FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPrimary
Contact: Alternate
Contacts: Toy
Giant Accused by Portland Developer of Trademark Infringement Portland,
Oregon, October 25, 2000
– A Portland-based software developer Randy Chase, is alleging that
Hasbro has stolen his trademarked name “SpiritWars®,”
and is planning to use the name in a huge holiday season rollout. According to Chase, Hasbro plans to conduct a pre-holiday
product launch in early November by hosting tournaments at over 300
stores nationwide. The
lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court today, alleges that Hasbro is
naming its new collectible card game “The Spirit Wars” in an attempt
to directly compete with and dilute the value of Chase’s game
“SpiritWars®.”
Chase trademarked “SpiritWars” in 1998, through his company
Kellogg Creek Software, Inc. Kellogg Creek’s attorney, Richard Yugler says, “This is a case of a large corporation trying to bully a small creative developer who does everything right. Chase did extensive research, properly registered the trademark, and obtained the www.spiritwars.com URL. Any reasonable trademark search would have found his name. Now, the company that once advertised his product is trying to co-opt the name.” Yugler
says “Hasbro should have known the name was already licensed because
SpiritWars
was advertised in a Wizards of the Coast magazine called The Duelist
now known as Top Deck.” Wizards
of the Coast, was acquired in 1999 by Hasbro for $325 Million, at the
same time they acquired Legend of
the Five Rings and Dungeons
and Dragons. Wizards of
the Coast also distributors the “Pokemon™” trading card series
that is hugely popular with children.
The
lawsuit is seeking a royalty on sales or, in the alternative, a court
order prohibiting distribution of Hasbro’s collectible card game. SpiritWars is an online-only strategy game that blends
the mystique of trading card games with the traditional strategy of a
board game. SpiritWars was
released for public play on December 20, 1998 and has logged close to
300,000 games played since its release. SpiritWars
draws freely from a variety of traditional design concepts, but blends
them into a unique playing experience that represents a refreshing
alternative to the current action-oriented theme of Internet gaming. The game’s low bandwidth requirements deliver a satisfying
playing experience both for players with slower Internet connections and
for international players. With
a heavy reliance on traditional mythology and folklore, SpiritWars
appeals to strategy, fantasy and war gamers.
Because of the familiar board game design and stylish look,
complete with an art gallery representing history’s greatest painters
and colorful literary prose, SpiritWars appeals to casual gamers as
well. Chase
is available for media interviews, and additional background information
regarding SpiritWars can be found at www.spiritwars.com.
Additional information can be obtained by calling Randy Chase
(503-653-2544) or contacting him via email at randy@kelloggcreek.com. ### SpiritWars
is a registered trademark of Kellogg Creek Software, Inc. Pokemon
is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America.
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