Category: Trademarks

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News Trademarks Video Games

EA files more trademarks this week, this time for ‘Secret Island’ video game

Electronic Arts: Secret Island

Video game publisher Electronic Arts has filed a second set of trademarks on November 15th, 2011, for Secret Island, but has made no announcement as to details of the video game.

The Secret Island trademark filings follow earlier applications this week for Blacked Out, which I reported about earlier today.

The trademark applications (Serial Number: 85473042 and Serial Number: 85473035) cover the typical goods and services that precede the launch of a game, like entertainment services, on-line computer games, and downloadable computer game software.

(Photo of Lisianski Island, Hawaiian Chain via Captain Pat Palazzolo)

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News Trademarks Video Games

Electronic Arts files new trademark applications for ‘Blacked Out’ game

Blacked Out trademark application

Battlefield 3 publisher Electronic Arts has filed two new trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the phrase Blacked Out.

The phrase Blacked Out, which commonly refers to temporarily losing consciousness, has several meanings so it’s hard to know exactly what kind of game EA has in store.

Both trademark filings were submitted on November 14, 2011.

Serial Number 85471685 covers, “Computer game software; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices.”

Serial Number 85471683 covers, “Entertainment services, namely, providing an on-line computer game; Provision of information relating to electronic computer games provided via the Internet.”

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News Trademarks

Amazon spin-off still in the works? New trademarks filed for Fire under Seesaw

Seesaw 'Fire' trademark filing

Back in early October, I wrote about Amazon filing several trademark applications for the Kindle Fire and Amazon Silk with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  Only, instead of using its own company name, Amazon filed the trademarks using the name Seesaw LLC.

I speculated that perhaps Amazon had plans to spin-off its mobile products into a separate business. 

Though Amazon never officially commented on the article or the stories that followed, reactions from many said Seesaw was nothing more than a ‘trademark holding company’ strategy by Amazon.

While it seems more likely that Seesaw is nothing more than a trademark holding company for Amazon’s Fire and Silk trademarks, Amazon has nonetheless filed three more applications, this time for the word ‘Fire’ with the USPTO – Serial numbers 85462286, 85462262, and 85462244.

The latest filings cover a wide range of goods and services including:  Portable and handheld electronic devices, printed publications, retail store services, on-line retail store services, handheld unit for playing electronic games, social networking services and much more.

Discussion: Ubergizmo

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News Technology Trademarks

Amazon launches ‘Amazon Flow’ – augmented reality app [UPDATED]

Kindle Fire

[Updated, Nov. 2, 5:55pm EST:  Jon Mitchell over at ReadWriteWeb informed me Amazon issued a press release for its new ‘Amazon Flow’, shortly after my story went online — which clears up any rumors about the product.  Flow is not Amazon’s answer to the iCloud.  According to the press release:

Flow is a new augmented reality app that makes it easy to explore and discover tens of millions of products in a real world setting – from books and DVDs to packaged electronics and toys – and offers shoppers interactive product information about the items around them. 

With Flow, customers simply point their iPhone toward a book, video game, CD, DVD or millions of other products with UPC barcodes. Upon visual recognition of the product, the app displays Amazon.com product information, including the option to play multimedia content and read customer reviews.

  More details here.]

**

Amazon has now followed up its ‘Amazon Flow’ private domain registrations that I reported last week with a very public trademark filing (Serial Number: 85459329) over at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on October 28, 2011, signalling the company’s intent to reveal a new product.

On October 26, Amazon registered several new domain names through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, that centered around the word ‘flow’ including: amazonflowapp.com, flowappbyamazon.com, flowbyamazon.com, and flowpoweredbyamazon.com. 

As I reported in my earlier story, after a little domain sleuthing, I discovered that Amazon registered the domain name Amazonflow.com back in early June.

So what is Amazon Flow?

At the time of this story, all of the domain names either remain parked at Go Daddy or do not resolve to a web page, and Amazon has not put out an official announcement. 

However, the ‘Goods and Services’ covered in the trademark filing offer many clues.

Here’s a more detailed look at the application.

