Replace 11/18/23 11:45 a.m. ET: A Treatment Leisure consultant told former Axios reporter Stephen Totilo that the trademark dispute between Alan Wake developer Treatment and Grand Theft Auto writer Take-Two Interactive was “resolved solely and amicably late final yr.” At this level, there’s “nothing to see right here.”
“The authorized submitting was merely an preliminary formality, and Treatment and Take-Two proceed to work collectively in partnership,” the consultant mentioned in conclusion.
Unique story follows…
Two gaming giants have entered the authorized colosseum. GTA writer Take-Two Interactive has dragged the Alan Wake developer right into a trademark dispute over Treatment Leisure’s new brand design.
As reported by Eurogamer (through RespawnFirst), Take-Two Interactive filed two trademark disputes in opposition to Treatment Leisure again in Could 2023. Treatment’s brand, a stylized “R” that appears prefer it’s been minimize 3 times, was revealed in April 2023 and aimed to suggest a brand new period for the Finland-based developer. However, in keeping with RespawnFirst, Take-Two Interactive claims Treatment Leisure’s new design creates “a probability of confusion on the a part of the general public” with Rockstar Video games, creators of the Grand Theft Auto and Crimson Lifeless Redemption collection.
Kotaku reached out to Treatment Leisure and Take-Two Interactive for remark.
In Twitter DMs with Kotaku, Haley MacLean, a lawyer with the Canadian agency Voyer Regulation, mentioned the priority right here is whether or not customers can simply inform the distinction between the 2 logos.
“With this ‘common shopper’ in thoughts, the query is would this legally fictitious individual be confused between the Rockstar ‘R’ with the added star and the Treatment brand with the repeating ‘R’ design,” MacLean tells Kotaku. “They each are promoting items/providers in the identical market, specifically video video games, which is vital within the evaluation, too. However the logos have quite a few distinctions, like totally different fonts, the added stylizations of every (a star added for Rockstar vs a break up R for Treatment), and particularly the Treatment brand that additionally has their studio identify “Treatment” on the backside makes it fairly distinctive. Simply because they each use the letter ‘R’ of their brand doesn’t inherently imply the typical and fairly knowledgeable shopper goes to be confused.”
Learn Extra: Take-Two Is Being A Dick
This isn’t the primary time Take-Two Interactive has pursued authorized motion to guard its emblems. Again in December 2021, the writer pursued an analogous trademark declare in opposition to indie studio Hazelight Studios over the developer’s hit 2021 puzzle-platformer It Takes Two. Take-Two claimed customers may confuse their firm and the sport’s title, which led Hazelight Studios to desert its trademark for the identify.