An open letter to Rebellion- for suing Stardock.

[arbitterm]

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/16/rebellion-sues-stardock-for-its-use-of-the-word-rebellion/

Dear Rebellion,
First of all, really? How stupid do you think we are? This is almost as bad as Bethesda thinking we were too stupid to tell the difference between "The Elder Scrolls" RPG series and "Scrolls" by the Minecraft guys. We're not stupid, Rebellion. I'd bet you couldn't find a single gamer who though Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion was made by you. See, Sins of a Solar Empire is a GOOD game made by a respectable company. What was the last game you released? Sniper Elite V2? I imagine it gets confused with the 250 other sniper games out there. Way to stretch the creative muscles! And what about other games with "Rebellion" in the title? What about Star Wars: Rebellion, I don't see you suing LucasArts, probably imagine because George pays his lawyers very well.

Stardock is a bit of a darling to PC gamers. These are the guys who created "The Gamers Bill of Rights". These are the guys who offer refunds when their games don't live up to fan expectation. Most gamers like Stardock even if their games don't appeal. The reason nobody is buying your games Rebellion, isn't because we're "confused", it's because gamers no longer buy the latest game title when it comes out. Way back when, only about 20 new games came out ALL YEAR so having them all was essential. Nowadays, with so many options, gamers can't afford every title. So we read reviews, we watch playthroughs, some people still pirate the game. And that's how we discover if a game is worth the massive $60 price tag.

BTW: Your latest game Sniper Elite V2 on steam - $50
Stardock's latest game, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - $40

So cut Stardock a break Rebellion, you seem to grossly underestimate the power of bad publicity. If Stardock suffers financially from this, you can bet gamers will work to ensure you suffer the same way, by smarting up and not buying your mediocre games.

 

[FalloutJack]

I'd like to take this moment to point out the "Edge" guy, who lost EVERYTHING over bullshit like this.

(Hold your CSI jokes. I already did that one way back when.)

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Man this pisses me off. What have I been doing with my life? I should've been a copyright lawyer. I could have THREE fucking pools by now.

 

[Dandark]

I used to like Rebellion since I enjoyed their AvP game(It was my first AvP game so don't hurt me) but no more.

This is why I hate copyright, this kinda stuff is all I hear about it.

 

[scnj]

Try doing some research into copyright law. If Bethesda hadn't sued Mojang, their hold on the "Elder Scrolls" name would have been weakened. Then if someone had decided to create a game called The Eldest Scrolls, their chances of winning that court case would have been reduced.

I'm willing to bet the same is happening here. If Rebellion don't make moves to sue, their ownership over the Rebellion name is weakened and they risk losing it at a later date. Nobody actually wants to sue, they don't go looking for reasons to take other companies to court. It's a shitty situation necessitated by an awful system of copyright laws. But please, try looking into the reasons behind why stuff like this happens before jumping to a conclusion and painting these people as villains.

 

[arbitterm]

Try doing some research into copyright law. If Bethesda hadn't sued Mojang, their hold on the "Elder Scrolls" name would have been weakened. Then if someone had decided to create a game called The Eldest Scrolls, their chances of winning that court case would have been reduced.

I'm willing to bet the same is happening here. If Rebellion don't make moves to sue, their ownership over the Rebellion name is weakened and they risk losing it at a later date. Nobody actually wants to sue, they don't go looking for reasons to take other companies to court. It's a shitty situation necessitated by an awful system of copyright laws. But please, try looking into the reasons behind why stuff like this happens before jumping to a conclusion and painting these people as villains.

The legal system does not exist to keep a brand "strong". And you have missed my point; the name isn't weakened because we aren't stupid. We know the difference. If I saw "The Eldest Scrolls" for sale I'd instantly assume it's a cheap knock-off. Nobody is going to confuse "Rebellion" the developer, and "Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebelllion" the game. One has 8 more syllables.

 

[Lugbzurg]

You also don't see the videogame company "Sucker Punch" suing over a certain film, now do you?

Also, Donkey Kong is still allowed to exist.

There also seems to be no conflict between EA, the videogame developer and EB, the videogame distributor.

Epic Games didn't do anything about Epic Mickey or Kirby's Epic Yarn.

There is no "cheapening" of a name, here. People can continue to use common English words as much as they want. There isn't a shred of a thing wrong with it.

 

[Thomas Hirst]

Try doing some research into copyright law. If Bethesda hadn't sued Mojang, their hold on the "Elder Scrolls" name would have been weakened. Then if someone had decided to create a game called The Eldest Scrolls, their chances of winning that court case would have been reduced.

I'm willing to bet the same is happening here. If Rebellion don't make moves to sue, their ownership over the Rebellion name is weakened and they risk losing it at a later date. Nobody actually wants to sue, they don't go looking for reasons to take other companies to court. It's a shitty situation necessitated by an awful system of copyright laws. But please, try looking into the reasons behind why stuff like this happens before jumping to a conclusion and painting these people as villains.

The legal system does not exist to keep a brand "strong". And you have missed my point; the name isn't weakened because we aren't stupid. We know the difference. If I saw "The Eldest Scrolls" for sale I'd instantly assume it's a cheap knock-off. Nobody is going to confuse "Rebellion" the developer, and "Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebelllion" the game. One has 8 more syllables.

I'm not exactly how it all works but isnt the whole thing with copyright that if they identify a potential infringement and choose not to sue they actually lose the right to act on other potential copyright infringements at a later date.