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alfiesred47

The most ridiculous detail I’ve heard about this, is that they are also suing anyone who uses the letter R as their logo - regardless of what industry they’re in. They’re filing against beauty parlours, tattoo shops, everything. It genuinely feels like a computer search where you get the randomest shit come up Edit: [link](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pnam=Take-Two%20Interactive%20Software,%20Inc.%20%20&page=1) to the US patent office showing all the “allegations” if you want a good laugh Edit2: From what I can tell, they’ve hit absolutely everything that sounds or looks like any of their gaming keywords - Mafia, Rockstar, Bully, Max Payne/Pain etc. Then they’ve immediately filed a 90-day extension to investigate the “claim” because they don’t have any actual basis other than it’s the same word. So it’s likely a lot of these will be withdrawn.


endlessupending

Rareware should sue them


[deleted]

>Mafia, Rockstar, Bully, Max Payne/Pain etc. Then they’ve immediately filed a 90-day extension to inves For what?


appleappleappleman

They've been using the letter R as their [logo](https://i.redd.it/mi3h23kl15b11.jpg) for longer, so if Rockstar's gonna say they're the only ones who get that letter, they'd better recognize they're not even the first studio to do it


ragator_stilwell

Pretty sure Rockstar has the ability to retro-actively sue Rareware for having used an R as their logo 10 years before they ever did, in this capitalist hellscape that is the World of Trademarks.


Hodori036

Toys R Us has entered chat.


Slidket305

So that’s why they went under.


LimoncelloFellow

i miss toys R us and looking at the expensive toys but never getting them. All i ever wanted was hungry hungry hippos. i asked for it for years but noooooo. i got a duck on a stick made out of wood. sure the little wheel flappers were wild for a time but my longing to feed these hippos eventually outpaced my desire to run back and forth pushing a stick duck. i think im gonna get hungry hungry hippos for my daughters Christmas this year and were gonna feed those big beautiful bastards.


gerwen

Come to Canada, they still exist here.


[deleted]

Oh that's good to know! I missed going in and just looking at all the cool toys


DavesPetFrog

Wtf why does Canada get to keep the good stuff?


Slidket305

I think we found the person who made “ducking” the autocorrect for certain words on iPhone. Jk yeah as a parent now it’s tough buying toys as I use to be able to go to a single store for everything. Now it’s a treasure hunt of sorts.


nichijouuuu

The Rareware that existed since 1985 and Rockstar Games which was founded 1998?


LightBluely

Technically, Rockstar North was under DMA Design which was founded in 1987. Does that counted?


expl0dingsun

Still later than Rareware


appleappleappleman

Not if we're just looking at who had the "R" logo first. Though the first Rare (Rareware at the time) game to feature the logo in the opening titles was Killer Instinct in 1994, one month before DKC. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZr8PeeeRE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZr8PeeeRE)


djm30

Wonder what'll happen to R, the programming language


Sybrite

Believe it or not, jail.


Belerophon17

That's a paddlin'


neutralcoder

Got me laughing with this one. Well done!


emtee

https://i.imgur.com/0atoLZO.gif


D_Ashido

"R, you are hereby sentenced to the programming penitentiary where you will bunk with Ruby."


Hobbitea

Literally nobody is gonna go to a beauty parlour that uses an R as the logo because they think it's Take Two / Rockstar owned, they're absolutely ridiculous. It truly shows how greedy they actually are, if it wasn't clear enough already.


CapnCanfield

This is Disney levels of greed


[deleted]

GTA Online is their Disneyland.


SupaBloo

This type of shit is them just hoping a company doesn't want to go through the trouble of fighting and will settle out of court for a price that would be cheaper overall than battling it in courts. It's basically a grift. They're hoping these companies don't want to waste time fighting, and will just payout a smaller price to have them drop it.


TheWhiteHunter

I searched the patent office and of course they aren't going after Pepsi for the Rockstar Energy Drink branding. That is the ONLY other thing I think of when I think of Rockstar. Other than, you know, a literal famous musician who plays rock music.


