Tag: "featured"
Lucasfilm Entertainment Company files “Star Wars 1313″ video game trademark
Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. has filed a trademark application (Serial Number: 85613835) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for “Star Wars 1313″.
The filing covers a variety of goods and services including interactive entertainment software, books, toy action figures, online social networking services, and interactive video games.
After I spotted over a dozen registrations earlier this week for Star Wars 1313 domains like StarWars1313.com, I had speculated the project could be related to a potential Boba Fett movie. It wasn’t a strong argument and was based on the fact that CT-1313 was once an alias used by Boba Fett and last summer director Joe Johnston said he was trying to get George Lucas to make a movie featuring the bounty hunter.
While “Star Wars 1313″ now looks less likely related to a new film, apart from the trademark application filed on May 1, 2012, not much else is known including which platforms the game will be available on.
The goods and services listed are similar to previous video game trademark filings by Lucasfilm.
Below are details from the trademark application which appeared on the USPTO website today.
Interactive entertainment software and accompanying instruction manuals sold as a unit, namely, computer game software and manuals sold as a unit, video game software and manuals sold as a unit; video game software, computer game software, and pre-recorded compact discs and DVDs featuring games, films, animation, music, computer game software, and video game software; downloadable video game software and downloadable computer game software; computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones
Books containing puzzles and games; calendars; children’s books; children’s books combined with toys and sold as a unit; comic books; comic magazines; gift books in the field of video games; graphic novels; printed instructional manuals and strategy guides in the field of computer games; magazines in the field of entertainment; markers; non-electronic personal planners and organizers; notebooks; novels for juveniles; pencil cases; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; personal organizers; postcards; posters; puzzle books; series of fiction books; sticker albums; sticker books; stickers; temporary tattoos; trading cards; animation cels; lithographic prints; original works of art created from paper; photographic prints; printed art reproductions
Toy action figures; accessories for use with toy action figures; action type target games; balloons; bath toys; board games; card games; cases for action figures; cases for play accessories for action figure, model vehicles and model space craft; connecting links for toy building blocks; construction toys; costume masks; costume masks for dolls; dolls; rubber hi bounce balls; jigsaw puzzles; paper face masks; parlor games; play sets for toy model vehicles, toy model space craft; plush toys; protective pads and padding for skateboarding; role-playing games; toy model space crafts and related accessories sold as units; three-dimensional puzzles; toy action figures; toy building blocks; toy candy dispensers; toy candy holders, namely, plastic candy dispenser designed as a toy; toy coin banks; toy model hobby craft kits for making model spacecraft, model cars and model vehicles; toy model vehicles and related accessories sold as a units; toy modeling dough kits and accessories for use therewith sold as units; toy remote control vehicles, namely, airplanes, spacecraft, boats; toy scooters; toy snow globes; toy vehicles; toy weapons; toy model vehicles and accessories therefore sold as a unit; water squirting toys; wind-up toys; yo-yos; collectible card games; collectible miniature board games, and toy helmets
Entertainment services provided on-line by means of global and local area networks, namely, providing interactive computer games and interactive video games, all on-line by means of global and local area networks; providing news and information in the field of entertainment relating to interactive computer game software and interactive video game software over an electronic network; fan club services
Online social networking services
As of today, Lucasfilm has yet to announce anything official.
Talking about this story: G4TV, Kotaku, Joystiq, IncGamers, The Escapist, Gameranx, Neoseeker, Gamed, NeoGAF, Gamereactor Sverige, Tweakers.net, Ubergizmo, Game Rant, Ars Technica, Lazygamer and Buffed.de
(Image of Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace)
Apple files dispute over iPhone5.com domain name [UPDATED]
Apple is planning ahead for the release of the next iPhone by filing a complaint (Case number: D2012-0951) with the World Intellectual Property Organization over iPhone5.com. The domain dispute popped up on WIPO’s website this week.
Anyone who visits the website of iPhone5.com today will be greeted by smart phone advertisements and online forums discussing the iPhone 5.
Although Apple has been known to open its wallet to acquire domain names, in the past year it has selected to go the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) route. And it’s had a lot of success.
The company secured rights to iphone4s.com, iphoneporn4s.com, iphonesex4s.com, iphonexxxforce.com, iphone4s.com and other domains that were being used by an adult website operator, after filing a similar dispute with WIPO.
