The makers of the highly addictive Candy Crush Saga have finally managed to do the impossible and trademark the word “candy.” Or so they are claiming according to The Escapist:
Back in February 2013, mobile game developer King filed for a trademark on the word “candy” in relation to videogames and clothing. Last week, specifically January 15 of this year, that filing was approved, and the studio is now reportedly moving to enforce the trademark by demanding that other developers take down apps with “candy” in the title.
Benny Hsu, the maker of All Candy Casino Slots – Jewels Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land, told Gamezebo that he was asked under no uncertain terms to pull his game from the App Store. “Your use of CANDY SLOTS in your app icon uses our CANDY trademark exactly, for identical goods, which amounts to trademark infringement and is likely to lead to consumer confusion and damage to our brand,” King paralegal Sophie Hallstrom told him. “The addition of only the descriptive term ‘SLOTS’ does nothing to lessen the likelihood of confusion.”
Who can blame them for filing the claim and going after the numerous pretenders that sprout up on the app store. Candy Crush is making bank and they want to keep on raking in the cash.
History shows that games like this manage to hit hard and then drop off. Look at what happened with Zynga. You gotta follow the example that Rovio set with Angry Birds and dig in while it is all fresh, before the public has grown weary.
It helps that the game is addicting for a lot of folks. They keep coming back. I sort of feel like drug dealers are missing a valuable tool overlooking copyrights and trademarks. Though bullets and murder seem to get the point across just as well.
(Lead image via King/Candy Crush Saga)