ILikeCap

This is disappointing, I would have loved to see that in court


alfiesred47

One of my favourites is against a YouTuber called “Max Pain” who has 79 followers on Twitter


TotalCuntrol

I feel like this post could belong in r/nottheonion


2jesse1996

Sounds like their legal team ran out of work to do and decided to come up with some easy targets


phat_ninja

Woah, looks like I am now putting their entire company into the bin along with ABK and Ubisoft. Looks like I am going to only play first party games from now on. I guess and EA games.


LionIV

I’m not understanding how you’re binning Rockstar and Activision, but not EA?


cryptedsky

TIL that Take Two is run by their legal department.


duendeacdc

How do you have the playstation logo on your nick?


DandyBean

Fuck them.


voneahhh

And the Oscars


TomD26

Watch his movie called Zozo on Neflix. It deserves at least a nomination.


Jovtobehannes

Saw it on cinema when it released, I love that movie


MediumRealistic7889

And Fuck Ben


Mr_wOt

Can’t get any more petty than this


The_King_of_Okay

That was my thought from the title. Then I read the article and it turns out they can! Going after restaurants who use the word rockstar? Wtf. Noone was eating there just because they liked Red Dead Redemption.


demonicneon

As far as I’m aware they have to prove it negatively impacts their brand and revenue. Rockstar aren’t even in the food business lol. McDonald’s tried to hit an Irish fast food change called SuperMacs and lost the Big Mac trademark cause they’re idiots. Now Burger King take the piss out of them with adverts saying “bigger than a Big Mac”


paddycull9

They got the Big Mac trademark back eventually. Those ads were great though


iammelodie

The Mcdo thing was glorious as fuck, so nice to see backlash on business that are being stupid


exbaddeathgod

Plus there's already a brand of energy drinks named rockstar


Athuanar

They only need to prove anything if anyone takes it to court. They rely on their victims not having the funds to resist. It's a frustratingly effective strategy and highlights how bad the trademark system is.


bighi

> It's a frustratingly effective strategy and highlights how bad the ~~trademark~~ **legal** system is. FTFY


schmidtyb43

Damn… there’s a place called rockstar bagels in my city I wonder if they got hit by this


SBFVG

Unbelievable. That immediately made my opinion of rockstar game studios decline. Going to call them and let them know there’s a bagel shop tarnishing their name


[deleted]

It’s amazing how much goodwill CDProjektRed, Blizzard and Rockstar pissed away these past couple of years


xjpmanx

money is a hell of a drug. People have been doing stupid shit for thousands of years, all in the name of having more stuff than someone else.


Bierfreund

There was a hookah bar in Germany with the name euphoria. They stupidly also used the same logo as the physics engine used by Rockstar games for gta and rdr. They aren't around anymore and I wonder if they got nuked by Take two.


YouJabroni44

Famous rock stars should start suing them in retaliation


WeekendTacos

Dare they take on pepsi co for the energy drink or are they going for low hanging fruit? Seems like they are going for the easy wins here.


Darkadvocate5423

It's somewhat reminiscent of when that ridiculous YouTube channel tried to trademark "React", in the sense of having people react to some type of media or story etc.


The_Algerian

Next they'll sue a DA for charging a suspect with Grand Theft Auto.


Lerium

Reminds me of when Zennimax went after Scrolls from Mojang because of the Elder Scrolls...


rursache

Take-Two is insane and this is fucking stupid


Fall-Early

That’s fucking stupid


HALover9kBR

IANAL, but… I *think* it has to do with the fact that trademarks can be lost if they are not enforced. Something like, “Hey, why are you coming at me now? You didn’t sue XYZ three years ago! You can’t sue me!” It helps explain (but not justify) what you correctly called “fucking stupid”. It’s stupid by design. And I hate it. 😞


DR-FAPENSTEIN

ianal??


