the mascot free of charge — at least until it has gained popularity and firms make a profit from campaigns including the bear.
Hsu cited Kumamon, the mascot that represents Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture as an example.
Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei Times
The prefecture licensed the image rights of Kumamon to private companies free of charge, she said, adding that it the mascot is to be seen everywhere in Japan.
Municipal funds allocated for the brand management of Bravo the Bear are NT$8.5 million (US$ 287,931) annually and cover the costs of event participation, management of the mascot’s Facebook page, licensing, and the establishment and operations of the Bravo Office, a mascot brand store, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said.
The store, located at Taipei City Hall, opened on Aug. 19 and features products, pictures and stories related to the mascot brand.
Department Director-General Hung Mei-yun (洪梅雲) yesterday said that the mascot in 2018 generated NT$1.67 million in licensing fees.
As its revenue dropped to about NT$400,000 last year, the department outsourced its licensing affairs to improve the mascot’s marketing, Hung said.
More and better promotional activities and products are coordinated by an external company, Hung added.
In response to Hsu mentioning Kumamon, Hung said that the Japanese prefecture had marketed the mascot for several years before it rose to prominence.
This year’s operations have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the Bravo Office has performed well, earning nearly NT$100,000 in revenue on its opening day, she said.
The department expects the office to generate an annual income of NT$1 million, she said, adding that the ultimate goal is making Bravo the Bear a self-sufficient business within the city government.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS