Two high-profile trademark disputes with King over the words “Candy” and “Saga” have reportedly been resolved.
Both disputes came from earlier this year, a time when King came under fire for asserting its trademark on a pair of common words. The ensuing storm of negative press eventually led King to withdraw its trademark application for "candy" in the US - but not in Europe.
The first dispute, from Stoic Studios, centered around its Viking epic strategy RPG The Banner Saga which shared the last word as many of King’s games.
The second dispute came after CandySwipe developer Runsome Apps opposed King’s attempt to register its trademark for Candy Crush Saga – a move that prompted King to file a counterclaim against the smaller developer.
Now, just as quickly as the disputes appeared, they have both been settled.
‘Amicably resolved’
This week, CandySwipe dev Albert Ransom took to his app’s page to post the following statement.
“I am happy to announce that I have amicably resolved my dispute with King over my CandySwipe trademark and that I am withdrawing my opposition to their mark and they are withdrawing their counterclaim against mine. I have learned that they picked the Candy Crush name before I released my game and that they were never trying to take my game away. Both our games can continue to coexist without confusing players.”
This language is a marked departure from Ransom’s original post on the subject which read, in part, “Good for you, you win. I hope you're happy taking the food out of my family's mouth when CandySwipe clearly existed well before Candy Crush Saga.”
He said, stoically
Stoic Studios, meanwhile, posted a brief update on its blog back in March that summed up its dispute in a single, terse sentence.
“Stoic is pleased to have come to an agreement with King regarding Stoic’s The Banner Saga trademark, which enables both parties to protect their respective trademarks now and in the future.”
While the terms of both agreements may never be known, it's clear that the The Banner Saga, CandySwipe, and Candy Crush Saga will all exist in the same mobile ecosystem.
[Source: GamesIndustry.biz]
