The Edge Case: Indies Rally To Raise Copyfight Awareness [boingboing.net]

I've heard of trademark abuse (I remember one case about the word "stealth", but that's about all I remember). This case is pretty bad as well. Tim Landell has been suing anyone creates a video game with the word "Edge" in it. He's also proceeded to grab any other names using the word. When the creator of a certain iPhone game suggested an alternate word for the game he created, Tim flatly refused then proceeded to register that alternate word as a trademark. I read as many articles as I could as soon as I found this one (thanks to the Game Creators Forum).

Apparently this guy has also obtained the trademark for the title "Edge of Twilight", which is an XB360 game created by a game studio called Fuzzyeyes. I can't verify it yet though... that bit of news I got from someone who posted a comment on one of the articles I read.

*is tempted to name his shoot-em-up game from "Drunkduck ShooterZ" to "Drunkduck: Bullet Edge" even though it doesn't make sense...

It's abuse of the system because the man has a psychotic fetish for the name, nothing else.
You see, what he's doing goes beyond protecting a brand image (especially because his is almost invisible), and even beyond things like Cybersquatting.

What the courts are doing is enabling a man with a psychological problem. That isn't what copyright and trademark legislation is for.

Registering specific words as trademarks can reach fairly petty levels and, unless someone feels strongly enough to spend the time and money required to challenge a registration, it will probably be allowed.

The most ridiculous example in the comics world is probably Marvel and DC, trademarking the word "superhero". You can use the world generically (as in "Oh, look there's a superhero!" ) but you aren't allowed to use the term in a title, for example. The word was already in common usage at the time, but, since no one had the resources to challenge it, the registration was allowed.

If DC and Marvel had any common sense they would now admit how stupid they have been and just let it lapse. Presumably on the advice of a few overpaid corporate lawyers who need to justify their existence, however, they still threaten court action whenever they become aware of anyone using the term. Laughable, really.

So, yeah ... the moral of the story is that this guy may be a nut, but he's no more of a nut than the big guys!

I think the guy's main psychological problem is his craving for easy money. But you'll be happy to know that he's been somewhat ostracized because of his actions and it has caused him to step down as a member of the International Game Developers Association board.

Plus, the guy looks like a douchebag. Have you seen his picture?

Wait? Is that picture really his face? I thought it was some distorted photoshopped image or something.

He made a really big mistake poking an 800 pound gorilla (who's losing some weight). And from some of the comments in the articles I've been looking at many are seeing EA as some kind of hero who will crush this bully "under the weight of a thousand lawyers". I seriously doubt EA would do this just for the indy developers. They do have to defend their "Mirrors Edge" game though.

Lonnehart
Wait? Is that picture really his face? I thought it was some distorted photoshopped image or something.

He made a really big mistake poking an 800 pound gorilla (who's losing some weight). And from some of the comments in the articles I've been looking at many are seeing EA as some kind of hero who will crush this bully "under the weight of a thousand lawyers". I seriously doubt EA would do this just for the indy developers. They do have to defend their "Mirrors Edge" game though.

less EA's a hero, more they're a convienent big heavy weight to crush him under. 'bout time they were useful instead of eating good developers to end their productivity.