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Edge Games responds to Mobigame over Edge iPhone trademark dispute

A man on the edge. Er, I mean... brink

Edge Games responds to Mobigame over Edge iPhone trademark dispute
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Regardless of what its name ultimately turns out to be, if the game-formerly-known-as-Edge ever makes it back onto the App Store, this whole shebang certainly won't have hurt it from a promotional perspective. If it ever makes it back, of course.

The story so far:

Edge was removed from the App Store voluntarily after a trademark dispute was called by Tim Langdell's Edge Games. Then the game came back again after it was decided that the whole thing was a bit daft.

Then, Apple decided to yank Edge once more after letters saturated with the word "legal" wallpapered its doormat.

Then, the media kinda got behind Mobigame, because very very few people actually care about the apparent (and dubious?) trademarking of the word "edge", and just want to play the game.

After taking a media battering with allegations that he was to be chucked out of the IGDA for causing a fuss, Langdell has been busy building his defences and has put together an extensive document detailing his side of the story - which he's more than entitled to after the pie throwing contest he found himself to be the prize for.

His open letter apparently contains all communications between Edge Games and Mobigame, and asks that, "[Mobigame] cease this smear campaign based on falsehoods and deliberate misrepresentation of historic events, and cease encouraging others to do the same."

It goes on to cover the following points:

  • Edge never demanded money from Mobigame
  • Mobigame proposed Edge give it money to use the mark "Edge"
  • Edge has never acted as "trademark trolls"
  • Edge acted well in the "EDGY" matter
  • Mobigame has only pretended to want to change the name of its game
  • Mobigame has persistently demanded Edge give up its rights to the mark "Edge"
  • Mobigame has lied so as to defame Edge and its CEO Tim Langdell
  • Mobigame deliberately selected EDGE as the name of its game in 2008
  • How many games we have produced in the past 5 years
  • Insight into the "Mirrors (by) Edge" matter
  • Details of our game credits system
  • "Edge of Twilight"
  • False accusations against Edge

It seems a tad unfair to immediately dissect Langdell's rebuttal (though I must admit to raising a dry smile at the suggestion that Mobigames rename Edge to "EDGE: An Homage to Bobby Bearing").

Take a look, and tell us how the jury would side if you were sat on it.
Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.