For that past six months, Tim Langdell has been vilified by independent game designers, blasted by developers and petitioned against by major publishers for his almost obsessive attempts to enforce a trademark on use of the word 'Edge' in games. If reports from an indie studio embroiled in a legal tussle with Langdell are true, however, gaming's Wicked Witch of the East may have finally been doused with water.
David Papazian of Mobigames, which pulled its platforming puzzler EDGE from iTunes' app store after Langdell threatened the company with a lawsuit, says Langdell's lawyers have "fled" and hopes no other developer "will ever hear from him again."
According to Papazian, who spoke with Eurogamer recently, Langdell's lawyers failed to follow up on the suit, despite a nasty public battle between Langdell and Papazian:
In the end, Langdell never sued us for past sales and all his lawyers fled, which is enough to prove that he has absolutely no legal grounds and everyone knows that now.
More and more companies who are suffering from Tim Langdell are joining the fight. It is just the beginning. But it is a strong signal to everyone.
As you may know, EA engaged a legal action against him and we believe that more companies will follow. It reminds me the story of Leo Stoller, another trademark troll who finished his career in jail.
While Langdell is unlikely destined for the Big House, his fortunes certainly seem to have turned. In addition to a petition filed by EA asking the U.S. Patent Office to dump his trademarks, the embattled Langdell resigned from the board of the International Game Developers Association in August after member pressure made it impossible for him to continue in the role.
Meanwhile, Mobigames has many counterclaims against Langdell outstanding, though Papzian told Eurogamer he's happy just to move on. EDGE was reinstated in the App Store yesterday.
"The stress is still there, but we're confident," Papazian told Eurogamer.
The ECA
RSS
LOGIN
Twitter
FaceBook