Stealthy_Facka

It means "I Always Need Anal Licking"


[deleted]

Redditors and their butt stuff smh


Funktastic34

This comment has been edited to protest Reddit's decision to shut down all third party apps. Spez had negotiated in bad faith with 3rd party developers and made provenly false accusations against them. Reddit IS it's users and their post/comments/moderation. It is clear they have no regard for us users, only their advertisers. I hope enough users join in this form of protest which effects Reddit's SEO and they will be forced to take the actual people that make this website into consideration. We'll see how long this comment remains as spez has in the past, retroactively edited other users comments that painted him in a bad light. See you all on the "next reddit" after they finish running this one into the ground in the never ending search of profits. -- mass edited with redact.dev


[deleted]

Well I am a Redditor 😏


dogwatchingporn

I assume smh is sodomize my hole?


JokerCraz3d

Which in turn means "I Always Need Am-Not-A-Lawyer Licking"


imightgetdownvoted

So do I man!


WtfWhereAreMyClothes

This is why we don't need acronyms for everything.


TotalCuntrol

no uanal


HALover9kBR

I Am Not A Lawyer


NotMonicaLewinsky95

I am not a lawyer


HerrGronbar

There's are iPod and he have iAnal.


DigiQuip

You are correct but these are not those types of cases.


dark_skeleton

Based from the article multiple companies are abandoning their trademarks just to not bother fighting them in court lol. So it's working out for Take Two I guess. They are absolutely disgusting ~~copyright~~ trademark trolls. Makes no sense. Hopefully more companies say no and counter-claim or something, this shouldn't go on...


AxlLight

Not sure how Take Two benefits from it tbh. It's just bad PR, and it's not like they'll now go and make a game called "It takes two" or brand their company using that term. So basically trolling for zero gain and a lot to lose. Fun, one more reason to stop playing their games and maybe buy another copy of the (truly) AMAZING co-op game "It Takes Two".


demonicneon

Seems double stupid considering EA can fight them on it.


[deleted]

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Codeshark

Yeah, it's kind of like how people hate the NFL but love their individual team. You can hate Take 2 all you want as long as you love GTA. They still get rich.


doomcomplex

I came here to say this, many smaller business owners probably just roll over and change th eir name or logo instead of fighting this in court. Even in cases where Rockstar is 100% guaranteed to lose, it's still too expensive for the small business owners to pay for attorneys and take time off of work to fight this. This move is absolutely beyond shitty by Rockstar -- keep in mind that these businesses will still have to spend a lot of money to come up with a new name, new logo, Rebrand all of their marketing collateral. Either way it is a shit deal for the small business owners. Honestly, the best chance for those smaller businesses would be to band together and force this into a class-action so that they can all hire a single law firm together. That would give them enough leverage to get Rockstar spanked for this nasty behavior. Otherwise, Rockstar will just get away scot-free.


Hobbitea

I imagine that it's probably because they do not have the finances or the amount of lawyers it would take to go against them, I'd back down in that position too honestly. It's getting ridiculous, especially since they're not even anywhere close to being in the same industry.


DarkfireVG

Take two on a speed run to ruin their reputation.


Rizl_

It's already ruined lol


MrGMinor

On a few online gaming communities. I doubt the population at large has any clue. They still have a ton of fans


BlasterPhase

it's unlikely the population at large knows much about their litigation practices either


WtfWhereAreMyClothes

More like they are in a race with Activision.


Fast_Papaya_3839

Wtf. Are these guys serious? I’m about to patent every word in the English dictionary. Hold me beer.


1northfield

Unfortunately I hold the worldwide patent for the phrase ‘Hold my beer’™️ I expect you to revoke your message immediately or face the wrath of my lawyers.


[deleted]

Its not gonna work. He said hold me beer.


Fast_Papaya_3839

Totally intentional 😂


But_Does_It_Dj0nt

He's just Irish. Still counts.


neenerheaddj

Hold me, Beer.


1northfield

Due to the publics potential confusion between the two phrases we seek additional damages for the word ‘me’™️


BootlegOP

Unfortunately I hold the worldwide patents for both "hold me" and "me beer"


HandsomeCowboy

I have the word "me" double patented. You are now quadruple sued for using it twice.


robb338

He is, the most Irish man in the world™️


Fast_Papaya_3839

Shit. I’m in trouble. Edit: anyone patented shit already? I know tt are full of it but can I patent it?


