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Minor: Religious corporation seeking to oppose Nintendo's Switch trademark

L

legend166

Member
pastrami said:
Why shouldn't they file trademarks?
Click to expand...

Because it's so far away from what a church should be it's funny.

I'm a Christian. I go to church every Sunday. Even the idea that a church needs 'branding', let alone exclusive use of that branding is ridiculous.
 
D

Dueck

Banned
The irony that somebody is suing Nintendo. How the tables have turned... This was their go-to back in the day.
 
G

ggx2ac

Member
This is reminding me of this:

switch_clashtrademark08sec.png


http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1342438

and the trademark dispute in UK over a company that uses a trademark called U that was in dispute of the Wii U trademark:

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=472418

I have to imagine that is why Nintendo trademarks 'Nintendo Switch', not just 'Switch'. Otherwise, you end up like with the the example mentioned earlier where the WWF had to change their trademark to WWE because of the charity with the exact same name.
 
M

MCN

Banned
I'm pretty certain people aren't going to be accidentally buying Nintendos when they intended to support a religious charity.
 
K

Kuro Madoushi

Unconfirmed Member
The paraphernalia like tshirts and stuff could be a problem. If I went up to you and asked for a Switch t shirt, would you assume Nintendo or that religious group?

Pretty sure Nintendo included random stuff for Nintendo Switch too, not just the console.
 
Y

yyr

Member
Rösti;238848504 said:
Also to note is that Life Covenant Church's Switch logo uses a typeface very similar to that in Nintendo's Switch logo, and that typeface is FF Mark Heavy.
Click to expand...

The only similarity between the two fonts, as far as I can see, is that they both portray English letters.
 
mindatlarge

mindatlarge

Member
I'm no patent expert, but I would think that some church in the middle of no where doesn't have the lifetime dibs on the word "Switch" and or any logo that slightly resembles their own. Now if this church manufactured a game system called a Switch. sure, but come on. Seems like a stretch to me.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
You really do not want to take on a religion with such passionate supporters. This church doesn't know what they are getting into.
 
G

GLAMr

Member
I'm not religious, but I used to do youth work for a religious aid organization (a big international one, you would know it). This kind of branding can be really important. I was working with disengaged/at risk kids (i.e. Not in education or employment, often homeless), and giving them branded merchandise with our brand on it was a badge of honor which would motivate kids. We had a flexible learning program which was highly prized by the clients because it worked well for various reasons (e.g. Some of them had kids of their own, family members to care for, mental health issues). Getting into the program and getting branded stationery, accessories and garments as a reward for achieving goala was a HUGE boon to the client's self esteem and motivation.

As much as I dislike organized religion, particularly the money-grabbing types, there may be beneficent reasons for defending this trademark.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Even on the game front there was already something called Switch a long time ago.
It's played with thumbs.

Nintendo deserves this, though.
They've made some truly disgusting legal moves, like when they tried to stop emulator programmers by patenting emulation.
Remember when they tried to make game rentals illegal?
 
J

Justin Bailey

------ ------
Not sure these guys understand the history of Nintendo and lawsuits. I wouldn't fuck with them even if I had Zombie Johnnie Cochran.
 
Spacejaws

Spacejaws

Member
GLAMr said:
I'm not religious, but I used to do youth work for a religious aid organization (a big international one, you would know it). This kind of branding can be really important. I was working with disengaged/at risk kids (i.e. Not in education or employment, often homeless), and giving them branded merchandise with our brand on it was a badge of honor which would motivate kids. We had a flexible learning program which was highly prized by the clients because it worked well for various reasons (e.g. Some of them had kids of their own, family members to care for, mental health issues). Getting into the program and getting branded stationery, accessories and garments as a reward for achieving goala was a HUGE boon to the client's self esteem and motivation.

As much as I dislike organized religion, particularly the money-grabbing types, there may be beneficent reasons for defending this trademark.
Click to expand...

They are clients? Isn't that like a doctor calling a patient a customer?
 
J

Jedi2016

Member
Justin Bailey said:
Not sure these guys understand the history of Nintendo and lawsuits.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure they don't understand trademark law, either.

At its most basic form, trademark violations come into play in cases where there is a high chance of "consumer confusion" between the two brands. Which I'm fairly confident does not apply in this case. One and done.
 
R

Rösti

Unconfirmed Member
Update: On June 13, 2017, Life Covenant Church, Inc. formally opposed Nintendo of America Inc.'s Nintendo Switch trademark application.

http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=91235038&pty=OPP&eno=1

Excerpt:

In the matter of the application for registration of the “NINTENDO SWITCH”
trademark, United States Application Serial Number 87/209,606, filed October 20, 2016, by
Nintendo of America, Inc., a Washington corporation, and published for opposition in the Official
Gazette on April 25, 2017, Opposer, Life Covenant Church, Inc., believes that it would be
damaged by such registration and hereby opposes registration of the mark for all goods and
services in all classes set forth therein. The grounds for opposition are as follows:
1. Life Covenant Church, Inc. (“Opposer”) is an Oklahoma not for profit
corporation with a principal place of business at 4600 2nd Street, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034.
2. Opposer is a well-known religious organization that owns and operates numerous
church campuses throughout several states the United States. These church campuses use the
“SWITCH” trademark for a variety of goods and services in association with Opposer’s youth
program.
2
3. At least as early as May 31, 2005, Opposer began using in interstate commerce
the distinctive “SWITCH” trademark in association with numerous goods and services in
association with Opposer’s youth program.
Click to expand...
 
blu

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Rösti;240691969 said:
Update: On June 13, 2017, Life Covenant Church, Inc. formally opposed Nintendo of America Inc.'s Nintendo Switch trademark application.

http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=91235038&pty=OPP&eno=1

Excerpt:
Click to expand...
Pardon my naivety, but is trademarking common words even legal? I mean, one should be able to tradermak 'ACME Switch', but plain 'switch'? Isn't that one of the reasons for 'MS Windows' and 'nintendo switch' to be called they way they are called, and no just 'windows' and 'switch'.
 
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