But, that’s not all.
Apple has won disputes over applesales.com, appleproductsonline.com, appleipods.com, and even ipods.com, just to name a few.
In mid-July 2011, Apple acquired the domain names iPhone4.com and WhiteiPhone.com for an undisclosed amount, opting to pay for the domain names.
In the years to come, expect to see more iPhone domain disputes. At the time of this story, Apple doesn’t own iPhone6.com, iPhone7.com, iPhone8.com, iPhone9.com, iPhone10.com — you get the idea.
[Update 2 on May 13, 2012:. According to Whois records, Apple has taken ownership of the domain iPhone5.com through the brand protection agency Corporation Service Company.]
[Update 1 at 6:48 PM Est:. In an interesting little twist, there are now two new discussion threads on iPhone5.com that discuss Apple going after the domain name. One thread is called HELP US FIGHT. The second thread includes a poll that asks whether Apple should be able to take control of iPhone5.com.]
Talking about this story: Mashable, San Francisco Chronicle, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, ComputerWorld, The Register, Macworld, WebProNews, Red Orbit, PC Mag, Gotta Be Mobile, MacRumors, Apple Insider, VentureBeat, AppAdvice, Apple Bitch, Cult of Mac, The Mac Observer, Silicon News, iClarified, Inrumor, Gotta Be Mobile, International Business Times, Huffington Post, Afterdawn, Domain Name Wire and Business Insider
(Image of iPhone 4 via Apple.com)
Avengers: Battle for Earth video game headed to consoles [UPDATED]
The Avengers video game looks to have a title — Avengers: Battle for Earth.
On May 3, 2012, a day before the film was released in the United States, the domain name avengersbattleforearth.com (Whois) was registered through the brand protection company MarkMonitor.
The name was registered by Marvel Characters, Inc. and is currently listed on Ubisoft’s nameservers: nic1.ubisoft.com and nic2.ubisoft.com.
While there has been speculation the game may have been delayed, cancelled, or simply couldn’t work, the newest domain registration hints that it may be officially announced soon.
[UPDATED May 10, 2012:. Ubisoft officially announced "Battle for Earth" in a deal with Marvel Entertainment, LLC. According to the press release, "This game will be released this fall for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft with Kinect™ for Xbox360 and Nintendo’s Wii™ U™ system."]
Talking about this story: Joystiq, Forbes, Kotaku, /Film, Comic Book Movie, Game Rant, Just Push Start, Comic Book Resources, Game Informer, Complex.com (blog), Side Mission, io9, Shogun Gamer, Attack of the Fanboy, Digital Trends, MCV, Computerandvideogames.com, Kotaku Australia, OnlineWelten.com, Neoseeker, Neogaf, ZoKnowsGaming, Playstation Lifestyle, games.on.net, Gamespot, HardGamers, Videogameszone, Gamesaktuell.de, gamona.de, gry-online.pl, gram.pl, Judão and All Games Beta
Domain registrations reveal Lucasfilm is working on “Star Wars 1313″ project
UPDATED May 6, 2012 @ 7:42 PM Est:. Star Wars 1313 now looks less likely related to a new film. Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. has filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for “Star Wars 1313″. The filing hints that a new video game will be released.
ORIGINAL STORY:. Last July, talk of a film featuring Boba Fett was making the rounds on the internet after Screen Rant interviewed director Joe Johnston who said he was trying to get George Lucas to make a movie based on the Star Wars bounty hunter.
Though nothing was ever confirmed, Lucasfilm is hinting at a new project called Star Wars: 1313, according to several domain names registered on May 2, 2012, through the brand protection agency Corporation Service Company. The registrations I spotted include names like StarWars1313.com (Whois) and SW1313.com (Whois).
It’s unknown at this time, what Lucasfilm has in store for Star Wars: 1313.
The company hasn’t officially announced anything at this point, but has registered eight domains in total including: 1313starwars.com, 1313starwars.net, 1313sw.com, 1313sw.net, starwars1313.com, starwars1313.net, sw1313.com, and sw1313.net.
I’m only speculating that Star Wars: 1313 is the Boba Fett movie.
The only thing I have dug up so far on the significance of “1313″ in the Star Wars universe, is that CT-1313 was once an alias used by Boba Fett on Aargau when he was confronted by a clone trooper.
