Yesterday, we learned that King.com, makers of the wildly popular game Candy Crush Saga, had submitted a trademark application for the word “Candy” that would block other game-makers from using it in their game titles. This has struck more than a few people as more than a bit ridiculous, and some people are responding with enjoyable creativity.
Today, indie developers uuav and Caribou started “The Candy Jam“, a game jam that challenges entrants to make a game — any game! — involving candies. “Consider using the word ‘Candy’ several times,” suggests the Candy Jam website. “Also ‘scroll,’ ‘memory,’ ‘saga’ and ‘apple’ might give bonus points.”
Why make a jam like this? As the Candy Jam site puts it, “because trademarking common names is ridiculous and because it gives us an occasion to make another game jam.”
The #candyjam hashtag has already become an enjoyable place on Twitter, and plenty of game-makers have offered support for the idea and say they’re making games. There’s already one entrant, a game (appropriately) called CandyCandyCandy.
I don’t know about you, but this whole thing is making me want to go play Candy Box.
Comments
16 responses to “Candy Crush Is Getting Trolled By Smart-Arse Games”
Candy Apple Saga: Scrolls of Memory
This is fantastic! I’ve noticed they missed ‘edge’ for bonus points though. 😛
Sweet.
heheh… Puns
Candy Apple Scrolls: Memory Saga
Why doesn’t everyone protest by stopping playing the game?
Saga of Candy Saga Sagas the Crush Saga of Candy Sagas : The Crushing
People clearly still have no idea about trade mark law or how it operates. You have to have more than just a trade mark registered to actually have a legally enforcable right in a trade mark.
Yes, but it is enough to scare off some indies who would rather not have to deal with the legal system.
If you were using it before they filed all you would have to do is apply for prior use.
doesn’t stop them from clogging up legitimate trademark enforcement processes with frivolous and easily disputed claims that they shouldn’t have made in the first place, which it seems like they are starting to do.
just because it won’t be enforced in the end doesn’t mean we should put up with this legally verifiable bullshit that they intend to abuse rather then use responsibly and in reasonable moderation.
I will be interested to see if it ever goes beyond mere letter scare tactics.
So far they’ve been successfully blocking Stoic for some time (months) from registering “The Banner Saga” because of their Saga trademark… that has been suspended…
They are opposing it, which is like the segment of time when you can gather evidence and try to stop someone from getting a trade mark registered. I don’t think they have successfully opposed it. It’s normal sometimes that getting a trade markregistered is a multi-year thing.
A company making 2 million dollars a day can stare down a 1 or 2 person operation though, regardless of whether their trademark is legit.
Yeah its bullying by the company, but its up to the little guy to say no, the big guys wouldn’t have much of a case here.
As you were just told, indies would rather not risk the legal trouble; at the end of the day the “justice” system always seems to tip in the favour of those with the most money.