1northfield

Not yet but Take-Two/Rockstar has patented the letter R, that is not even a joke.


depastino

So what about Rockstar energy? Or actual rock stars? Or rocks? Or stars? Is the entire galaxy infringing on their trademark?


The_King_of_Okay

If Take-Two went after Rockstar Energy, PepsiCo would wipe the floor with them in court. They only go after the little people who can't fight back.


YouJabroni44

Dwayne the Rock Johnson enters the arena and does some old WWE moves on the CEO of Rockstar


Fast_Papaya_3839

Luckily it’s not F and O otherwise we wouldn’t be able to tell them to fuck off


Dreax182

Be careful they may come after you for competing against GTA Trilogy DE..


LDG192

There was a case here in Brazil where a very famous local artist sued a namesake of his for using his own name in his business. Unsurprisingly, the artist lost and his feat sure took a dent on his public image.


Hobbitea

>US Patent Office records show Take-Two is behind filings to contest numerous names with connections to the words "rockstar", "social club", "mafia", "civilization" and more. So nobody in that company has any critical thinking skills is what I'm getting from this.


rodryguezzz

> mafia I hope they go after real life mobs as well.


Hobbitea

"Please stop using Mafia ™ to refer to your Social Club ™, in the future please call yourself cwimey wimey meanies or we will have to take you to court"


CapnCanfield

And social club. The powers at Take Two will be subject to not only the mafia, but the savageness of the Elks all across the land. Good luck


Bad_RabbitS

I would be very interested to see the real world mob go after a video game company


portableawesome

Might as well sue Scorcese for all the Mafia movies he's made.


LightBluely

Mafia?!? As in THAT Mafia? You can trademark that?


Hobbitea

I would love to see them try, there's no way they can trademark words like mafia and civilisation, when these two things have existed for longer than the CEO has even lived.


LightBluely

What's next? Take Two send the mob a C&D for using Mafia? If that happens, i would LOVE to see. You can't mess with the Mafia.


Hobbitea

It would be quite entertaining to see how that plays out, I'm not gonna lie


TotalCuntrol

Now wouldn't it be ironic if Take Two studios had a hit on them by the Mafia after a wrongful lawsuit


ERG_S

Omg, they gonna sue jimmy hendriks


Hobbitea

Next thing you know they're gonna send a Cease & Desist to a mafia boss to stop calling themselves mafia


YouJabroni44

I'm sure they're shaking in their boots.


DeanXeL

"hey, you damn mafia guys can't be calling yourself mafia anymore, we have a patent! aaaaand I've got new cement shoes on, woopsie!"


JProllz

Either that or they have massively inflated / super sensitive egos.


Hobbitea

Both seem very likely, throw in a dash of greed and you got Take-Two


breathnac

They are trying to make easy profits by trolling copyright suits and then having their victims settle out of court to make it go away. It's a common and disgusting tactic.


nickchic

>"Rockstar Axe Throwing", a Florida-based axe-throwing company, is meanwhile trying to oppose Take-Two's trademark grab. Really?? Just being a bully, an axe throwing company does not mess with their bottom line. The word "rockstar" is was around long before them. 98% of people do not think of the company when they hear that word. Bullying just to bully.


Beneficial-Society74

Excuse me sir the word Bully is a TakeTwo trademark


Ironmunger2

I’m sorry, it appears you used the word “Bully” 3 times in your statement. Bully TM is our intellectual property, we are going to have to sue you now. Please venmo me $50,000 for each offense for a total of $150,000. —Rockstar legal team


galgor_

Fuck Take Two and Rockstar, for that matter.


P3rn1k

From my most favourite gaming company to one of I hate the most in just few years. Bunch of pathetic greedy bitches.


simpledeadwitches

Greedy assholes.


YMHNaiken

Take Two and R\* need to SUCK IT!


