I actually disagree that they are a 'bunch of morons'. They were just doing business. They made a mistake. That's life.
I'm looking at it from the perspective of a game developer. I've tried to learn to develop games myself. And, to me it looks like a wild misuse of a tiny amount of power. Imagine if you made a game called Rock Tower, you spent months learning how to develop, months building it, you were seeing the beginnings of a following, and a big company says they just trademarked rock so you have to delete your game. What harm was your game doing them? They also told thousands of others to cease their games as well, not because their games were malicious, or copying them in any way, but because they could. The biggest losers are the customers, you and I, because now all kinds of creative games can't be purchased, why? Because a greedy and manipulative company that wants to abuse the technicality of law likes giving game developers orders not to compete with them. As the protesters in the article say, it's completely ridiculous. Selfish, illogical, and counter productive. Now imagine other companies doing the same - all of a sudden no one can title their game using common words, because they're all trademarked. That's another trend they could have started, which makes it even more bone headed.
Just a thought...is there anything stopping me creating a game named "Kandy Krush"?
You can create the game (providing you don't violate some ones software copyright) but most likely won't be able to use the title "Kandy Krush". Trademark laws protect the original "Candy Crush" owner from any other term that may confuse consumers into thinking that it's the same game of a game by the same company.
Just like you would never be able to trademark the likes of "Pineapple Computers", "Cranapple Computers" or "AppleInsider Computers" for any market that Apple, Inc. deals in. Apple is so well known as the computer company named after a fruit, that now even naming a company that will compete with any market that Apple deals in, after any fruit may prove impossible. If a consumer saw "Pear Computers" or "Strawberry Computers" or "Grape Computers" they would think of Apple. And you can forget about trying to trademark any logo with a "byte" taken out of it. Even if the "byte" is off a PC board, CPU chip or floppy disc. Any logo with a "byte" out of it will immediately remind consumers of the Apple logo.
"According to the game's creators, King.com, women aged between 25 and 55 are the demographic most loyal to the game.
King claims that 90 per cent of its players are over 21"
"King is quick to point out that more than half of players who reach the last level in Candy Crush Saga have done so without any financial outlay.
Candy Crush Saga has 137 million active monthly users.
A recent Candy Crush expansion pack has had a 40-strong team of developers working on it, four times the number of programmers and artists who brought the original Facebook version of the game into existence."
There was a stat saying 40% of the players are male but there's women in those articles saying they play it for hours.
It started out as one of those Facebook games like Farmville and then went onto smartphones. 55% of Facebook users are women.
People often assume that gaming is male-dominated but it's split pretty evenly:
"According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2012, "Forty-seven percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent).""
They seem to prefer more casual games and they are into things like The Sims (65% women). Only 30% of women play violent games.
The trademarks are to prevent people coming out with games that are designed to feed off your success and having ones that existed before you is a tricky area. It's like when Apple had that problem in Mexico with iFone:
Trademarking 'Candy' is not much different from Apple, Windows, Orange etc but the difference with software is that there's so many apps that infringing on common phrases is going to happen more often so they need to be sensible about it.
Apple is so well known as the computer company named after a fruit, that now even naming a company that will compete with any market that Apple deals in, after any fruit may prove impossible.... "Strawberry Computers" or "Grape Computers" they would think of Apple.
So a company like RIM could never get away with using "Blackberry".
can't quite understand how they seemed to have managed to register for the 'Candy' trademark in the EU. Shouldn't be possible for a common word there or here. Makes absolutely no sense.
The game is highly addictive though. But I'm happy to report that i overcame my addiction after I got to somwhere around level 147 and it was just impossible to continue without spending any money on it. I think a major factor is the competitiveness though as so many people are playing it. When you catch yourself in a heated discussion saying things like 'I combined the chocolate sprinkle ball-thingy with the striped candy like three times and I still didn't finish the level, this is just not fair' with a very earnest face - it's time to stop
can't quite understand how they seemed to have managed to register for the 'Candy' trademark in the EU. Shouldn't be possible for a common word there or here. Makes absolutely no sense.