International Class: 009
Class Status: Active
computer software for searching, locating, compiling, indexing, correlating, navigating, obtaining, downloading, receiving, encoding, decoding, playing, storing and organizing text, data, images, graphics, audio and video on a global computer network
Basis: 1(b)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

International Class: 035
Class Status: Active
advertising services
Basis: 1(b)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

International Class: 038
Class Status: Active
electronic transmission of text, data, images, graphics, audio and video from mobile electronic communications devices, all via a global computer network; downloadable application software for mobile electronic communications devices; downloadable application software for visual recognition of items or products and for providing information about any visually recognizable item or product
Basis: 1(b)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

International Class: 041
Class Status: Active
providing information about audio, visual and multimedia entertainment services via a global computer network
Basis: 1(b)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

International Class: 042
Class Status: Active
providing an online network that enables users to access and share content, text, data, images, graphics, audio, video, resources and web sites on consumer products, reviews and ratings; computer services, namely, providing search engines for searching, locating, compiling, indexing, correlating, navigating, organizing and obtaining content, text, data, images, graphics, audio, video, resources and web sites on a global computer network, and for purchasing products via a global computer network; providing temporary use of non-downloadable software for searching, locating, compiling, indexing, correlating, navigating, organizing and obtaining content, text, data, images, graphics, audio, video, resources and web sites on a global computer network; computer services, namely, enabling access to social networking services; computer services, namely, enabling access to social networking services related to consumer products, reviews and ratings
Basis: 1(b)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

Discussion: ReadWriteWeb and The Next Web

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News Trademarks Video Games

Disney’s Playdom developing ‘City of Warfare’ game? Trademarks filed

City of Might

According to four trademark filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it appears Disney’s Playdom is developing a new social game called ‘City of Warfare’ to expand upon its City-franchise.

If it’s anything like Playdom’s other games, which includes ‘City of Wonder’, chances are players will build armies in ‘City of Warfare’ and battle other cities. 

Oddly enough, Playdom has developed a game called ‘City of Might’ which has been in closed BETA since March.  Based on the game titles alone, it sounds like ‘City of Might’ and ‘City of Warfare’ are a lot alike.  Playdom even describes City of Might as, “a game where you build a mighty city and defeat your enemies in epic battles.” 

It’s quite possible City of Might is being rebranded as City of Warfare, as no trademark applications are on file for City of Might.

All four trademark applications for City of Warfare (Serial Numbers: 85457270, 85457272, 85457274, and 85457277) were filed on October 26, 2011, by Disney and involve an online virtual community, online social networking services, and entertainment and education services.

The ‘Goods and Services’ are nearly identical to its Gnome Town filings.  I wrote about the Gnome Town trademark applications in late July and days later Playdom officially launched the game to everyone on Facebook.

Here’s a more detailed look at each of the trademark filings:

Serial Number 85457277, Goods and Services
IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; audio books; audio recordings; audio and visual recordings; video game software; computer programs and software; consumer electronics and accessories therefor; hand-held units for playing electronic games for use with an external display screen or monitor; eyeglasses and sunglasses and accessories therefor; binoculars; decorative magnets; graduated rulers; computer software, namely, computer game software; electronic games and game software that may be downloaded via global computer networks and electronic communication networks for use in connection with computers, mobile computers, media players, cellular phones, wireless devices and portable and handheld digital electronic devices

Serial Number 85457274, Goods and Services
IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment and education services; providing online computer games, online enhancements for computer games, and providing online games; providing information relating to computer games and game enhancements via global computer networks and electronic communication networks for use in connection with computers, mobile computers, media players, cellular phones, wireless devices and portable and handheld digital electronic devices; providing an online entertainment information service featuring information regarding computer games, enhancements for computer games, online games, and game applications via global computer networks and electronic communication networks for use in connection with computers, mobile computers, media players, cellular phones, wireless devices and portable and handheld digital electronic devices; providing temporary use of non-downloadable computer games; providing temporary use of non-downloadable software for playing computer games; providing temporary use of non-downloadable software to enable playing and otherwise providing computer games

Serial Number 85457272, Goods and Services
IC 045. US 100 101. G & S: Online social networking services

Serial Number 85457270, Goods and Services
IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: Computer services, namely, creating an online virtual community for registered users to participate in and hold competitions, showcase their skills, improve their talent, participate in incentive award programs, get feedback from their peers, form virtual communities, trade, buy and sell virtual goods, conduct virtual tours, facilitate interaction among users, rank users, engage in social networking, and participate in on-line discussion boards; providing temporary use of non-downloadable software to enable viewing, previewing, sharing, manipulating, and creating blogs regarding computer games via global computer networks and electronic communication networks for use in connection with computers, mobile computers, media players, cellular phones, wireless devices and portable and handheld digital electronic devices; providing temporary use of non-downloadable software to enable viewing, previewing, sharing, manipulating, enhancements for computer games, online games, and game applications and information relating to computer games and game enhancements via global computer networks and electronic communication networks for use in connection with computers, mobile computers, media players, cellular phones, wireless devices and portable and handheld digital electronic devices

Discussion: Games.com News (blog) and Inside Social Games