Mojang Offered Up Scrolls Trademark, Bethsoft Said "No"

[hazabaza1]

I think they should call it "The younger Scrolls: SCROLLS" just to fuck with their lawyers.

 

[lacktheknack]

I think the reason is market confusion with a similarly titled game on the same day.

How does "Minecraft" sound like "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim"?

Scrolls hasn't even finished its website yet.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Ah well people in Bethesda are clearly bunch of wankers, no wonder i hate every game they make.

Because the legal department have been making all the games have they?

This is pretty retarded though. That said, these are lawyers. Of course they're trying to screw people over. It's what they do.

The single most annoying thing about this whole case is all the people saying they'll boycott Skyrim. For starters, Notch said that was stupid. But mainly because the legal department have diddly squat to do with the making of that game. All the work was done by guys who may well be on Notch's side in the whole thing. They're not responsible for the legal side of things. You're depriving yourself of something you'll (probably) enjoy, you're hurting honest hardworking people and the guy you're doing this for said it was a bad idea.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

One is a trading card game, the other is an open-world RPG that is hardly ever referenced by its "Elder Scrolls" prefix. Its a fucking noun, how can that infringe on anything? If they were obviously aping shit from the actual game and they called it Scrolls, then fair enough.

Well, remember that Apple wanted total control over the term APP. Lets hope this court case ends similarly, with Bethesda being told to fuck off for attempting to trademark a word.

 

[lacktheknack]

So they are suing with out a reason? Can they counter sue for a waste of their time and money?

I can't take Bethesdas side...

Please answer this immediately: did you read the entire article?

You know what, you don't have to answer, because clearly you didn't. Bethesda is suing because they're using the title "Scrolls" in their title.

Oh was that the same reason as before? Yea, my bad, I guess the Escapist forgot and just wants more web traffic.....

Men in glass houses...

Mojang offered to drop the trademark and add a subtitle, everything short of removing the word "Scrolls" from the name. Zenimax doesn't appear to give a damn, and have thus securely entered WTF Lawsuit territory, officially making them the next Tim Langdell (if Notch isn't lying).

You know, NOT what we were told before.

It's all in the OP.

 

[Syphous]

A lot of speculation and opinion from people who have never seen the court documents. I doubt Bethesda would spend the money to bring this to court if they didn't have a good reason.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

Dear ZeniMax/Bethesda,
This is getting ridiculous. Look, you are not longer just in a pissing contest with an incredibly successful Indie studio, you're fucking with the whole goddman internet. We by and large stand with Notch, because of the image we have of you (the big guy) attempting to beat up the little guy (Notch) over an entirely irrelevant issue. Nobody is going to confuse your (presumably) awesome game "Skyrim" with "Scrolls" just because there's the word "Scrolls" in the former's full title. And please don't fool yourself, I'd wager that less than a tenth of your customers actually know the full title, and even fewer will know the significance of the "Elder Scroll" according to ingame lore. Notch is not alone, and there will be more parodies of the name 'Scrolls' now than ever before.
Look, the people you are after are the people you depend on. We buy your games, we fix your bugs, we mod your engine, we expand your stories. We guard you against trolls on the interwebs while you sleep. Do not fuck with us.

Dear Notch,
hang in there man.

 

[Formica Archonis]

but none of that is true. Legally, you can only make such assumptions from facts, and based on Notch's history of lying about this whole thing, I'm more inclined to side with Bethesda.

Idle curiosity... what lies has he told about the case so far?

 

[sinterklaas]

There has to be more to this story then what we know.

 

[lacktheknack]

So they are suing with out a reason? Can they counter sue for a waste of their time and money?

I can't take Bethesdas side...

Please answer this immediately: did you read the entire article?

You know what, you don't have to answer, because clearly you didn't. Bethesda is suing because they're using the title "Scrolls" in their title.

Oh was that the same reason as before? Yea, my bad, I guess the Escapist forgot and just wants more web traffic.....

Men in glass houses...

Mojang offered to drop the trademark and add a subtitle, everything short of removing the word "Scrolls" from the name. Zenimax doesn't appear to give a damn, and have thus securely entered WTF Lawsuit territory, officially making them the next Tim Langdell (if Notch isn't lying).

