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EA files trademarks for ‘Jet Set Detectives’, privately registers domain

Jet Set Detectives

Two new trademark filings by Electronic Arts have popped up on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website.

On July 31, 2012, EA submitted applications (Serial Number: 85691049) and (Serial Number: 85691046) for ‘Jet Set Detectives’.

The filings cover “Entertainment services, namely, providing an on-line computer game” and “Computer game software; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices; Video game software”.

EA also appears to have secretly registered the matching domain JetSetDetectives.com (Whois) back in June through the internet brand protection company CSC Global.  Despite the owner’s name being marked private, EA is likely the registrant as they are a well known client of Corporation Service Company, which protects many of the world’s most valuable brands.

Upcoming EA titles include Overstrike (pictured above), Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3, but the video game company hasn’t made any announcement about ‘Jet Set Detectives’.

Talking about this story: Joystiq

(Image of upcoming Overstrike game via EA.com)

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News Video Games

PopCap Games registers domain names for unannounced ‘Bejeweled Frenzy’

Bejeweled Frenzy

There hasn’t been any news of a new Bejeweled game being developed by the folks at PopCap Games, but that doesn’t mean one isn’t in the works.

On August 2, PopCap Games registered the domain names BejeweledFrenzy.com (Whois), BejeweledFrenzy.net (Whois) and even BejeweledFrenzy.org (Whois), hinting that the EA-owned PopCap Games may be planning to unveil something.

Titles in the Bejeweled series include Bejeweled, Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled Twist, Bejeweled Blitz and Bejeweled 3.

The company’s last release of a new title was Bejeweled 3 in 2010.

Bejeweled Frenzy certainly has a nice ring to it, but for now, the game will have to remain speculation until PopCap makes an announcement.

At the time of this story, none of the domains resolve to a web page.

Talking about this story: Game Informer

(Image of Bejeweled 3 via PopCap.com)

Categories
Disputes News WIPO

Riot Games files complaints against League of Legends porn domain names

League of Legends porn sites

Riot Games, the maker of League of Legends, the most played PC game in North America and Europe, has filed two separate complaints with the World Intellectual Property Organization over the domain names LeagueofLegendsPorn.com (Case Number: D2012-1516) and LeagueofLegends.co (Case Number: DCO2012-0024).

While LeagueofLegendsPorn.com displays nothing more than a coming soon page with a message that reads, “Future home of something quite cool”, LeagueofLegends.co redirects unsuspecting users to a Spanish porn site.

According to Whois records, LeagueofLegendsPorn.com is currently registered to a resident of Temple Terrace, Florida and was created on February 2, 2012.

In July 2010, dotCO the country-code top-level domain for Colombia became available for registration globally.  That’s when LeagueofLegends.co (Whois) was first registered.  According to a rough traffic estimate by Compete, LeagueofLegends.com receives nearly 2 million visitors per month, so you can imagine there are plenty of unwary users typing LeagueofLegends.co (without the ‘m’) only to find themselves greeted by a not-safe-for-work adult website.

These disputes aren’t the first for Riot Games.

In June, Riot secured the rights to the scam site support-leagueoflegends.com (notice the hyphen in the web address).

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To win these disputes, Riot Games must demonstrate that all of the elements enumerated in paragraph 4(a) of the Policy have been satisfied:

(1) that the disputed domain name registered by the Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights; and

(2) that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name; and

(3) that the disputed domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

Based on the circumstances, both cases should be open and shut in Riot’s favor.

(Image of Battle Bunny Riven via LeagueofLegends.com)

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Movies News

Amidst The Hobbit trilogy talk, Riddles in the Dark and Smaug domains registered

'Riddles in the Dark', 'Desolation of the Smaug' domains registered as talk of The Hobbit trilogy

UPDATE – AUG. 31, 2012:. Collider reports the third installment in The Hobbit trilogy will now be called The Hobbit: There and Back Again. The second film has been re-titled, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  No title or release date changes have touched the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

ORIGINAL STORY:. This week there has been talk of a third ‘Hobbit’ film after The Hollywood Reporter reported that sources close to the production of The Hobbit say the filmmaker Peter Jackson wants to turn his upcoming two-film adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien epic into a trilogy.

While the first two films already have names – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” – it’s not officially known what the title of the third film will be.

Unless, of course, you take a look at some recent web activity involving “The Hobbit” and the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.

Domain registrations made this week suggest the title may be “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” or “The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark”.

On July 27, several domain names were privately registered through MarkMonitor, of which The Saul Zaentz Company is a client.  MarkMonitor is the same registrar responsible for managing the domains for TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney.com (Whois) and TheHobbitThereandBackagain.com (Whois).

Here’s a look at the full list of domain names registered through MarkMonitor:

http://whois.domaintools.com/desolationofsmaug.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/riddlesindark.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/thedesolationofsmaug.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitdesolationofsmaug.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitriddlesindark.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitthedesolationofsmaug.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbittheriddlesinthedark.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/theriddlesinthedark.com

Riddles In The Dark, is the title of one of the chapters of The Hobbit.

The Desolation of the Smaug, is the wasted, unpeopled lands around Erebor and Dale, charred and blackened by the burning breath of Smaug the Dragon.

At the time of this story, none of the domains resolve to a web page.

It’s possible these domain names were registered for something entirely different, and not for a third film.  It’s also possible the company is doing nothing more than protecting its intellectual property.

So, for now, it’s purely speculation.

UPDATE 1: Peter Jackson has confirmed the rumor that “The Hobbit” will now be three films.  No announcement on the title as of yet.

UPDATE 2: On July 31 and August 1, The Saul Zaentz Company registered domain names for “The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies”.  The names, registered via MarkMonitor, include:

http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitthebattleoffivearmies.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitthebattleoffivearmies.co.uk
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitthebattleoffivearmies.info
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitthebattleoffivearmies.net
http://whois.domaintools.com/thehobbitthebattleoffivearmies.org

Talking about this story: Cinema Blend, Film School Rejects, Coventry Telegraph (blog), Den of Geek, Business Insider, Collider.com, Comic Book Movie, Bleeding Cool News, ScreenCrush, /Film, Screen Rant, Omelete, Uproxx, Revista Cinemania and First Showing

(Image of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey via trailer 1)

Categories
News Video Games

Ubisoft registers “Might and Magic Heroes Online” domain names

Might & Magic Heroes Online

Might & Magic Heroes Online

Could Ubisoft be planning to launch the next installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic series as a free-to-play online game?

According to several domain name registrations this week by Ubisoft, the possibility looks very good.  On July 27, 2012, the videogame publisher registered mightandmagicheroesonline.com (Whois), mmheroesonline.com (Whois), and mm-heroesonline.com (Whois).

It was reported earlier this week that Ubisoft will unveil new free-to-play titles at this year’s Gamescom taking place in August in Cologne.  The company is expected to hold a press conference on August 15 where it will announce the new free-to-play titles.

Given the timing of the registrations, it appears “Might and Magic Heroes Online” will be among the list of games.

Talking about this story: Kotaku, HardGamers, tweakers.net and VG247

(Image via Might and Magic Heroes VI trailer)