Maker Of Candy Crush Saga App Trademarks The Word 'Candy'
(KCBS) – The maker of Candy Crush Saga, one of the most popular apps across Facebook and on mobile devices, has obtained a trademark from the European Union for the word "Candy."
British game maker King is still awaiting word on a similar trademark request in the U.S. Candy Crush is a wildly-popular and addictive puzzle-game app, featuring little colored candies.
Developer Of Candy Crush Saga App Trademarks The Word 'Candy'
King is now sending cease and desist orders to other app makers that have that word in their titles. For example, All Candy Casino Slots was forced to change to All Sweets Casino Slots.
A spokesperson from King reached out to CNET Asia with the following statement: "We have trademarked the word 'CANDY' in the EU, as our IP is constantly being infringed and we have to enforce our rights and to protect our players from confusion. We don't enforce against all uses of CANDY – some are legitimate and of course, we would not ask app developers who use the term legitimately to stop doing so. The particular app in this instance was called 'Candy Casino Slots – Jewels Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land,' but its icon in the app store just says 'Candy Slots,' focusing heavily on our trademark. As well as infringing our and other developer's IP, use of keywords like this as an app name is also a clear breach of Apple's terms of use. We believe this app name was a calculated attempt to use other companies' IP to enhance its own games, through means such as search rankings."
The trademark ruling could spell trouble for developers who have or plan to release a game that includes the word 'candy,' and some smaller, independent developers are concerned that other common words could soon be next on the trademark list.
