As we all know, Games Workshop loves litigating their IP, from Chapter House to your average Blog, but could there hubris rise any higher?
If you been following 40k forums you might have become aware that Games Workshop has claimed trademark of “Space Marine” in all its forms from miniatures to literature. I understand defending your IP if you’re trying to stop a third-party manufacturer from ripping you off, but what if a small web serial uses those words?
Well if you have a web serial called Spots the Space Marine and you use Amazon to publish, guess what, Games Workshop puts the smack down ASAP. It doesn’t matter if this serial has no reference to your universe other than army men in space.
It also doesn’t matter that GW doesn’t actually own the rights to the words as it pertains to literature.
It also doesn’t matter that “Space Marine” have been in usage since the 30s.
Here is the exact trademark GW owns for “Space Marine”: board games, parlor games, war games, hobby games, toy models and miniatures of buildings, scenery, figures, automobiles, vehicles, planes, trains and card games and paint, sold therewith. Notice the lack of any reference to Fiction?
Anyway, if you want to know more about this story follow this DakkaDakka thread here…
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/495189.page
and here is another great discussion…
This sort of thing boggles my mind, and Amazon didn’t seem to at least try to verify the trademark, instead it was easier to just ditch Spots the Space Marine and not risk a frivolous lawsuit themselves. Either way Spots the Space Marine just got a lot of free press all thanks to Games Workshop lameness.
What will be the next trademark, the word “Games”?
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