You know, NOT what we were told before.

It's all in the OP.

but none of that is true. Legally, you can only make such assumptions from facts, and based on Notch's history of lying about this whole thing, I'm more inclined to side with Bethesda.

There is not one shred of a document that points to this article being true. Not a shred.

There are pages and pages of documents pointing to the fact that Zenimax has a right to file suit and should.

Read this blog if you haven't: http://www.falsegravity.com/

"Based on Notch's history of lying about this"

Um, documentation please?

Anyways, the most likely reason this is happening is because they applied for a general trademark without think it all the way through. That's kinda how Mojang operates, I find. Also, for Mojang to attack Bethesda maliciously with this would require Notch to be lying about EVERYTHING HE EVER SAID ABOUT BETHESDA EVER. He's a raving fan of them and plans to buy and play the crap out of Skyrim. Even during this, he's said MULTIPLE TIMES how he still will buy Skyrim.

Most damning of all is that Notch claims that he offered to DROP THE TRADEMARK, leaving Bethesda without a threat. Sure, he could be lying, but only a true idiot would lie like that with the public spotlight on them shortly before going to court to verify. Also, referring to your claims that he's a compulsive liar: I'm flat out skeptical. He's gone and blabbed off a few times, but he hasn't lied.

 

[Clonekiller]

Just wondering... What does Bethesda have to say about all this? Seems to me that all we're getting is a steady stream of info from Mojang. It kinda seems obvious to me, but isn't taking Mojang's word on everything a bad idea? Especially since Mojang has a very real motivation to discredit Bethesda in any way possible? Just saying, the other side of the story might be worth seeing.

 

[dave1004]

http://kotaku.com/5846111/mojang-v-bethesda-or-i-hate-it-when-mommy-and-daddy-fight

Sums it up. Notch linked it, go check it out on his blog. (http://notch.tumblr.com/)

 

[JediMB]

Wait, did I get this right? The Elder Scrolls is that game from Notch isn't it?

Screenshots of these kinds of posts is exactly the sort of evidence Bethesda has been submitting to court. >_>

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

Bethesda no. Bad dog. Bad.

...What did i just write?

Anyway, you suck betheseda! why? Just why?

And since when could you trademark a plural of a common word? Since where you allowed to sue over one common word without being lauched out of court?

SINCE WHEN DID ONE OF MY FAVOURITE GAME COMPANYS ACT LIKE A BUNCH OF FUCKING DOUCHEBAGS?

I don't want to live on this planet anymore. I'll go find jack, see whats up on mars. (i'm drunk)

 

[Majorlagger]

My, this is becoming a regular "he says, she says" situation, huh?

Though I never quite got why Bethesda went after Notch in the first place. I mean really, is all of the bad press and really worth having free-reign over the word "Scrolls" in their game titles? Do they really think Notch is that much of a threat? Last I checked, people call it the "Elder Scrolls" series, not the "Scrolls" series. And it's not like he's directly copy/pasting their gameplay and scenarios.

the game name wasnt the problem, it was the trademark, with the trade mark notch would have been able to sue beth for the elder SCROLLS series because they would have control of the word SCROLLS... now its hey how dare you do that now there gonna take everything.

 

[rda_Highlander]

I don't like Notch. It's my personal taste, I don't like how he always asks for protection from his fans.
Whatever you say, I might be really wrong, but I think that ZeniMax knows something we don't know, or Notch doesn't want to share. They've got this trademark for two decades, and said themselves, that they don't need more fans than they already have to satisfy their budget. Why the sudden fear of some unknown game, that isn't even being made yet? Also, I don't remember them being dicks before, so there's that.

Also. It's ZeniMax who is suing Notch, not Bethesda, so shut the hell up about them.
Also also, do you know how fucking expensive it is for one company to sue the other? To pay lawyers to arrange documents, to prepare for legal action, etc? If they do it "for kicks" as some of you suggest, then they clearly have more money than brains.

 

[Beryl77]

Wait, did I get this right? The Elder Scrolls is that game from Notch isn't it?

Screenshots of these kinds of posts is exactly the sort of evidence Bethesda has been submitting to court. >_>

And if the judges believe them because of this, then they don't deserve to be judges anymore.