Category: Trademarks

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

RockYou files trademark for Hooked

RockYou office

RockYou, one of Facebook’s top 25 developers has filed a trademark for Hooked, for a yet-to-be revealed game.

There are no clues given as to what the game will be about, other than the limited details found in the trademark.

The trademark application was filed on August 2 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Word Mark  HOOKED

Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Downloadable computer software for use on wireless devices and computers for social networking for use in the field of online and mobile gaming; Computer game software; video game software; interactive video game programs; computer software to enable uploading, posting, showing displaying, tagging, blogging, sharing electronic media or information regarding the fields of virtual communities, electronic gaming, entertainment, and general interest via the Internet or other communications networks with third parties

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing information on-line relating to computer games and computer enhancements for games; Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line reviews of computer games; providing an Internet website portal in the field of computer games and gaming
 
Standard Characters Claimed 
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 85387704
Filing Date August 2, 2011
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) RockYou Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 425 Broadway Redwood City CALIFORNIA 94063
Attorney of Record Kelly Phair McCarthy
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

I’ve reached out to RockYou for comment on Hooked and will update this post if I hear back.

Discussion: Gamezebo

(Photo of RockYou offices in Redwood City, CA via GlassDoor.com)

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

Microsoft files trademark for Iron Brigade combat video game

Iron Brigade

Microsoft has filed a trademark for a video game called Iron Brigade, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Not much is known yet about which military unit the game refers to, but as states across the country commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it’s possible the title is a reference to the “Iron Brigade”, an Union Army infantry brigade which suffered the highest percentage of casualties of any brigade during the Civil War. 

Other possibilities include present day U.S. military units such as the 2nd Brigade of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division, but with the timing of the filing, it seems more likely the game will be centered around the American Civil War.

The trademark filing  (Serial Number: 85381616) occurred on July 26, 2011 and says nothing more than for use as computer game software.

A filing back in June for Bloodforge, turned out to be a combat action title set in ancient Celtic world for its online game hub Xbox Live Arcade.

I will update this post as I get more information.

Discussion: Joystiq

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

Disney files trademarks for Gnome Town for online social networking services

Gnome Town

Disney Enterprises has filed 4 trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for “Gnome Town”.

With the sleeper cartoon movie hit Gnomeo & Juliet so far earning $189,967,670 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, it’s no wonder Disney is taking the film based on William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet online.

According to the USPTO, 4 trademarks were filed by Disney Enterprises on July 19 and cover a wide range of services including social networking, an online virtual community, online computer games and more.

Here’s a look at each trademark application:

Word Mark  GNOME TOWN [85374891] 
Goods and Services IC 045. US 100 101. G & S: Online social networking services

Word Mark  GNOME TOWN [85374901] 
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

Word Mark  GNOME TOWN [85374915] 
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

Word Mark  GNOME TOWN [85374926]
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Audio recordings; video recordings; audio and visual recordings; video game cartridges, discs and software; computer game cartridges and discs; consumer electronics and accessories therefor; eyeglasses and sunglasses and accessories therefor; decorative refrigerator magnets; graduated rulers for office and stationery; hand-held units for playing electronic games for use with an external display screen or monitor; 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

So who owns the domain name gnometown.com? Not Disney apparently. The web address has been registered for years.

This past February, Disney acquired Togetherville, a social network for kids 10 years of age or younger.

At the time of this story, Disney has not officially announced the venture.

Categories
News Trademarks

Nearly all SEAL Team 6 trademark applications abandoned with USPTO

Navy SEALs

For individuals and companies trying to cash in on SEAL Team 6, it can be an uphill battle.  First it was Disney that tried trademarking “SEAL Team 6” only days after Osama bin Laden was killed in early May.  Then others quickly followed, including the Department of the Navy itself which filed for a trademark on “SEAL Team”, a story that first broke here in mid May.

On the heels of the news that Disney abandoned their trademark filings in late May which covered toys, games, clothing, footwear and more, most others have done the same.

M. Z. Berger & Co, abandoned its trademark filing on May 27, two days after Disney.

Justice is Done filed for abandonment on June 21.

There are still some holdouts though.

Watchmaker RESCO Instruments, which was founded in 2009 and claims to have its watches used by 90 active duty US Navy SEALs, looks to show no signs of giving up on its trademark application.

Jon Narmi, an individual out of Iowa who filed for a trademark in June, hasn’t abandoned his application either, which covers fiction works, namely, novels and books.

(Photo of Navy SEALs preparing for a mission via the United States Navy)

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

Zenimax closer to revealing ‘Dishonored’ as dishonored.com transfers to Zenimax

Rage

Updated:  Hours after I published this post, Zenimax media unveiled the Dishonored.com website. 

**

Not much is known about a suspected project called ‘Dishonored’ underway at Zenimax, the publisher of games such as Doom and Rage.  

However, the company did get one step closer to revealing ‘Dishonored’, which the company filed a trademark application for in June 2011 which was spotted by SystemLink. 

So, what has been revealed?

Well, for one thing, it appears Zenimax has owned the matching domain dishonored.com for nearly a year.

Yesterday, the domain name dishonored.com which is currently hidden behind Whois privacy at Corporation Service Company (a brand protection company), transferred DNS servers from CSC’s own servers to Zenimax’s DNS servers at ns1.zenimax.com and ns2.zenimax.com, where the company’s other online properties reside such as rage.com, a domain name it purchased in May 2010 at the online marketplace Sedo for $49,999 USD.

The transfer could be a sign that a website is about to be unveiled.

Here’s a look at the updated Whois record.

Dishonored.com Whois record

The domain name dishonored.com was acquired by CSC from well-known domain investor Mike Berkens almost a year before Zenimax filed for the trademark.  Mike Berkens, who writes a blog at TheDomains.com, has sold a number of web addresses that have gone on to make news such as BigGovernment.com, now a website which recently made headlines after releasing the Anthony Weiner photos. 

According to Whois history, dishonored.com was acquired by CSC in July 2010. 

CSC is well known for providing domain services and identity protection on behalf of some of the largest companies in the world, including Microsoft and Google.

(Photo of Rage via Zenimax Media)