Kickstarter Lesson #136: What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter – Stonemaier Games

Kickstarter Lesson #136: What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter

The Board Game Lawyer, Zachary Strebeck, is back with another incredibly insightful post. This is the kind of thing that you hope will never happen to you, but if it does, the following article will help you as you decide the next step to take.

***

So, you’ve researched your game or company name before putting up your Kickstarter project. You’ve followed all of the steps on Jamey’s Kickstarter Lessons. You begin gaining momentum and raising money. Things are looking good.

Then it happens. You get an email or letter from some faceless suit at a big law firm. They mention a trademark and deliver a threat: cease using the mark and provide written assurances or we will use all legal avenues to defend our rights, or something to that effect.

What can you do?

Well, first I would get an attorney to help. Here’s some resources for doing so:

  • You can always contact me; or
  • Check out Avvo.com; or
  • Contact your local state bar for information on local attorneys.

I think it important not to go into this kind of conflict alone. There is a ton of misinformation out there about trademark law, with many on the Internet talking about how they think the law should be, rather than how it actually is.

In fact, you probably should have had an attorney from the get-go, in order to make sure this kind of thing wouldn’t happen. But I digress…

Evaluate the merits:

The first thing I do is evaluate the merits of their case. If they do have a valid trademark registration, I look at the mark itself, the classes in which their mark is registered (meaning the type of goods it covers) and the types of goods it is in use for but not registered for.

You can check up on their trademark assertions by using the search engine on the US Patent and Trademark Office’s website. This will give you an idea of when they claim to have started using the mark, when they applied for registration and whether it was actually registered, as well as show you all of the documents involved with the registration.

This could reveal issues that the trademark examiner had with their mark during the process, which could be helpful. For instance, it’s possible that they originally claimed broader rights and were forced to narrow them by the trademark examiner.

Even if there isn’t registration, simply using the mark in commerce can grant you seniority as far as use of the mark. You just can’t sue someone in federal court over it.

This is a complex evaluation, so I would get the help of an attorney. I always say that, don’t I?

Do nothing:

One option is to ignore the letter. I can’t think of a situation where I would counsel a client to do this, however. Ignoring a legal threat does not make it go away. Generally, there is some wiggle room between the two marks to hash out some kind of deal that allows both to coexist.

An example of this is the Kaiju Combat game, by Sandstone Games, which was sent a cease and desist letter from Wizards of the Coast. WotC owned a trademark in the name Kaijudo. Again, who knows what would have happened if it went to trial.

In this case, it seems that the two companies had a short exchange of communication, which Sandstone Games then ignored. WotC then went directly to Kickstarter and got the project taken down.

This is a good example of the need to be proactive before something drastic happens. Had Sandstone changed the name (which would not have impacted the project, in my opinion, since the name they were using was pretty generic), they could have kept the project up and explained the name change mid-stream. Some Streisand Effect could have actually helped the project get funded, as well.

Respond with a letter of your own:

Even if you believe that the case has no merit, it is usually a good practice to respond with that assertion and let them know that you will exercise all legal defenses. If you show that you are prepared to fight, this may fend off any further action. That’s assuming that they weren’t seriously prepared to sue you.

What exactly should be said in the letter can depend on the situation, so this is another place where you want to have an attorney’s help. You could simply state that their claims have no merit and that you are continuing with your business, or you could lay out the reasons why. Revealing too much of you potential legal strategy may not be a good idea.

There are templates out there for responding to these letters, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It may end up getting you in more trouble than if you had simply contacted an attorney to evaluate the facts and write the letter for you.

Negotiate a coexistence agreement:

When two entities are using the same mark in brands that don’t necessarily overlap, they may want to enter into an agreement together. This coexistence agreement defines the limits of each party’s use of the mark. It usually says that neither party can sue each other for any past conflicts between them, as well. Sometimes the agreement prevents one party or the other from getting a registration, either state or federal, for their trademark.

It’s important not to limit yourself too much when signing one of these. As always, have an attorney look it over, make suggestions and make sure you understand exactly what you’re agreeing to. You don’t want to limit future expansion of your product line or accidently break the agreement because you didn’t understand the terms.

Give in and change your game’s name:

Sometimes it is inevitable. Maybe you missed their trademark registration. It could have been for any number of reasons, even if you thought you did a good search.

  • Did you search for soundalikes?
  • Plural and singular versions?
  • State registrations?
  • Unregistered marks (searching Google, etc.)

Just because you’ve put time and money into your game’s name doesn’t give you the right to use it, if someone else has a senior use of that mark. When you realize that you’re in the wrong, and can’t work out a coexistence agreement (maybe you’re both in the board game space), it could be time to pack it in.

Is it so bad? I don’t think so.

