I think this comes from up top at Zenimax and their lawyers, and it's a shame because Bethesda as a name will come out tarnished from this. Then again, most gamers couldn't give a damn about such things, so Bethesda might just get some negligible public damage.
Minecraft Creator Wins Lawsuit Against Zenimax
Notch celebrates via Twitter.
This past August, it was reported that Mojang, the company behind indie smash sensation Minecraft, was being sued by Zenimax, the parent company of Bethesda. The lawsuit was filed over the name of Mojang’s upcoming game, titled “Scrolls”, which Zenimax claims is too close to their trademark for The Elder Scrolls series. Normally, any story where a huge company sues a much smaller one ends in the case being thrown out or the smaller company simply caving in under mounting legal fees, but this time, it looks as if the little guy has won, at least for now.
Yesterday, via his Twitter account, Markus Persson, founder of Mojang and best known by his online moniker “Notch”, shared some surprising news:
“We won the interim injunction! We can keep using the name ‘Scrolls’. ZeniMax/Bethesda can still appeal the ruling, but I'm very happy.”
While there has been no comment from representatives from Zenimax or Bethesda, it should be noted that the company can indeed appeal the ruling. If they pursue further action and win, it would mean that Mojang would have to change the name of their game. In a later tweet Notch said that they “haven’t even considered any alternatives” to the name Scrolls. “We never meant to infringe on anything bethesda (sic) does, and this means we didn’t…I love those guys.”
We will continue to follow this story and let you know about any more developments.
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