The game is highly addictive though. But I'm happy to report that i overcame my addiction after I got to somwhere around level 147 and it was just impossible to continue without spending any money on it. I think a major factor is the competitiveness though as so many people are playing it. When you catch yourself in a heated discussion saying things like 'I combined the chocolate sprinkle ball-thingy with the striped candy like three times and I still didn't finish the level, this is just not fair' with a very earnest face - it's time to stop
I'm on 463 without spending a single cent so it is possible. But it is a challenge and a competition between friends.
The game is highly addictive... a major factor is the competitiveness though as so many people are playing it. When you catch yourself in a heated discussion saying things like 'I combined the chocolate sprinkle ball-thingy with the striped candy like three times and I still didn't finish the level, this is just not fair' with a very earnest face...
EA could achieve this level of success with Scrabble if they would actually invest some effort in fixing the numerous bugs and making it less confusing for new users to get started playing with their friends. And on the iOS versions, actual usage (rather than just pretend-usage) of the Game Center utility Apple provides would be rather nice.
So a company like RIM could never get away with using "Blackberry".
/s.
In actuality, "Blackberry" in a trademarked name for a RIM product. The "Blackberry" is a very well known mobile phone, that was on the market years before Apple got into the mobile phone business with their "iPhone". The real question is, pertaining to trademark laws, could Apple have market a mobile phone named an "Apple, without RIM protesting.
You can create the game (providing you don't violate some ones software copyright) but most likely won't be able to use the title "Kandy Krush". Trademark laws protect the original "Candy Crush" owner from any other term that may confuse consumers into thinking that it's the same game of a game by the same company.
Just like you would never be able to trademark the likes of "Pineapple Computers", "Cranapple Computers" or "AppleInsider Computers" for any market that Apple, Inc. deals in. Apple is so well known as the computer company named after a fruit, that now even naming a company that will compete with any market that Apple deals in, after any fruit may prove impossible. If a consumer saw "Pear Computers" or "Strawberry Computers" or "Grape Computers" they would think of Apple. And you can forget about trying to trademark any logo with a "byte" taken out of it. Even if the "byte" is off a PC board, CPU chip or floppy disc. Any logo with a "byte" out of it will immediately remind consumers of the Apple logo.
Indeed. In fact, Blackberry were lucky that Apple didn't invent the iPhone a few years earlier. If they had, I think RIMM would have had problems with the name Blackberry.
Indeed. In fact, Blackberry were lucky that Apple didn't invent the iPhone a few years earlier. If they had, I think RIMM would have had problems with the name Blackberry.
I don't believe you can trademark an entire word category (fruit). That said, you can definitely trademark Apple and similar sounding words.
Comments
In Canada they usually preface it with John.
I'm looking at it from the perspective of a game developer. I've tried to learn to develop games myself. And, to me it looks like a wild misuse of a tiny amount of power. Imagine if you made a game called Rock Tower, you spent months learning how to develop, months building it, you were seeing the beginnings of a following, and a big company says they just trademarked rock so you have to delete your game. What harm was your game doing them? They also told thousands of others to cease their games as well, not because their games were malicious, or copying them in any way, but because they could. The biggest losers are the customers, you and I, because now all kinds of creative games can't be purchased, why? Because a greedy and manipulative company that wants to abuse the technicality of law likes giving game developers orders not to compete with them. As the protesters in the article say, it's completely ridiculous. Selfish, illogical, and counter productive. Now imagine other companies doing the same - all of a sudden no one can title their game using common words, because they're all trademarked. That's another trend they could have started, which makes it even more bone headed.
Only if you have à crush on her/him.
Well played. Well played.
I refuse to download anything from this scummy company. It was a stupid idea to attempt to patent such a broad word in the first place.
I'm pretty sure it was a TM, not a patent.
But the point still stands.
Or "Candy Crush".
That would work also!
Just a thought...is there anything stopping me creating a game named "Kandy Krush"?
You can create the game (providing you don't violate some ones software copyright) but most likely won't be able to use the title "Kandy Krush". Trademark laws protect the original "Candy Crush" owner from any other term that may confuse consumers into thinking that it's the same game of a game by the same company.
Just like you would never be able to trademark the likes of "Pineapple Computers", "Cranapple Computers" or "AppleInsider Computers" for any market that Apple, Inc. deals in. Apple is so well known as the computer company named after a fruit, that now even naming a company that will compete with any market that Apple deals in, after any fruit may prove impossible. If a consumer saw "Pear Computers" or "Strawberry Computers" or "Grape Computers" they would think of Apple. And you can forget about trying to trademark any logo with a "byte" taken out of it. Even if the "byte" is off a PC board, CPU chip or floppy disc. Any logo with a "byte" out of it will immediately remind consumers of the Apple logo.
