EVEN FURTHER OFF THE EDGE OF MADNESS: THE TIM LANGDELL/MOBIGAME COPYFIGHT CONTINUES, EXPANDS
Thought the quiet return of Mobigame’s iPhone platformer Edge to the App Store was a sign that the trademark debate had been settled, or even proof of Tim Langdell’s reform? Guess again:
Gamasutra spin-off iPhone site fingergaming has learned that Mobigame has officially been served a complaint from Langdell’s lawyers, alleging that not only is the game a trademark violation, but that mechanically it’s a copy of obscure 1986 Spectrum game Bobby Bearing (it’s worth noting — as Mobigame does — that Bearing itself, along with Spectrum’s Spindizzy, were both heavily inspired by Marble Madness).
(It’s also worth noting here that the argument Langdell’s taken is suspiciously similar to the capper of a very, very, very lengthy comment the pseudonymous and surely entirely impartial ‘bobf’ created an Offworld account [from a Ventura, California Kinko’s] to write after I first posted about the trademark debacle.)
As Mobigame also noted in their latest tweet of new legal threats, in the interim period since the Edge case was presumed settled, Langdell’s also taken the opportunity to file a new UK trademark on the name ‘Edge of Twilight’ in June. The significance? It’s also the name of Fuzzyeyes’ steampunk platformer the studio first announced in 2007 and showed off in 2008, which just recently (as in, in June) made its latest video appearance.
And, to top it all off, fingergaming also says they’ve been in contact with another indie iPhone developer who’s been served a cease-and-desist by International Game Developers Association board member Langdell, who wish to remain nameless as they’re currently seeking legal counsel alongside Electronic Arts.
Fingergaming says that EA, it turns out (and as predicted) have been contacted by Langdell regarding the ‘Mirrors a new game by Edge” game Langdell claims his company is currently developing (for seven platforms, simultaneously) — no word there, though, on whether his similarly late-comer UK filings for ‘Soul Spore’ and ‘Mirrors Spore’ have also been dragged into the fray.
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