Bethesda sues Minecraft creator over title of upcoming game.

[MrPopo]

While this doesn't poison my opinion of the quality of Bethesda's games, I hope this leads to a hilarious correspondence like this:

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industr ... rikes-back

[AppleQueso]

While this doesn't poison my opinion of the quality of Bethesda's games, I hope this leads to a hilarious correspondence like this:

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industr ... rikes-back

That was just completely awesome. Glad to see someone standing up against IP bullies like that.

[AmishSamurai]

waiting for whoever owns the copyright to the term Racketball to start suing Nick.

[J T]

The more I think about this, the more pissed off I am about this lawsuit. Yes, Bethesda make great games, but this is shady business practice. They see an indie dev making big money, they're jealous and threatened, so they come up with some baseless lawsuit to try to take a slice of his pie. Fuck that. This is an example of exploiting the legal system for personal gain, not using it for upholding justice. I find it morally repugnant and Bethesda can rot for all I care.

[Inazuma]

Fuck you, Bethesda. You do not own the word "scrolls".

[J T]

So Notch, in an awesome move, has decided to challenge Bethesda to resolve their dispute like gentlemen: by going head to head in a game of Quake 3. Three of Bethesda's best vs. Three of Mojang's best. The challenge: If Bethesda wins, Notch will change the title of Scrolls. If Mojang wins, Notch requests the lawsuit be dropped.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08 ... more-69863

It will be so awesome if this happens. We'll see how Bethesda responds.

[AmericanMuffin]

So Notch, in an awesome move, has decided to challenge Bethesda to resolve their dispute like gentlemen: by going head to head in a game of Quake 3. Three of Bethesda's best vs. Three of Mojang's best. The challenge: If Bethesda wins, Notch will change the title of Scrolls. If Mojang wins, Notch requests the lawsuit be dropped.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08 ... more-69863

It will be so awesome if this happens. We'll see how Bethesda responds.

They'll refuse cuz they suck at Quake, just like their Lawyers and the legal system

[flamepanther]

Yeah, the legal system is totally balls at Quake.

[Czernobog]

This is appalling. It makes me sick that people/companies want to own words and make others pay to use them.

[MrPopo]

This is appalling. It makes me sick that people/companies want to own words and make others pay to use them.

It's the tricky part of trademark law. Most people would agree that Bethesda has a right to protect their ability to control who uses the phrase "The Elder Scrolls" so that other people don't try and use that name to promote their own works which are unaffiliated based upon the brand recognition. But then you have to account for common shortenings of long trademarks. And you get into grey areas like this.