Iron Maiden files trademark suit against Ion Maiden

I guess it's a good thing Id didn't use Iron Maiden for "inspiration" when making their MIDIs.

The font looks different, in both style and color. Plus, do you really think there will be a single thing in the game that would upset a heavy metal fan? And who would actually mistake the band for the game and email them for tech support? And why does a brand as distinct and old as theirs need protection? How can a highly successful 44-year-year-old band be in any danger?

1 hour ago, GoatLord said:

How can a highly successful 44-year-year-old band be in any danger?

usually the first step is not listen to your lawyers. of course, doing what your lawyers said can make you look like a greedy moron.

Apparently the band's lawyers also sued a comic book called "Iron and the Maiden," which unsurprisingly used no related imagery or thematic material from the band. The creators claimed that you can't copyright an ancient torture device, but lost the suit anyway.

On 6/8/2019 at 8:07 AM, GoatLord said:

And who would actually mistake the band for the game and email them for tech support?

Never underestimate people's stupidity.  I remember seeing a thing once about a company called Illuminate getting hate mail from people mistaking them for the Illuminati, but unfortunately I can't find the reference to it now because of course a search containing "Illuminati" just throws back shitloads of clickbaity articles.

3 hours ago, ETTiNGRiNDER said:

I remember seeing a thing once about a company called Illuminate getting hate mail from people mistaking them for the Illuminati

i bet that at least 2/3 of that mail was trolling. like, trolling is not something we invented in the internets. ;-)

28 minutes ago, ketmar said:

like, trolling is not something we invented in the internets. ;-)

Trolling was, of course, invented by trademark lawyers.

9 hours ago, ketmar said:

i bet that at least 2/3 of that mail was trolling. like, trolling is not something we invented in the internets. ;-)

Still counts as stupidity.

On 6/8/2019 at 2:07 PM, GoatLord said:

Plus, do you really think there will be a single thing in the game that would upset a heavy metal fan?

You never know. Let's just take a very simple example: Remember all those half-naked women in Duke Nukem 3D?

Now imagine that Ion Maiden copied that element, prompting some stuck-up conservatives too dumb to think to blame the band for promoting "immorality".

Such a thing would be very hard to contain once it got loose, and the long term damage huge.

For the average game developer such a thing may be a non-issue, but for the holder of a trademark it may be a killer criteria. Remember, this is just an example of what combination may cause problems - this may very well go the other way around if the game promoted questionable conservative issues the trademark holder might object to.

This is one of the reasons why a trademark holder cannot allow this to pass without action. That action may be offensive as in blocking the infringing product or it may be by striking a deal that includes pre-approval of the finished product.

On 5/30/2019 at 3:00 PM, geo said:

Every time I see Ion Maiden brought up in this forum I wonder who would be dumb enough to make an Iron Maiden game...

Someone.

Anyway, they should rename the game to "Not Ion Maiden" and that would be the coolest thing ever.

On 6/11/2019 at 6:51 AM, Szuran said:

 

Someone.

 

Anyway, they should rename the game to "Not Ion Maiden" and that would be the coolest thing ever.

ahhh mine earz!!!!

Wow. So it does exist.

On 6/8/2019 at 8:07 AM, GoatLord said:

The font looks different, in both style and color.

It's not identical, but it is derivative (it resembles the band's font enough to distinctively notice, as far as I'm concerned).

On 6/8/2019 at 8:07 AM, GoatLord said:

Plus, do you really think there will be a single thing in the game that would upset a heavy metal fan?

I think that's where a lot of people miss the point. It's not about upsetting fans. It's more like leaving a bowl full of candy outside on Halloween night, with a sign that says "just take one". It's like leaving your teenage son home alone for the weekend with a fully stocked liquor cabinet.

It's an unnecessary liability. It backs the band into a corner, demanding them to have faith that everything will be okay. Why should they take that risk? There's really nothing for the band to gain, and a whole lot to possibly lose.

Would you trust someone you didn't know, who looks like you and has a similar name, to your most prized possessions, or your life's work? Hell, no you wouldn't! It's the same thing here.

