POSTED BY Nicole Cocozza
Everyone seems to be addicted to the popular game, Candy Crush Saga (“Candy Crush”). King.com Ltd. (“King”) is the creator of the trendy game that has captured an audience of all ages since the release of the game in April of 2012. The game can be accessed on Facebook or on any smartphone by downloading the app. The goal of the game is to match three candies on a game board filled with different colored candies, which may contain some obstacles, in order to get to the next level. Over the past year, Candy Crush had over 90 million daily players, who spent over $1.5 billion last year. King’s number one selling game has led the company to attempt to protect its intellectual property rights by filing an application to register the terms “candy” and “saga” as a trademark in the United States.
The filing of the application by King to protect the words “candy” and saga” has led to an uproar in the gaming community. King wants the trademark to be approved in a broad range of categories such as: software, entertainment, clothing and accessories. The International Game Developers Association said in a blog that King’s filing was “overreaching” and stood “in the opposition to the values of openness and co-operation we support industry wide.” However, King responds through a letter that there is nothing unusual in seeking to register a commonly used word as a trademark, citing registrations by others for such words as “Time,” “Apple,” “Money,” and “Sun.[1]“ Should Candy Crush be able to receive the same protection over such simplistic words?
The purpose of a trademark is to provide protection to a recognizable sign, design, or expression in order to identify a specific product or service from others. The purpose of a trademark makes the debate over whether King is overreaching its power by filing for trademark protection not a simple problem to solve. Candy Crush has had a significant amount of success over the past two years and is still continuing to prosper. King is aware that it is not attempting to control the word “candy,” but rather is trying to prevent others from taking advantage of the company’s success.
The idea of King applying for an application to protect “candy” and “saga” does not seem unrealistic. Apple was successful when it filed a trademark for the word “Apple.” “Candy”, like “Apple,” is a successful product and is continuing to be successful in the market today. Also, future lawsuits may arise and without trademark protection, King will be at a huge risk. So, why shouldn’t Candy Crush be able to protect words like “candy” and “saga?” Well, registering the term “candy” and “saga” could lead to a monopoly in the gaming world. The purpose of an open market is to allow for businesses to be creative and innovative in developing games, competing for market share with other companies. Competition is protected across most industries and highly valued in order to encourage business growth and reasonable pricing.
Overall, the filing by King to register the term “candy” and “saga” as a U.S. trademark has led to a heated debate in the gaming world. The words “candy” and “saga” are common words used everyday and are similar to words that already have trademarks such as “Times” and “Apple.” The idea of King being successful in registering the two terms invokes fear in gaming competitors. No matter the outcome of King’s trademark attempt, Candy Crush will still remain addictive to its players.
[1] See An Open Letter On Intellectual Property (Jan. 27 2014) archived at http://perma.cc/NGT6-VM93 (explaining King’s intellectual property debate in applying for an application to protect the words “candy” and “saga”).