If your game or company name is so close to another’s that they are sending a cease and desist letter, maybe the public would also be confused. Brands thrive on distinctiveness, both in the law and in the public eye. You want the public to connect that name with the products you are offering. Make it unique, make it special and make it distinctive.

There are other instances where the person receiving the letter doesn’t believe that it has merit, but changes that game’s name anyway. This happened with Game Salute’s Storm Hollow game, formerly known at Story Realms. Their mark was in a different class and product type as the original Story Realm mark holder. The original mark holder did have an online game, though, so it could have been an issue.

Game Salute may have had a case, if it were to go to trial. However, in the interest of getting the product made without spending a good chunk of company or Kickstarter money on legal fees, they opted to change the name. Many thought it was for the better.

Why don’t they just sue instead of sending a letter?

If you’re wondering why you got this threatening letter rather than notice of a lawsuit, the answer is clear. They want to resolve the situation as quickly and cheaply as possible. Lawsuits are expensive and may take years. If you’re sending a letter to someone who has the money to fight you in court, they may do so.

Trademarks need to be policed in order to keep the rights. If a trademark holder, who has spent time and money building goodwill for their brand, fails to police it, they could lose that trademark protection. Therefore, companies may end up being overly protective of marks. They want to shut you down without so much effort on their part, particularly when the infringement is obvious.

If you’re interested in more info about legal issues involved in board games, video games or other related businesses, check out my blog and my free eBooks at my site.

Update: As my colleague, Attorney Gordon Firemark, pointed out in the comments, an option I neglected to talk about was going on the offensive. While these options generally cost more than coming to an agreement or doing nothing, they can be the right way to go when you believe that you are in the right.

Filing a declaratory judgment action (or even threatening to do so) can be effective in shutting down the other party, particularly when their claim is not great or they don’t have the cash to back it up in court. A “declaratory judgment action” is a court case filed by someone who is anticipating getting sued. Basically, you want to get to court first in order to get a judge’s decision on the issue, rather than having to respond to another party’s lawsuit. Filing for your own opposing trademark registration or filing to have the other party’s mark cancelled can be other proactive legal avenues.

27 Comments on “Kickstarter Lesson #136: What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter

Leave a Comment

If you ask a question about a specific card or ability, please type the exact text in your comment to help facilitate a speedy and precise answer.

Your comment may take a few minutes to publish. Antagonistic, rude, or degrading comments will be removed. Thank you.

  1. […] relying on Kickstarter too much, and the benefits of being a Kickstarter Staff Pick.   What to Do If You Receive a Cease & Desist Letter Concerning Your Kickstarter (#136): The Board Game Lawyer, Zachary Strebeck, is back with an insightful post. The first step, of […]

  2. The balancing act of copyright enforcement for game developers - Video Game Lawyer | Zachary C. Strebeck | Attorney at Law says:

    […] talked about this kind of thing before with regards to trademark cease and desist letters. A company that receives one of these legal threats can often use the community’s dislike of such […]

  3. So I happen to know that there are two Snyder potato chip brands out of Pennsylvania: for resolve you have Snyder of Hanover and Snyder of Berlin, I cannot think of which, but one is known as Snyder. This happened because both companies had been doing business regionally, Pennsylvania is a big state for anyone who’s been there.

    I would suggest that if anyone wanted to use a similar name they register it locally first and after some legitimate business transactions occur, then use the name to broaden your business.

  4. […] trademark disputes. I’ve written about them before on Jamey Stegmaier’s Kickstarter Lessons blog, after […]

  5. […] talked about this kind of thing before with regards to trademark cease and desist letters. A company that receives one of these legal threats can often use the community’s dislike of […]

  6. Why it is vital to do a trademark search BEFORE releasing your game - Zachary C. Strebeck: Attorney at Law says:

    […] It’s understandable why these can frighten developers – they’re SUPPOSED to be frightening. Often, indie devs don’t have immediate access to a legal team to evaluate the claims in the letter, let alone competently respond to them. If you want to read more about cease and desist letters and how to respond to them, check out my post on the Kickstarter Lessons blog. […]

  7. […] for a very small cost (as opposed to filing a lawsuit, which is really, really expensive). I’ve written about these before in the board game trademark context on Jamey Stegmaier’s Kickstarter Lessons blog. However, they […]

  8. […] you have created something that draws the ire of another trademark holder, they may send you a cease & desist letter. These generally threaten a lawsuit or some other legal action if you don’t stop using the IP. […]

  9. Great stuff, I wonder though. If you’re open to the idea it may not be such a bad thing to just change the name. You could even make it fun, own it! Post the news of notice to backers and say “good news! We have to choose a new name but this time you all get to be involved!” That could be fun.

