We're all trademark violators! (this may not be new)

[Defenestratus]

I was just checking out Google+ 's new pages and did a search for +Games Workshop. Instead of any official page for them (I wont be angry, Google just rolled out the feature today) I found this link:

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77647340

Essentially in 2009, GW applied for, and in 2010, successfully were granted a trademark to the number "40,000".

Can it get more ridiculous? How many of us are violators of using an unlicensed trademark? :P

(I don't know if people already knew this or not thus the disclaimer in the title)

[lattd]

Technically that shouldn't have been granted as you cannot trademark a descriptive item, which in this case it is as it describes the time the game is set.

[TSINI]

well it cant be much different to Peugeot owning trademarks of all numbers which go #0#

just stops people branding another product "battleaxe 40,000"

[Mystery.Shadow]

You cannot copyright numbers. That's why Intel came up with the name "Pentium" since they could not hold the rights to 586....

[Wildeybeast]

Computer game discs; computer game software; interactive multimedia computer game program; interactive video game programs; video game discs; video game software; downloadable electronic publications in the nature of computer game instruction manuals, rule books for playing games, and magazines and journals on the subject of war games, skirmish games, role playing games, battle games, and fantasy/science fiction games

So if understand correctly they have trademarked 40,000 only so far as it is used in various publications (both electronic and actual) specifically related to wargames. Not the number 40,000 in general. Seems reasoanble enough as it would say, stop me releasing a magazine called 'sci-fi gaming 40,00' to blantantly cash in on their IP.

[Hotsauceman]

I can understand Trademarking Warhammer 40,000. But the number? Seriously?
Something must have them spooked and paranoid to have even considered this.

[Wolfshade]

Also, just because you are using a trademark does not mean that you are automatically infinging the rights to it.

[Lord Azaghul]

But they didn't take '40k'
The common abbreviation...

Interesting....

[Spider-pope]

The trademark only applies when used within context. So let's say you have a novel called '40,000 Monkeys invade Dublin', there would be no issue. If you released a tabletop miniatures strategy game called 'War 40,000' then you would face difficulty.

It's same with CBS's trademarking of the word 'Enterprise'. You can use it for whatever you want, up to and including a fleet of rental vehicles. But if you release a product featuring a starship called Enterprise, then you'd face legal trouble.

[Wolfshade]

So that's why nasa stopped doing the shuttles...

[Thornblood]

I think it works only within the parameters of another trademark. If you released a card game "40,000 monkeys attack dublin" you would be screwed. You could release a film with the same title, but not the computer game that goes with the film as the trademark is registered for games of all kinds.