UPDATE 1 at 3:37PM EST:. In addition to the eight domain names I spotted earlier, Lucasfilm registered the same names in a number of different extensions. The following names were also registered on the same day:
1313starwars.de
1313starwars.co.uk
1313starwars.fr
1313sw.de
1313sw.co.uk
1313sw.fr
starwars1313.de
starwars1313.co.uk
starwars1313.fr
sw1313.de
sw1313.co.uk
sw1313.fr
Talking about this story: @geoffkeighley, MTV, Boomtron.com, Ars Technica, Entertainment Weekly, Tweakers.net, Moviehole, G4TV, Tiscali, Gamerfront, Shacknews and WhatCulture!
Google finally launches Cube, play your way through a cubic Google Maps world
Back in January, Google released a teaser video for a Google maps-based game that was set to be released in February. But February, came and went and the game wasn’t released. Now, Google has finally quietly launched the game online at www.playmapscube.com.
Travel through New York, Tokyo and many other cities and learn all about the Google map features. You can even bike your way through San Francisco as fast as possible and Google recommends you pay attention to the biking layer on the map to see which roads are safer.
To play, you navigate the marble by using your cursor. As you finish each level, your time is recorded.
I stumbled upon the newly launched game after checking the web address which Google registered (Whois) earlier this week. The website went live in the past 24 hours.
The game is split up into eight levels.
Level 1 has you maze your way through the busy streets of Manhattan to reach your friends at the Brooklyn Bowl.
Level 2 has you in San Francisco on two wheels, biking your way to four different landmarks.
You’re finding your way through Paris traffic to the Eiffel tower on Level 3. Google recommends you pay attention to the traffic layer to see which roads are fast and which will grind you to a halt. If you take a busy route, your marble slows.
On Level 4, you’re in the London Underground trying to get to the Big Ben during rush hour. Google points out the subway lines are connected by color and you need to find the fastest combination possible.
Visit Tokyo on Level 5. You need to find your way through the complex streets of the city, visiting all the tourist locations while paying close attention to the road network.
Dine in Las Vegas on Level 6. You must visit all the six reviewed restaurants in central Las Vegas in the smallest time possible.
Go indoors finally on Level 7. Find your way through the Mall of America and collect all of the Google Offers on each of the four floors.
On Level 8 you step it up a notch using your knowledge of the previous levels to find your fastest route to your objective in the ever changing cubic city.
At the time of this story, the fastest total time is 2 minutes 45 seconds.
Talking about this story: Techmeme, Engadget, TechRadar UK, VentureBeat, 36kr, NevilleHobson.com, netzwertig.com, Tech2, SlashGear and Gizmodo
Ubisoft Entertainment registers “Rayman Legends” domain names [UPDATED]
Last year, it was rumored that Nintendo would show off a new line of games at E3 for the Wii U (then referred to as “Project Cafe”).
One of those games in the list by Ubisoft was a game called “Rayman Legends”.
Now, that game looks to be more official according to two new domain names registered by Ubisoft this week that include RaymandLegends.com (Whois) and Rayman-Legends.com (Whois).
Though nothing official has been announced, this may be another title slated for Nintendo’s Wii U, as Ubisoft has said it has big plans for the console.
Earlier this week, a marketing survey hinted at a Rayman Origins sequel of mythic proportions.
[Updated on April 27, 2012:. Ubisoft has confirmed Rayman Legends. The game is currently in development from Michel Ancel and his team in Montpellier.]
Talking about this story: Attack of the Fanboy, G4 TV, Joystiq, PlayStation LifeStyle, Adrenaline, Cinema Blend, Computerandvideogames, Eurogamer.it, Eurogamer.net, Eurogamer España, InsideGamer, Game Rant, Gamezone, LEVELUP, MeriStation, Multiplayer.it, Neoseeker, Nintendo WiiX, Play3DS-Live, TheSixthAxis, VG247, Videogamer.com
Underworld 5 to be called Underworld: Battle? Sony Pictures registers domain
Though no official word is yet available on Underworld 5, it’s pretty certain the next film is in the works given the success of Underworld: Awakening which has been the highest-grossing film in the series so far.
While it’s purely speculation, it appears the next film could be called Underworld: Battle, according to a new domain name registration this week by Sony Pictures.