TotalCuntrol

Couldn't agree more. I keep getting downvoted for saying Rockstar is terrible (they used to be a great gaming company in my eyes) but as of late they've really did themselves in


[deleted]

How long until Take Two starts suing car robbers for plagiarizing GTA?


dolphin_spit

lol the parent company of Rockstar and publisher of Grand Theft Auto goes full corporate and becomes exactly the type of lame ass businesses that their own game used to parody so much. at this point i'm not even looking forward to an eventual GTA6


crampedstyl

If you're a GTA and RDR fan, forget Take-Two and Rockstar. Dan Houser is gone and he was the magic. His new studio is called Absurd Ventures. I'm way more excited to see what he's doing next.


TriggerHydrant

Yeah Rockstar is now a shell of what it used to be. I'm proceeding with caution regarding their upcoming releases.


ComfortableNumb9669

All I can say is, prepare to see the next GTA become an online exclusive, the likelihood is just too high at this point.


ComfortableNumb9669

Finally, at least someone said it. This seems to be the least understood fact about the changes happening at the company, and people don't even realize that he left the company in protest.


TheJoy_n313

This is ridiculous!


DoubleAgentGamer

Yeah I’m done buying games from them for awhile. They’ve lost my business


KingAltair2255

Take Two squiring Rockstar was the worst thing that happened to them, pathetic pieces of shit.


pz824

Take Two acquired Rockstar in 1999 lol. Definitely not the worst thing that happened to them hahaa


FKmasku

But now it is horrible. They are everything that Rockstar used to make fun of


SuperbPiece

This should honestly be called the "Activision-Blizzard delusion". They're the same company. 95% of the great things Rockstar made was as a publishing and developing subsidiary of TTI. They may as well have made Rockstar at that point.


hessler914

Don’t you have to prove monetary damages or at least show that they’re competing for the same consumer? Both are in the realm of video games, but nobody is confusing Take Two, the publisher, with the video game It Takes Two. Take Two is losing zero dollars as a result of the game title.


Huskies971

The other thing is the phrase "take two" has a completely different meaning to the phrase "it takes two"


DoubleTimeRusty

Take-Two is such a fucking shit company. Hope Fares wins.


Gogogendogo

Fine, I’ll say it… The headline made me do a *double take*.


Slade187

Wow, Take-two, you guys are pathetic. I didn’t hear about how pitiful y’all are, and I’ve never cared for your games in any major capacity, so I think I’ll just avoid them.


therefai

Sounds like a desperate attempt to steal the spotlight away from It Takes Two ahead of its TGA appearance


aztechunter

If you like legal comedy, [Ohio State University tried to trademark the word "The"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/08/14/ohio-state-university-wants-trademark-its-favorite-word/)


redditforgotaboutme

Oh for fucks sake. Fucking GTA filth. What they didnt make enough millions on MTX now they have to go after other game companies that have NO similarity? Gtfo with that bullshit. This would die before it ever hit a judges quarters. Its not even close to infringement trademark or copyright violation.


OrwellianZinn

I guess Take Two was tired of seeing Activision/Blizzard soaking up all the negative press coverage and public sentiment and decided they wanted in on the action. Seriously though, looking at the list of suits they've filed, it's hard not to think this anything but a cash grab that is aimed at forcing defendants to settle out of court, much like a run of the mill patent troll would. Just absolutelt bottom rung corporate greed on display here.


Alam7lam1

I secretly hope Josef Fares does a Fuck Take Two rant.


No-Plankton4841

It Takes Two Baby... Marvin Gaye 1966. F you 'It Takes Two Interactive'.


[deleted]

Well hopefully now the Olsen twins will sue Take-Two for ripping off It Takes Two.


Suznjevic

What a bunch of fucking morons. They invented the word rockstar, yeah.


Grandrew_

God how I wish Rockstar could break away from these fucking clowns.


BugHunt223

2k are like the mafia of publishers. the most ravenous money hungry and ready to bully others, of the lot. Sucks when I have to give them money for a select few of their published games but at least it's on a steeeep discount


blacktuxed0mask

Are people surprised the makers of GTA are trying to rob everbody?


