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Langdell's 'Edge' trademark canceled by court order

JC Fletcher — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST

The "Edge" trademark belonging to Edge Games founder Tim Langdell has been canceled by a court order, stripping Langdell of the ability to file suit against every other game developer and publisher who used the word "Edge" in any context.

Following a petition by DICE and EA (Mirror's Edge), the US Patent and Trademark Office officially issued notice of the cancelled registration on April 17, a process that has been ongoing since 2010. Two Tribes, publisher of Mobigame's Edge (pictured), celebrated by discounting all versions of the puzzle game 50%. Edge was taken down from the App Store repeatedly due to issues with the "Edge" trademark.

Langdell's 'Edge' trademark canceled by court order originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Future wins in UK 'Edge' trademark case against Tim Langdell

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST

Another blow has been struck against Tim Langdell's crumbling Edge Games trademark empire, with Future publishing winning a UK court case against him. Thanks to its Edge magazine, Future has had a long (and unwanted) association with Langdell for nearly two decades. The company took Langdell to court last year over breach of contract, breach of copyright and passing off (essentially misrepresenting one's products as belonging to someone else).

Future, which long ago reached a deal with Langdell to use the Edge name, took exception to Langdell's claims that his company Edge Games had any association with Edge magazine. Future also sought to stop Langdell's repeated and persistent use of a logo very similar to that of Edge magazine to promote Edge Games and its (largely nonexistent) products.

The proceedings of the case, excellently summarized by Rock, Paper, Shotgun, read like a television sitcom. The ruling of presiding Justice Proudman provides a litany of shenanigans and chicanery on Langdell's part, a list too long to reproduce here. The highlight -- if you can call it that -- is probably Langdell's attempt to prove that he actually designed the Edge logo two years prior to the magazine's existence. As evidence he presented a file on a 5.25" floppy disc he claimed was from 1991. The only problem: The file contained on the disc was made using Windows 95.

Head over to RPS for the full (and bizarre) story.

Future wins in UK 'Edge' trademark case against Tim Langdell originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge strips Langdell of trademarks, doesn't award EA damages

David Hinkle — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Tim Langdell and EA have been bumping heads for a while now. As suggested last week, Judge William Alsup has approved a move to cancel Langdell's collection of "Edge" trademarks after he lost a legal battle with EA, concerning "Mirror's Edge." All parties must furnish their own court costs and EA will receive no damages, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

There's also a special stipulation: Langdell must inform "all persons and entities with whom a licensing agreement has been obtained involving the trademarks asserted herein that the marks have been cancelled and provide these persons and entities with a copy of the order denying plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction and the final judgment." In layman's terms, it means that Langdell must contact these firms and individuals and inform them he no longer holds any of these "Edge" trademarks. By Friday, Langdell or his representatives must provide a sworn statement to this effect.

As for EA, it looks like the company is ready to move on from the affair. In a statement, an EA representative stated, "We're pleased that we've reached a settlement and can put this behind us."

Judge strips Langdell of trademarks, doesn't award EA damages originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Justice: Strip Langdell of 'Edge' trademarks, court proposes

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

In a followup to EA's legal victory against declared trademark "troll" Tim Langdell earlier this week, a U.S. district judge has proposed the cancellation of Langdell's trademarks filed with the Patent and Trademark Office. The trademarks are for various phrase combinations using the word "Edge" (e.g., "Cutting Edge"), confirms GamesIndustry.biz, and have been used by Langdell for years to force companies to change their game titles or pay settlements to him -- until EA stood up over the "Mirror's Edge" dispute.

Evidence provided by EA in its counterclaim showed that Langdell used doctored Edge magazine covers and box art to support his claim to the trademarks. The court's judgment to strip Langdell of his trademarks is currently pending agreement from EA and Langdell's legal teams (which is expected), but does not address possible criminal penalties that Langdell could be subject to through further litigation.

Final Justice: Strip Langdell of 'Edge' trademarks, court proposes originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA wins 'Edge' trademark suit; court cites Langdell for 'trolling'

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Edge Games founder Tim Langdell may have picked on someone a little too big. According to court documents obtained by IndustryGamers, EA has won a crucial legal decision over Langdell, following a court's denial to grant his motion for an injunction that would have taken away the publisher's rights to the "Mirror's Edge" game title.

Since 2001, when he sought legal action against Namco for its "Soul Edge" game, Langdell has been filing lawsuits that target companies, including indie developer Mobigame, that incorporate the word "Edge" in their game titles. Langdell claims trademark rights to the word "Edge," staking his case against EA on the existence of his studio's fishy, "forthcoming" release, "MIRRORS a game by EDGE." (Prior to the release of Racers this year for PC, Edge Games had not published a game since 1994.)

The court, however, believes that Langdell lied to the US Patent and Trademark Office and has been "trolling" the industry for opportunities to license his dubious trademark. The court also suggests that these actions could warrant "criminal penalties."

EA wins 'Edge' trademark suit; court cites Langdell for 'trolling' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone game 'Edge' available again, temporarily discounted

JC Fletcher — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:00:00 EST

Mobigame's acclaimed cube-rolling iPhone puzzle game Edge has been removed and reinstated from the App Store several times thanks to ongoing legal troubles relating to Tim Langdell's aggressive claims to the word "Edge" in video games. Mobigame has now reacquired the rights to publish the game in the US and UK, which is great news for two reasons:

You can buy the game now (obviously)
To celebrate its return, Mobigame has dropped the price to 99 cents

The price is only good through May 10, so if you're interested, now's a good time to check it out. Besides, who knows how long it'll stay available this time? Check out a trailer after the break.

Continue reading iPhone game 'Edge' available again, temporarily discounted

iPhone game 'Edge' available again, temporarily discounted originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 May 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie devs incorporate 'Edge' into titles to lure out Tim Langdell

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST

Indie developers are having a little fun at the expense of trademark troll Tim Langdell. As TouchArcade reports, several devs have created mock games to get under the skin of the abusive IP bugaboo, who pops up like a rabid prairie dog when a company uses the word "edge" in a video game. In response to Langdell's attack on Killer Edge Racing, several indie devs have jokingly renamed their games. Fez is now Fedge and Critter Crunch has vomited out Critter Credge.

In their posts on the name changes, the developers use the word "edge" as many times as is edgeingly possible to edge in there with edginess. Inspired by Langdell, we are currently discussing with our attorneys if we can trademark the words "war," "warfare," ... oh wait, "Mario," yes! That's where the infringement bucks really are.

Indie devs incorporate 'Edge' into titles to lure out Tim Langdell originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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