On April 24, 2012, Sony Pictures registered UnderworldBattle.com (Whois).
At the time of this post, Sony Pictures has not made an announcement about Underworld: Battle, but the domain does redirect visitors to the Sony Pictures home video page for Underworld: Awakening, which is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 8th.
While Underworld 5 would be no surprise, it looks more likely that UnderworldBattle.com is part of Sony Pictures’ online marketing campaign for the release of Underworld: Awakening on home video, and less likely the title of the fifth film in the series.
The name could also hint at a new video game, as well.
At this point, we’ll just have to wait and see if Sony Pictures announces anything official.
Talking about this story: /FILM and WhatCulture!
Activision files trademark for The Blast Furnace game, privately acquires domain
Activision Publishing, Inc. filed a trademark application on April 18, 2012, for “The Blast Furnace” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The goods and services in the trademark filing (Serial Number: 85601232) cover “computer game software” and “Entertainment services, namely, providing an on-line computer game”.
In addition to the trademark filing, it appears Activision has privately acquired the related domain name, theblastfurnace.com (Whois), through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor. Activision is a client of MarkMonitor.
In March 2012, the domain name <theblastfurnace.com> was registered to domain investor Frank Schilling’s Name Administration Inc. In April, the name transferred to DNStination, Inc., the Whois privacy service provided by MarkMonitor.
I’ve reached out to Frank Schilling via e-mail to see if any details about the transaction can be shared and I will update this story if I hear back.
At the time of this writing, Activision has made no announcement regarding “The Blast Furnace”.
[Update 1 at 8:30pm EST:. After a little digging on DomainNameSales, the online marketplace that features premium domain names from Frank Schilling's private collection and other investors, it appears the domain name sold for anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000 USD. The sale was reported on April 19, 2012.]
Talking about this story: VG247, @supererogatory, NowGamer, Lazygamer, Strategy Informer, games.on.net, HardGamers, Gamestrend, Hardgame2.com, gameswelt.de, GamePro, Multiplayer.it, Shacknews, MCV and allgamesbeta.com
Activision files trademark for Skylanders Sidekick: First look at new characters
Activision’s legal department has filed a trademark application for “Skylanders Sidekick”.
On April 18, 2012, Activision submitted the filing (Serial Number: 85601600) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The “Goods and Services” in the application cover, “Games and toys, namely, action figures, collectable toy figures, collectable toy figures having radio frequency identification (RFID) chips or tags, action figures having RFID chips or tags”.
No first use date is noted in the application. But, there’s a good explanation for that.
While nothing has been officially announced about “Skylanders Sidekick”, I did find Frito-Lay sell sheets online that describe a program taking place in June that partners with Skylanders to deliver an exclusive offer. The promotion allows consumers to redeem a free “Skylanders sidekick” character with purchase.
The screen shot above was taken from the presentation and shows the sidekicks and their names: Mega Stealth, Super Trigger, Big Grunt, and Mighty Fin. However, according to the slide, the real names are to-be-determined.
Earlier this month, Activision and Frito-Lay announced a multi-phased promotion extending through May 5, 2012.
The promotion with the Sidekick characters appears to be part of Phase 2. According to the sell sheets, the in-store timing is June 18th – July 13th 2012.
Below is another screen shot from the presentation for the lobby/perimeter kit.
Talking about this story: darkSpyro, VG247 and Nintendo World Report
Years after release, Crytek acquires Crysis.com domain: price unknown
Crytek first released the first-person shooter video game Crysis back in November 2007 and recently revealed details about Crysis 3, which is set to be released in the spring of 2013.
Now, more than four years later after releasing the first game in the trilogy, Crytek has acquired the domain name Crysis.com, which had been registered years before the game’s launch.
According to Whois records, Crytek GmbH now owns the domain name.
The name transferred this week from its previous owner “Modern Empire Internet Ltd.” who had owned the name since at least 2004.
Crytek doesn’t own Crysis2.com or Crysis3.com. The owner of the domain Crysis3.com is currently offering it up for sale, along with Crysis3.org.
I’ve reached out the previous owner of Crysis.com to learn more about the deal and will update this post if I hear back.
[UPDATED on April 23, 2012:. Crysis.com has started resolving to a web page. Screen shot below.]
Discussion: Bölüm Sonu Canavarı
