Thursay, January 18 at 07:00 PT: A representative from Remedy has contacted reporter Stephen Totilo to explain that the ostensible dispute between Take-Two and Remedy has long been resolved. “There is nothing to see here,” the unnamed representative explains. “This was a discussion between our teams that was resolved entirely and amicably late last year. “The legal filing was simply an initial formality, and Remedy and Take-Two continue to work together in partnership.”
Despite working together on the Max Payne remakes, Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two is currently in the midst of a trademark dispute with Remedy, the creator of Alan Wake 2, over the use of the letter ‘R’ in the company’s current logo. Despite being filed in 2023, it looks like the dispute is still ongoing.
The dispute comes from open-world game maker Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two, which also dropped a similar trademark dispute over the name of 2021 Game of the Year It Takes Two. This time the company behind Grand Theft Auto 5 appears to be coming for Remedy over the use of the letter ‘R’ in their logo.
This is according to newly spotted filings in the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, as Respawn First notes. The Take-Two filings were made in the middle of 2023, and they’re currently in a “cooling off period.” This means, according to the IPO, that both Remedy and Rockstar have agreed to suspend proceedings in an effort to reach an amicable settlement. The cooling off period expires on July 2, 2024.
The grounds for the opposition are: “There exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public,” likely referring to Rockstar’s R logo and Remedy’s.
I’ve reached out to the IPO, Remedy, and Take-Two concerning the trademark dispute, and shall update this story if I receive any responses.
In a statement to PCGamesN since the publication of this article, an IPO representative says Take-Two “believes there is a likelihood of confusion between the respective marks, and/or that Take-Two has a reputation which Remedy may benefit from, due to a link between the marks.” This is based on sections 5(2) and 5(3) of the Trade Marks Act 1994.
The dispute comes as a surprise considering how, back in 2022, Rockstar entered an agreement to finance Remedy’s upcoming Max Payne 1&2 remakes. Do keep in mind that the filing comes from Take-Two, Rockstar’s parent company and not the GTA maker itself. But even then, this still feels odd.
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