EA Files System Shock Trademark

Gamespot is reporting the EA has filed for a trademark on the System Shock brand. From the article: "Electronic Arts registered a trademark last month on the title 'System Shock' for use in video games. Interestingly enough, it also made note that the trademark was to apply to 'a computer game that may be accessed network-wide by network users,' or 'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices.' An EA representative was not immediately available for comment as to whether the trademark was a sign that the dormant franchise would soon be awoken, or if it was just a bit of routine upkeep of the company's intellectual property. " Take-Two is still developing the title thought to be the spiritual successor to the System Shock series, BioShock. Their purchase of Irrational Studios was reported yesterday.

Doubt this is to protect during sequel development

[OmgTEHMATRICKS]

Probably EA just being EA and forcing people to not download the game anymore. It wouldn't surprise me.

Re:Doubt this is to protect during sequel developm

[ConceptJunkie]

Maybe EA sees itself as the new Shodan, commanding an army of helpless cybernetic slaves to do its bidding.

Re:Doubt this is to protect during sequel developm

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, Doug Church, one of the developers at Looking Glass on the original title, works @ EA now. Makes you wonder.

Interesting

[voice_of_all_reason]

I think I speak for all of us when I say that a video game System that can perform a Shocker on customers mid-play will quickly find a very devoted female audience.

Re:Interesting

[Strell]

And maybe even some men, too.

Re:Interesting

[voice_of_all_reason]

no pink...

Re:Interesting

[ntropi]

FATALITY *holds up three fingers*

Obvious, no?

[Red Flayer]

FTA: "Take-Two may have locked down the rights to the spiritual successor of System Shock, but Electronic Arts is making sure the original franchise stays put."

Since Irrational was purchased by Take2, I can't see EA resurrecting the SS franchise now... especially since Bioshock is in dev. That's too much competition for a new EA SS title to face. Maybe in a couple years when Bioshock isn't on the radar anymore.

This is just about EA making sure Take2 doesn't use the System Shock name in their new Irrational titles.

Re:Obvious, no?

[KDR_11k]

Who says they aren't going to make some generic FPS and brand it System Shock 3 or System Shock Revival or something like that?

Re:Obvious, no?

[Red Flayer]

They could, but it would be pretty dumb to do so while Bioshock is a contemporary. Maybe a couple years after. Unless their intent was to dilute the value of Bioshock, which doesn't make much sense to me, since it would also dilute the EA brand.

Re:Obvious, no?

[wickedj]

Maybe I'm missing something here.

"Electronic Arts registered a trademark last month on the title 'System Shock' for use in video games."

It was only announced yesterday that Take Two had purchased Irrational. Unless EA knew a month ago that the purchase would go through (which is very possible), it might not be a move to block others from using the title. It might be possible that EA is in fact working on a sequel.
However, I feel that this is very unlikely and EA probably is just trying to maintain

Re:Obvious, no?

[Red Flayer]

Irrational was known to be shopping for a publisher -- especially to EA, since it had been made clear they no longer wanted to work with EA.

A quick google, and it turns out the rumors of Take2 publishing BS (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) were seriously around as early as 11/30/05 [sshock2.com], which fits our timeline pretty nicely -- Take2 filed for the Bioshock trademark on 11/16.

Also, see this thread [ttlg.com] from last November, there's a post from 11/12 that gives a tip:

I think Irrational will avoid EA at all costs. S

Maybe IP protection

[Sierpinski]

They might just be pulling a Disney, and trying to keep others from using their product's name. At this point though, we'll just have to wait and find out.

Majestic?

[ewy99]

'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices' Does this sound like the Majestic game that was released,I believe, in 2001? I remember that Majestic did not take off for some reason.

Re:Majestic?

[fujiman]

Don't confuse Trademark with Patent. EA is just protecting the name "System Shock" in a given context. In fact, I'm surprised the context was not more broad, i.e. games on a computer. Avalon Hill (moment of silence) used to put a notice on each of their games, to the effect: "'Up Front' is Avalon Hill's trademark name for World War 2 card game"

EA File System trademark...

[mobby_6kl]

...was a shock. At least that's how my TurboEnglish® parsed it.

A sequel is most welcome here. While SS2 was at least as good as the original, it doesn't mean they can't screw up this one. My prediction: Terminator 3 - good, but missing some important features of the predecessor. Perhaps they could use the DOOM3 engine, as it's quite good at presenting creepy environments.

More Than Meets The Eye?

[NBarnes]

The notable part of this for me is the weirdly narrow trademark. It dosesn't appear that this trademark, as worded, applies to a non-networked, single-player game, but rather only to 'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices.' So, considering only this trademark, somebody is quite free to make System Shock 3 as a single-player game. It's not like EA to underreach, I wonder what the other shoe is.

Re:More Than Meets The Eye?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope - Not more than meets the eye - Go check out the trademark, that is just part of what it is for.

Basically they tm'd it for every platform known to man, and the future.

Trademark rules

[Taulin]

Was this a trademark reservation? You can't file for a trademark unless you have actual use or a speciman of the trademark.

Re:Trademark rules

[laffy4]

Uh, sure you can. You just file an Intent To Use ("ITU") application. It gives you 6 months to show actual use, plus the option to extend that time period for a maximum of 3 years (in 6 month intervals). As long as you keep paying the fees and filing those extensions, you can still get the original ITU filing date.