Minecraft studio being sued by Bethesda over 'Scrolls' title

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Not exactly unexpectedly, about four hours ago Markus "Notch" Persson -- creator of Minecraft and head of Mojang Specifications -- received a letter from a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks. It claimed that his company's trademark of the word "Scrolls" for use with a currently-in-development game was infringing on Bethesda's own trademark, "The Elder Scrolls," and requested "a pile of money up front" before things could proceed. But Notch could've guessed it was coming.

Writing on his Tumblr page, Notch explains that "about half a year ago," his company's legal team suggested registering "Minecraft" as a trademark. In the process, Mojang also filed to register "Scrolls," killing two birds with one stone. Notch writes that "A while later, out of the blue, we got contacted by Bethesda's lawyers. They wanted to know more about the 'Scrolls' trademark we were applying for, and claimed it conflicted with their existing trademark 'The Elder Scrolls.'" At the time, Mojang responded by offering what Notch calls a compromise: "We'd agree to never put any words in front of 'Scrolls,' and instead call sequels and other things something along the lines of 'Scrolls - The Banana Expansion.'" In his piece, he says that he's not sure if Mojang ever heard back.

Fast-forward to this afternoon, and a "15-page letter" from a Swedish law firm, on behalf of Bethesda, arrives for Notch. He says it's threatening a lawsuit if Mojang refuses "to stop using the name 'Scrolls,'" and that Bethesda will sue should that be necessary. Regardless of the current situation, Notch notes at the top of his piece, "I love Bethesda. I assume this nonsense is partly just their lawyers being lawyers, and a result of trademark law being the way it is." Here's hoping that compromise works out, and Notch is somehow legally bound to name the first Scrolls DLC "The Banana Expansion."

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/05/minecraft-studio-being-sued-by-bethesda-over-scrolls-title/#comments

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"Minecraft studio being sued by Bethesda over 'Scrolls' title" :: Login/Create an Account :: 14 comments

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MuschelKubus117Posted:

lolzcarz4lifehalol
theartftw
Zerkos
theartftw ... Elder scrolls > minecraft


You can't compare a RPG game with a Sandbox game.


Oh... what about a FPS compared to a RTS? Halo wars < Halo 3


u mean, Halo Wars > Halo 3


Riiiight?


Halo Wars and better then Halo 3? your joking right?

theartftwPosted:

lolzcarz4lifehalol
theartftw
Zerkos
theartftw ... Elder scrolls > minecraft


You can't compare a RPG game with a Sandbox game.


Oh... what about a FPS compared to a RTS? Halo wars < Halo 3


u mean, Halo Wars > Halo 3


Riiiight?


lolno.

lolzcarz4lifehalolPosted:

theartftw
Zerkos
theartftw ... Elder scrolls > minecraft


You can't compare a RPG game with a Sandbox game.


Oh... what about a FPS compared to a RTS? Halo wars < Halo 3


u mean, Halo Wars > Halo 3


Riiiight?

Hawks484Posted:

Sounds to me like Bethesda got trademarkedTM

theartftwPosted:

Zerkos
theartftw ... Elder scrolls > minecraft


You can't compare a RPG game with a Sandbox game.


Oh... what about a FPS compared to a RTS? Halo wars < Halo 3

African_OpsPosted:

I thought Bethesda was an honest company but, I guess everyone is out to get anyone's money.

ZerkosPosted:

theartftw ... Elder scrolls > minecraft


You can't compare a RPG game with a Sandbox game.

ZerkosPosted:

Bethesda are idiots they have no case.

AmbicidalPosted:

lol Scrolls - The banana expansion sounds epic!

CastleCrashersPosted:

theartftw ... Elder scrolls > minecraft

agreed, cant wait for Skyrim :D