It's mostly women playing it and I think women play it longer:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2463636/How-women-blow-400-000-day-playing-Candy-Crush-addictive-online-game-ever.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25334716
"According to the game's creators, King.com, women aged between 25 and 55 are the demographic most loyal to the game.
King claims that 90 per cent of its players are over 21"
"King is quick to point out that more than half of players who reach the last level in Candy Crush Saga have done so without any financial outlay.
Candy Crush Saga has 137 million active monthly users.
A recent Candy Crush expansion pack has had a 40-strong team of developers working on it, four times the number of programmers and artists who brought the original Facebook version of the game into existence."
There was a stat saying 40% of the players are male but there's women in those articles saying they play it for hours.
It started out as one of those Facebook games like Farmville and then went onto smartphones. 55% of Facebook users are women.
People often assume that gaming is male-dominated but it's split pretty evenly:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_and_video_games#Female_gamers_as_a_demographic
"According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2012, "Forty-seven percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent).""
They seem to prefer more casual games and they are into things like The Sims (65% women). Only 30% of women play violent games.
They tried to prevent the developer of a game called CandySwipe that predated Candy Crush Saga from using it:
http://kotaku.com/candy-crush-saga-is-ripping-me-off-says-indie-develope-1521728191
The trademarks are to prevent people coming out with games that are designed to feed off your success and having ones that existed before you is a tricky area. It's like when Apple had that problem in Mexico with iFone:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/03/15/apples-mexican-iphone-naming-rights-threatened-as-supreme-court-upholds-ifone-ruling
Trademarking 'Candy' is not much different from Apple, Windows, Orange etc but the difference with software is that there's so many apps that infringing on common phrases is going to happen more often so they need to be sensible about it.
Apple is so well known as the computer company named after a fruit, that now even naming a company that will compete with any market that Apple deals in, after any fruit may prove impossible.... "Strawberry Computers" or "Grape Computers" they would think of Apple.
So a company like RIM could never get away with using "Blackberry".
/s.
Just a thought...is there anything stopping me creating a game named "Kandy Krush"?
Perhaps a desire to avoid looking moronic?
(Some of us still refuse to shop at "Toys ? Us".)
can't quite understand how they seemed to have managed to register for the 'Candy' trademark in the EU. Shouldn't be possible for a common word there or here. Makes absolutely no sense.
The game is highly addictive though. But I'm happy to report that i overcame my addiction after I got to somwhere around level 147 and it was just impossible to continue without spending any money on it. I think a major factor is the competitiveness though as so many people are playing it. When you catch yourself in a heated discussion saying things like 'I combined the chocolate sprinkle ball-thingy with the striped candy like three times and I still didn't finish the level, this is just not fair' with a very earnest face - it's time to stop
I'm on 463 without spending a single cent so it is possible. But it is a challenge and a competition between friends.
The game is highly addictive... a major factor is the competitiveness though as so many people are playing it. When you catch yourself in a heated discussion saying things like 'I combined the chocolate sprinkle ball-thingy with the striped candy like three times and I still didn't finish the level, this is just not fair' with a very earnest face...
EA could achieve this level of success with Scrabble if they would actually invest some effort in fixing the numerous bugs and making it less confusing for new users to get started playing with their friends. And on the iOS versions, actual usage (rather than just pretend-usage) of the Game Center utility Apple provides would be rather nice.
/ot
In actuality, "Blackberry" in a trademarked name for a RIM product. The "Blackberry" is a very well known mobile phone, that was on the market years before Apple got into the mobile phone business with their "iPhone". The real question is, pertaining to trademark laws, could Apple have market a mobile phone named an "Apple, without RIM protesting.
I haven't played it, but I believe that it's supposed to be a very addictive game.
Indeed. In fact, Blackberry were lucky that Apple didn't invent the iPhone a few years earlier. If they had, I think RIMM would have had problems with the name Blackberry.
I don't believe you can trademark an entire word category (fruit). That said, you can definitely trademark Apple and similar sounding words.