On 6/8/2019 at 8:07 AM, GoatLord said:

And who would actually mistake the band for the game and email them for tech support?

Young gamers who don't even know the band. Parents who are pissed that the game let's their highly-suggestive children "learn to murder" :)

On 6/8/2019 at 8:07 AM, GoatLord said:

And why does a brand as distinct and old as theirs need protection? How can a highly successful 44-year-year-old band be in any danger?

The bigger you are, the harder you fall. If a scandal ruins the gamers, they fold and build a new company. But a scandal threatening a 40+ year legacy? How do *you* want to be remembered? What do you want written on your tombstone?

I know what I've written sounds over-dramatic - it's catering to the worst-case scenario. But, that is, actually, what's at stake, potentially. Because, who knows what type of scandal is possible? The danger is open-ended, completely unforeseeable, and only bounded by the limits of imagination. Why would any entity subject themselves to those possibilities?

It's unfair to expect the band to have any other choice, and I believe that those saying that the band should just "cool it" and "let 'em make 'Ion Maiden'" have not considered how badly that could end.

I hope none of this will affect Nightdive's remastering of Powerslave. 

1 hour ago, Ajora said:

I hope none of this will affect Nightdive's remastering of Powerslave. 

Hopefully, Nightdive's lawyers have informed Iron Maiden's lawyers about that game's name to avoid any potential trademark infringement suits.

What makes you think they can trademark the name of a single song? It's not like that's something that automatically gets associated with the band.

4 hours ago, Graf Zahl said:

What makes you think they can trademark the name of a single song? It's not like that's something that automatically gets associated with the band.

 

I associate the name with the album more than I do with the song. Powerslave is often regarded as Iron Maiden's best album, and it certainly is my favourite of theirs. 

On 6/11/2019 at 12:49 PM, Graf Zahl said:

 

You never know. Let's just take a very simple example: Remember all those half-naked women in Duke Nukem 3D?

Now imagine that Ion Maiden copied that element, prompting some stuck-up conservatives too dumb to think to blame the band for promoting "immorality".

Such a thing would be very hard to contain once it got loose, and the long term damage huge.

 

For the average game developer such a thing may be a non-issue, but for the holder of a trademark it may be a killer criteria. Remember, this is just an example of what combination may cause problems - this may very well go the other way around if the game promoted questionable conservative issues the trademark holder might object to.

 

This is one of the reasons why a trademark holder cannot allow this to pass without action. That action may be offensive as in blocking the infringing product or it may be by striking a deal that includes pre-approval of the finished product.

This could be a pretty big reason.

Iron Maiden has done a lot of work on being known as a family-friendly metal band.

I doubt you'll see bands like Angelcorpse, Akercocke, Prostitute Disfigurement or Marduk care about being associated with violent, satanic or sexual videogames.

On 5/30/2019 at 4:20 AM, Immorpher said:

I jumped off their discord since the 3D realms mods were being too reactionary (lucky not to me). I kinda want to jump back on to see what they are thinking of doing. Iron Maiden was a historical oddity, so maybe their copyright isn't too strong. Ion Maiden was a great name, it will be hard to find another good name if it comes down to it.

Has there been 2 bombshell games or one? Bombshell 3D (although a little derivative). Shrapnel Shelly... umm....

I still don't see why they can't go with just Bombshell 2 or some variation of that. Sure, the original Bombshell game might have sucked, but it's a fitting name for a game and given the response they've had to Ion Maiden so far it's enough to redeem itself as a property.

IMO the simplest name switch would be Ion Shelly.

Ion alone can't be a problem, right?

Totally Not Related To Metal Band Shooter.

4 hours ago, ketmar said:

Totally Not Related To Metal Band Shooter.

My favourite school-shooter.

...
Wait, what?

On 5/30/2019 at 11:02 AM, CyberDreams said:

I forgot that Iron Maiden actually had a Video Game of sorts...Ed Hunter from 1999. An on-rails shooter. I think it came with a greatest hits album or something.

 

They are just jealous that Ion Maiden kicks the shit out of their own officially licensed game.

 

 

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS EXTREMELY LOUD! TURN VOLUME DOWN!

 

 

more recently, they also have a mobile roleplaying game(as they call it).

Really dissapointing how they reacted to it tho, I thought they would look at it as a homage and just laugh.

that would have been cool but this just brings me closer to the "fuck off" mood just like Armaetus. Other than a few tracks I never really cared for them anyways

On 5/30/2019 at 1:09 AM, Graf Zahl said:

Isn't it great when you are finding out that in the end some popular musicians are mere corporate bullies after all?

 

Money is as money does, and you don't get as much as they have by being nice. In fact Iron Maiden's road to success was littered with the bones of many other heavy metal bands that perhaps could have been as great as them if they had any business sense at all.

And it seems like 3DRealms/Interceptor's business sense is about on par with many of those other NWOBHM bands who are now remembered only by the people who write glowing reviews of them on Metal-Archives. But they always gave me that feeling. The old 3D Realms was so toxic an asset that a pragmatic, sensible company wouldn't have touched it in a hazmat suit under Biosafety Level 4.

On 5/30/2019 at 10:26 PM, insertwackynamehere said:

This is absolutely the worst forum to probably say this but I’ve only had passing interest in metal music. However metal heads can be so sanctimonious about their genre that I feel some shadenfreude here just because with this and Metallica vs Napster twenty years ago, I’m having a hard time thinking of a more litigious genre of music. Maybe classic rock musicians who freak out about loop sampling and streaming services?

"Help! The black people are stealing the music I ripped off black people 40 years ago!"

Is Led Zeppelin one of these bands? If it is, I will laugh so hard.

Remember when 3D Realms sent a "cease and desist" letter to a mod-team that was trying to create a Duke Nukem 3D fan-mod for Half-Life 2?

I think they called it Duke Nukem Source or something like that, but it's really hard to find information on nowadays. It pretty much disappeared from the internet after that cease and desist. I was pretty bummed out when it happened because I was following the mod's progress up until then.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news250105dukenukem

On 5/30/2019 at 2:16 PM, Armaetus said:

Made me wonder why they never pursued PowerSlave but they went after Ion Maiden..

on a slightly different note,

How Digital Illusions managed to get away with calling the game like this, even if it's not spelled with an umlaut?

40 minutes ago, Nekr0s1s said:

 

on a slightly different note,

 

How Digital Illusions managed to get away with calling the game like this, even if it's not spelled with an umlaut?

Probably because Lemmy didn't give a damn.  (Joking, I actually have no idea why).  

Motorhead is also a slang term for a speed user. 

On 6/10/2019 at 6:43 AM, GoatLord said:

Apparently the band's lawyers also sued a comic book called "Iron and the Maiden," which unsurprisingly used no related imagery or thematic material from the band. The creators claimed that you can't copyright an ancient torture device, but lost the suit anyway.

That is even worse than what is going on now. Kind of disgusting in my opinion.

On 6/18/2019 at 1:06 PM, ([zen3001]) said:

Really dissapointing how they reacted to it tho, I thought they would look at it as a homage and just laugh.

that would have been cool but this just brings me closer to the "fuck off" mood just like Armaetus.

Why no disappointment for the game company using likenesses of the band's name and logo to build "who knows what" with it, opening up a gaping liability, for the purpose of getting free advertising and recognition at the band's expense? Or for some other purpose?

What if the game company embedded your street, your home, your family into their game, without asking you, and without telling you why? Sure, it might turn out cool, or it might turn into something you don't appreciate.

That's the whole point - they didn't ask for permission. Possibly, if they had, an agreement may have been possible. You expect the band to consider the game a homage, but how could they, when they haven't seen the game in it's entirety? It's too late when the game is released.

On 6/18/2019 at 1:06 PM, ([zen3001]) said:

Other than a few tracks I never really cared for them anyways

You don't care for the band, so they shouldn't defend themselves and their name?

Genuinely don't understand what people are talking about when they say the ion maiden logo clearly took inspiration from the iron maidan logo...they literally look nothing alike.

The wolfenstein logo looks more similar.