Langdell Stripped Of Trademarks

Laying down some victory on your arse

With EA surprisingly cast in the role of the hero, it seems that the death-knell for Tim Langdell’s infamous Edge trademark trolling has finally been struck, as a US judge stripped him and his studio, Edge Games, of their cluster of trademarks last Friday.

After being defeated in court last week by EA and having his injunction to prevent them using the name ‘Mirror’s Edge’ thrown out, this was the final, decisive blow for Langdell and Edge Games.  EA had supplied evidence to the court which showed that Langdell had doctored evidence in the form of game and magazine covers in order to back up his various trademark claims and the court agreed, saying that Langdell had made ‘fraudulent statements to the US Patent and Trademark Office and has been “trolling” the games industry for licensing opportunities.’ It added that his actions ‘could possibly warrant criminal penalties’.

With a list of developers, publishers, and more having felt the weight of Langdell’s notoriously litigious tendencies over the years, it seems that more than a few people will be celebrating now that the dragon has finally been slain and the ‘edge’ trademark stripped away, along with ‘cutting edge’, ‘the edge’, and ‘gamer’s edge’.  The judge also handed down a stipulation that Langdell is obliged to now inform all of the firms to whom he has brought action over the years that he is no longer the holder of these trademarks.

According to GamesIndustry.biz who obtained court papers, the ruling reads thus:

“Plaintiff shall notify all persons and entities with whom a licensing agreement has been obtained involving the trademarks asserted herein that the marks have been cancelled and provide these persons and entities with a copy of the order denying plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction and the final judgment.”

There will, no doubt, be some developers rubbing their hands at the prospect of receiving that letter and, frankly, we don’t blame them.  Small developer, Mobigames in particular, suffered when they were threatened with legal action by Langdell after releasing an iPhone game titled Edge.  The only question now is how many developers, such as Mobigames, who have been through the wringer, will take legal action?  EA though have seemingly put the matter behind them, stating that “This settlement goes a long way in protecting the rights of independent developers.”

So, while EA walk away into the sunset, having done their part, others may be less inclined to do the same just yet.  Presumably, anyone who has paid Langdell a license fee over the years for use of his trademark, such as the UK’s Edge Magazine, may now be entitled to seek reparations.  Form an orderly queue.  However, first things first Mobigames…send EA a huge damn fruit basket and hang a copy of that pending letter on the wall of the staff bathroom for everyone to enjoy.  We would.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

For further reading, we recommend this article by Simon Parkin and TigSource, among the many others.




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2 Comments

  1. Mark R MarkuzR says:

    Were I in Mobigames, I’d have that fucking letter printed out at A00 and matt laminated before mounting it above reception with beautiful light flooding on to it… with speakers wired up to produce a random “Hallelujah” for further gratification. I think what he did was disgusting, and not just from the Mobigames point of view but to systematically register every trademark he could even after game titles were announced… that’s nothing but a leech.

    I’d perhaps have more respect or even pity for him if he was a genuine grafter… but he’s done piss all in such a long time and is resting on laurels which have long since turned to compost. Maybe now people will stop hating on EA so much. They’re responsible for Deluxe Paint FFS.

    I digress… this is an awesome day. I love this ruling, and adore that he has to pander to those companies that he pestered for so long. I may celebrate by registering the trademark “teh awesome”.

  2. Samuel Samuel says:

    Be hilarious if that little prick winds up living in a skip after all the law suits that are going to be coming his way from the people he’s tried to screw over. Poetic justice.

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