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Culture

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Nov 16th 2009 3:12pm




Filed Under:
edge, iphone games, tim langdell, trademark


iPhone App Makers Get Edgy Over Bogus Edge Trademark

from the edge-edge-edge-edge dept

In the past, we've discussed how some guy named Tim Langdell seems to think that because he once had a game that had the word "edge" in the title and got a trademark for it (even though he hasn't released a game in about fifteen years) that he can go after anyone who uses the word edge in a video game title. EA is even working on getting Langdell's trademark dumped. In the meantime, he just keeps going with it, threatening plenty of folks. It appears that some game developers are getting sick of this and have decided to fight back. William Jackson alerts us to the news that game developers are now purposely adding the word "edge" to their game titles in solidarity with those threatened by Langdell. I wonder if that will get the message across?

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  1.  
    icon
    BearGriz72 (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:22pm

    Mandatory Silly Comment

    I'm on the Edge of my seat.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:25pm

    Re: Mandatory Silly Comment

    Nothing like being on the Bleeding Edge of game development.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    icon
    Richard (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:34pm

    How about the Edge magazine

    which is about games ....

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Poster, Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:36pm

    We need Adam "Edge" Copeland to weigh in on this matter.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:40pm

    Re: Re: Mandatory Silly Comment

    Whatever it takes to Edge out the competition.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:45pm

    You mean that guy from U2? He's a trademark?

    I always thought there was something up with that guy. This is what happens when you know Bono.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 3:57pm

    Re: Re: Re: Mandatory Silly Comment

    Now that I think about it... what about other edges?

    If this guy was REALLY creative, he could be suing the makers of windshield wipers, or the makers of ice-scrapers. He's really going small-potatoes here.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    identicon
    Lemo, Nov 16th, 2009 @ 4:47pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Mandatory Silly Comment

    Not to mention aircraft manufacturers who's planes have leading edges & trailing edges, tables, books infact anything with an edge, even when you get an edge in cricket. Geez talk about pointless trademarks and stupid litigation.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    wnyght, Nov 16th, 2009 @ 4:54pm

    This is stupid, i think i'll just go crab a cold beer to take the Edge off.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    icon
    Loki (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 4:55pm

    Networks?

    What about the EDGE network?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    icon
    wnyght (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 4:56pm

    LOL, crab, should be grab. typo!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    icon
    PopeRatzo (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 5:15pm

    upside-down

    There seems to be a lot of scorn for this little guy trying to assert some bogus trademark.

    How quickly we forget that those free credit report dot com stools with ears just locked up over a thousand domains that contained every possible permutation of those words, and all possible misspellings of those words, and just to be save the words "google", "windows" and "smart phone".

    And the courts? Well, the courts just bowed deeply to the freek redit rapport dot com bums and said "Table for two thousand, monseiur?"

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    icon
    PopeRatzo (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 5:17pm

    Re: upside-down

    Sorry, "to be save" should read "to be sure,".

    And I've just started a band called "Free Credit Report Dot Com Is A Ripoff".

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    icon
    kryptonianjorel (profile), Nov 16th, 2009 @ 6:02pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Mandatory Silly Comment

    Knowing AT&Ts network, the iPhone is sure to drop back to EDGE while playing a lot of these cutting edge games

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  15.  
    identicon
    Donkey, Nov 17th, 2009 @ 6:25am

    I'm a Donkey on the Edge!

    I'm a Donkey on the Edge!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  16.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Dec 2nd, 2009 @ 10:38am

    For Those not in the know. Trademarks cannot apply to everything. Just because I have the word EDGE, say...in a panty line, or maybe in a windshield wiper, does not mean that it violates trademark. There has to be a likelihood of confusion. His problem is he just threatens to sue everyone, so everyone does a cost/benefit analysis of "Is it really worth it to spend potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to get this guy off our back?" For awhile it wasn't worth it. But now people are pissed. So it may be worth it for them to kick this guy out of his trademark so that people who do actually do things can use the word Edge.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  17.  
    identicon
    jeff binder, Oct 4th, 2010 @ 11:55am

    Good for them.

    This reminds me of the no-name guy who tried to claim that facebook was his because he had hired baby zuckerburg to do some coding for him. It's like domain name squatting only less reliable and more obtrusive. I'm glad the industry is pushing back. Hopefully we'll see lots of iphone app reviews of games with EDGE in the title to bring publicity to them.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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