  10. […] hot water, as many who inadvertantly misused Getty Images have found out, for example. Before that Cease and Desist letter shows up demanding a big settlement, make sure you’re doing things right in the first […]

  11. Zack,

    You left out the big-gun option: sue them first, seeking a court ruling that you’re not infringing. (Declaratory judgment)

    This isn’t as unusual a strategy as you might think… And it’s worth reminding our clients of this possibility before sending this’d cease-and-desist nastygrams.

    1. It never even occurred to me that I could go to court FIRST, seeking a declaratory judgment :-S

  12. Zachary C. Strebeck: Attorney at Law What can you do if you receive a cease and desist letter? - Zachary C. Strebeck: Attorney at Law says:

    […] it the threat of legal action and the need to involve lawyers in your project. I’ve written a guest post on Stonemaier Games’ Kickstarter Lessons blog discussing what options a creator has when they […]

  13. Thank you for sharing all of this information, guys! I know this is something on the minds of a lot of project creators (or else it should be). :-)

  14. I’m sorry for this question, sort of wrong medium/environment. In your blogs (very nice, BTW) you say “According to Section 102(b) of the Copyright Act of 1976, no “idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery” is eligible for copyright protection. ”

    Yet elsewhere “Even though the words on the cards are changed, the rules are essentially the same for those cards, and thus could be infringing.”

    My understanding is that rules are procedures and processes, and methods of operation. Thus can NOT be covered by copyright.

    That is, nobody can copy the rules of a game word for word (as that is an “expression”, automatic 70(?) years copyright), but if you take the effort to “tell it in your own words”, you are protected by that statute. Of course there is the grey area of “derivatives”. How much fun!

    Thank you!

    Could you, please, share some actionable light on this?

      1. By “not as novel as you think,” there may be some earlier cases pointing to the same thing. I will dig a bit and write up a post, I think.

  15. Indeed, the important thing IMHO is in Zachary’s last paragraph. IP owners HAVE to make a show that they are protecting their rights

    Said owner might (YMMV) be more than open to settle in appreciation for some nice submissive letter and a show of your beta dog status, or might get miffed if you show teeth (YMMV twice over) Or/either might think you’re an easy mark.

    Alas, lawyers, just like guard dogs, need to show they are earning their keep. The owner of the trademark might be reasonable, but the lawyer might be using unnecessary roughness, because he can, because he feels he ought.

    Actually I did back a KS project that got pulled down because of a copyright complaint, or so KS said. Sad, the people setting up their project either had not done due diligence or maybe didn’t care: a simple image search before backing their project showed me the same design they had was being offered for sale in Chile. I thought they being small size artisans in Mexico deserved a chance, but, hey, rules.

    It’s possible that KS might act harder and faster just to prevent all suspicion of liability: suing you might not make much, but KS has very deep pockets. Safer for them to shut you down first and let your lawyer bleed you when asking questions later.

    Zachary, any heartwarming tale of success for the little guy in defending his project? or is it sure 100% loss, your choice to change name, etc. or lose project + lawyer money? (full disclosure: some of my best friends are lawyers)

  16. I had some concerns about this for our product, as we approached FFG, requesting to use their license for our pieces which supported one of their games. In the end, their representative stated that they couldn’t make the “numbers work” for our use of the license. While we parted ways at that point, I made sure that we had a tacit understanding that we were “pressing on” with the project, and simply not using their name in association with it. In the end, cooler heads obviously prevailed and all it cost us was an opportunity to play-test some games for them.

  17. The game formerly called Minions on Kickstarter had to go through this after the campaign because of the use of ”minions” in the Despicable Me movies. Totally insane to me that a suit specifying a phrase that generic, and with so large a disparity in application can hold legal water, but they ended up changing the name to avoid the fight. Better to get the game published under a different name than to get drug through expensive court battles with a mega company.

    1. That’s rather disappointing to hear, but certainly an extreme situation. Using such a generic term for a system which has nothing to do with a product shouldn’t be able to hold up in court and does raise concerns about the legal system and who has money to buy the law.

    2. Well, there are games out there with Minions in the title – Minion Rush, for instance – that are related to the Despicable Me property. I think that could be a valid exercise of trademark rights. They’re in the same class of goods, after all.

      Also, be careful when you say “generic.” Just because a word isn’t a made up one doesn’t mean it’s “generic” for trademark purposes. Take “Apple,” for instance. The computer company’s name is distinctive, because the name Apple normally has nothing to do with computers. It’s an “arbitrary” mark. If you used it to describe your apple products, however, it wouldn’t give you any protection.

  18. Awesome post! Good to know the real world approach to such a scenario. Bands will often face this as well with names, albums and of course music. Blink 182’s name changed because of this and The Misfits were able to get some free recording time via an infringement.

See All Comments

Discover more from Stonemaier Games

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading