Tue, Oct 04, 2011 | 10:36 BST

Notch offered to give up Scrolls trademark for Zenimax

Mojang founder Markus “Notch” Persson has admitted it had offered to give up the trademark for Scrolls for Zenimax, as well as deciding to add a subtitle to at the end.

But speaking on his blog, after an article from Kotaku on the current lawsuit between the two companies, Notch claimed this was actually turned down.

“We realized we should apply for the trademark “Minecraft” to protect our brand. When doing so, we also sent in an application for “Scrolls”. When Bethesda contacted us, we offered both to change the name to “Scrolls: ” and to give up the trademark,” he said on his Tumblr.

“They refused on both counts.”

Both Mojang and Zenimax are now heading to court over the dispute, which ZeniMax is claiming over potential confusion between Mojang’s card game and Bethesda’s RPG series The Elder Scrolls.

7 comments

mojo
04/10/11, 11:05 am

this is beyond ridicoulus.
Well, a fucking load of ppl have to change the name of their products if that holds up in court.
Ive never. never-ever heard someone talking about The elder Scrolls refering to it as “scrolls”. its TES all over the fucking world.

viralshag
04/10/11, 11:10 am

@1, I agree, I very rarely even go with TES. Maybe it’s because my following started from Oblivion but that’s how I refer to them, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim etc etc

mojo
04/10/11, 11:17 am

yeah right.
I guess the majority of the audience that isnt gaming since decades isnt even aware that “The elder Scrolls:” is part of the name..

minxamo
04/10/11, 11:36 am

It’s ridiculous, but I doubt Notch helped things by saying ‘HURR LETS PLEY QUAKE XD’

Blerk
04/10/11, 1:21 pm

I still can’t quite believe that they actually went ahead with this suit. I always thought it was standard corporate-lawyer chest-beating and that they’d eventually talk it out and allow Mojang to go ahead providing they didn’t include anything that got closer to ‘The Elder Scrolls’.

But this is just crazy shit. Surely Zenimax are actively harming their brand rather than protecting it by behaving in this way?

Telepathic.Geometry
04/10/11, 1:29 pm

I don’t think Zenimax read gaming forums, so they probably don’t realise it.

Artheval_Pe
04/10/11, 2:18 pm

Zenimax is headed by former developpers from Bethesda Softworks, so they may do that. However, as Russ Pitts points it out in his article, if Notch successfully trademarks “Scrolls” the way he intended to in the beginning, he could sue Bethesda over the use of “The Elder Scrolls” and forever prevent them for using that name.

It’s legal shit, people. Zenimax lawyers have nothing against Notch and Mojang but probably see that as a good opportunity to protect “The Elder Scrolls” brand, while letting other people use the world Scrolls (because that’s what the tribunal might decide in the end, since Bethesda Softworks only has rights on “The Elder Scrolls”)