Take-Two Interactive has filed an opposition to Remedy Entertainment's new logo, claiming that the symbol infringes on Rockstar Games' logo even though the two have little in common other than the letter “R” representing a video game publisher. First reported by RemedyFirstThe trademark dispute was filed against two versions of the Remedy logo (one with the company nameone without) in September with the UK Intellectual Property Office.
UK intellectual property rules mean Take-Two's objection to the logo suggests Rockstar's parent company sees “a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public”. Engadget has reached out to Take-Two and Remedy for comment and will update this article if we hear back.
Resource revealed its new logo last spring, describing it as a “renewed visual identity” that moves its image away from a 23-year-old game, better reflecting its current stable of Control and Alan Wake. “The vignette on the letter R in the old logo represented the Max Payne era, but the Remedy of now is much bigger than a single game; “We have a full portfolio of games, new and old,” the publisher explained in an April blog post.
“It was time to update and redefine our visual identity to provide more consistency, show our evolution over the years, and better express our vision for today's Remedy,” the post continued.
The icon was well received. Design blog Creative block wrote, “Players can't get enough” of the new logo. “The new Remedy logo is made of three letters 'R's cut and sewn together as if the letter itself were moving; The curved right side of the R is shaped like an arrow, and the points of the character form more arrows, pointing in new directions,” wrote editor Ian Dean. Reactions on social media also seemed positive.
Ironically, the two studios are currently working together on a revamp of the game from which the new Remedy logo is deviating. In April 2022, Remedy said it would collaborate with Rockstar on completely remastered versions of the first two Max Payne games, bringing the franchise from the homework era to a new generation.
Respawn first He noted that Take-Two's legal team has a precedent of being easy to attack intellectual property in a way that broadens the definition of “infringement.” the editor archived a trademark claim in 2021 against Hazelight Studios for its game Two are needed. IGN highlighted incidents in which Take-Two went after a clothing brand called Max Fayne, an ax throwing company in Florida called Rockstar Ax Throwing, and a music book called Think like a rock star. The company has also defendant GTA Modders and Reverse Engineers Grand Theft Auto III and Vice city fan projects.
Take-Two briefly got a taste of its own medicine in 2014 when actress Lindsay Lohan sued the publisher for using what she claimed was her likeness in GTA V and your marketing materials. That case was dismissed the following year on the grounds that video game parodies are fair game.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/take-twos-lawyers-think-remedys-new-r-logo-is-too-similar-to-rockstars-r-logo-181534083.html ?src=rss
