Update 11/18/23 11:45 a.m. ET: A representative of Remedy Entertainment told former Axios Reporter Stephen Totilo that the trademark dispute between Alan Wake Developer remedy and Grand Theft Auto Publisher Take-Two Interactive was “fully and amicably resolved late last year.” At this point, there is “nothing to see here.”
“The legal filing was merely an initial formality, and Remedy and Take-Two continue to work in partnership,” the representative concluded.
Original story follows…
Two gaming giants have entered the legal coliseum. GTA Publisher Take-Two Interactive dragged this out Alan Wake Developer embroiled in trademark dispute over Remedy Entertainment’s new logo design.
As reported by Eurogamer (above RespawnFirst), Take-Two Interactive two submitted Trademark disputes against Remedy Entertainment in May 2023. Remedy’s logo, a stylized “R” that looks like it has been cut three timeswas revealed in April 2023 and was intended to usher in a new era for the Finland-based developer. But loud RespawnFirstTake-Two Interactive claims Remedy Entertainment’s new design creates “a likelihood of confusion by the public” with Rockstar Games, the makers of the Grand Theft Auto And Red Dead Redemption Series.
My city has reached out to Remedy Entertainment and Take-Two Interactive for comment.
In Twitter DMs with My cityHaley MacLean, attorney at the Canadian firm Voyer Lawsaid the concern here is whether consumers can easily tell the difference between the two logos.
“Given this ‘average consumer’, the question is whether this legally fictitious person would be confused between the Rockstar ‘R’ with the added star and the Remedy logo with the repeating ‘R’ design,” explains MacLean My city. “Both sell goods/services in the same market, namely video games, which is also crucial in the valuation. But the logos have numerous differences such as: B. different fonts, the added stylizations of each one (an added star for Rockstar vs. a split R for Remedy), and especially the Remedy logo, which also has the studio name “Remedy” at the bottom, is quite distinctive. Just because they both use the letter “R” in their logo doesn’t necessarily mean the average, reasonably informed consumer will be confused.”
Read more: Take-Two means being a dick
This is not the first time that Take-Two Interactive has taken legal action to protect its trademarks. Already in December 2021, The publisher pursued a similar trademark lawsuit against indie studio Hazelight Studios about the developer’s successful 2021 puzzle platformer It takes two. Take-Two claimed that consumers might confuse their company and the game’s title, leading Hazelight Studios to abandon its trademark on the name.