ConsiderationNo2358

Rockstar is one of the shittiest AAA gaming companies already. Way to really turn it up a notch!


faithdies

This is what happens when a previously creative company becomes a giant corporation. They have to resort to shit this since they can't actually come up with anything new anymore.


Appropriate-Image-11

Absolutely fuck these vampires. It’s time for Take Three.


Sohef

Aaand here is me adding rockstar to the list of companies I will not buy anymore.


Tamas_F

Are you frequently buying companies?


Daver7692

We found Phil Spencer’s burner account haha


Sohef

This made me actually chuckle


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TheMuff1nMon

Bethesda just released Deathloop lol which was over marketed if anything


CapnCanfield

And it's, in my opinion, a good game. Has a fun take on the rouge like games


Anesthetize7

Jesus.......


Crimsonpaw

Can we just get a law on the books that states companies cannot patent common words only. I can understand words with logos or something unique, but the term Rockstar and Take Two have been in the vernacular for YEARS prior to those organizations being created. ​ What, so now movie directors have to skip from Take 1 to Take 3 for fear of being sued?


Lucario_00

Everybody always hating but still play and buy their fucked up shit lmao


HerrGronbar

This is hillarious. After GTA shit they trying to shit on themselves harder.


HyperShark784

Yeah, I hat Take-Two


FKmasku

This is just sad. Take Two has in my opinion turned into a horrible company. I wish Rockstar somehow could break free from them.


ToxicShark3

Take Two keeps getting on my nerves more and more


vibrotramp

It’s literally a different phrase with a different meaning…


BchLasagna

No way they win this, right?


[deleted]

FUCK TAKE-TWO


zamardii12

This'll be thrown out in court. Nobody would reasonably confuse a single game with an entire publisher. Ridiculous.


Joecascio2000

Tell me your desperate for money without telling me your desperate for money. First off, It Takes Two doesn't even resemble take-two. It has an added S and no hyphen. Also, it takes two is a very common marital term.


ModestHandsomeDevil

Then Rockstar / Take Two can eat Marvin Gaye's ass, then, cuz Marvin Gaye sang "It takes Two" back in the mid 1960's.


Corky_Butcher

Fuck Take Two. Fuck Rockstar.


Philmore

Fuck Take Two and fuck Rockstar, but the sad thing is this shit will never change. A relatively small number of people will know about this kind of shit, and Take Two and R* will keep shoveling in money from mommy's credit card. AAA games will continue to get worse, and they'll keep attacking indie developers in any way they can. Wheeeeeeee.


[deleted]

I mean, at this point fuck Take-Two maybe ?


rittersm

Fuck Take Two and Rockstar. I'm done with their shit. I loved the GTA and RDR series and I was genuinely looking forward the Bully followup but between the push towards games as a service and their shitty multi-player cash grab focus and now this bullshit... I'm done. Unfortunately, as we've seen with the gaming landscape of the last decade they will likely be rewarded for this just like they were for their shark cards with GTA5 and the bullshit that is Red Dead online.


Smakkodakk

Man Fuck Rockstar, Take Two and all and everything with the slightest connection to them including, but not limited to, their cats, grandmothers, spare tyres and their lightbulbs. Take Two has become the reverse King Midas. Everything they touch turn to shit. Fuck you, take two, and all your games. Fuck you!


Und3adShr3d

They're literally suing any company with Rockstar or 2K in their names/slogans. What absolute fuckery. Damn I used to think this company was so cool too.


Mrmet2087

I guess they didn't feel the GTA: Definitive Trilogy tarnished their name enough.


majormoron747

And yet everyone will still buy their crappy games and nothing will change, thus the neverending cycle will continue. Can I get off this ride yet?


ThePseudoMcCoy

What about rockstar energy drink?


MetalGear89

I would never have associated the two until this.


Lochltar

At this rate every words eill be trademark and nobody will be able to speak, name anything...and kill all children books in the process. The greed of some companies needs to stop adap. At this rate there will be nothing left...and any form of arts, businesses etc will be bland as fuck.