Tim Langdell Still Being A Jerk—Resues Edge iPhone Game Maker Over Rights Issues
5:14 am, July 15th, 2009, Craig Grannell
Sort-of-UPDATE 3: And for anyone wondering whether the games featured in this post really do use true isometric projection, Adam Banks discusses this in a blog post.
UPDATE 2: At the time of writing (10:51 GMT+1), EDGE has now been pulled—again—from the App Store, this time on a worldwide basis. We now have a fuller story on this development.
UPDATE: I spoke to David Papazian of Mobigame, who told us that during discussions with Langdell, with the aim of settling amicably, Langdell not only proposed conditions unacceptable to Mobigame, but also stated the company had set out to copy one of EDGE’s most popular titles, Bobby Bearing. When Mobigame mentioned Marble Madness, Langdell even claimed his 1986 effort was actually completed before 1984’s Marble Madness and that Atari’s game is the clone. (I myself interviewed Marble Madness creator Mark Cerny a year or so back, and given the nature of how that game came to be—it actually started life as a mini-golf game—I find it hugely unlikely that this could be the case, even when you don’t take into account the two or more years between the games’ release dates.)
During investigative conversations between Mobigame and Bobby Bearing’s creators, questions have been raised as to rights ownership, with the game’s creators claiming they own the rights, not EDGE Games; furthermore, they do not consider Bobby Bearing and Edge similar games, which, having played both, I entirely agree with. Even on a superficial basis, there’s little similarity, bar the viewpoint.
Compromise was almost reached in May with Mobigames saying they’d rename their game Edgy in some territories, but discussions broke down, culminating in Langdell registering that trademark himself in the USA. Here’s hoping the ‘macho posturing’ doesn’t lead to Edge being removed from the store again. The $4.99 effort is one of the finest titles we’ve played this month. [Edge App Store link]
Oh, how we all love you, Tim Langdell. You sit there on the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) board, and boast about your 30 years of experience in the gaming industry. And yet you seemingly spend your life suing the crap out of anyone with the audacity to use the word ‘edge’ in gaming, due to trademark ownership relating to your videogame company, EDGE Games.
For this reason, Mobigame’s Edge was pulled from the App Store in May (it’s now returned), and Langdell now has his sights set on console game Edge of Twilight (no, we’re not kidding, sadly). Unfortunately, he’s also not quite done with the Edge iPhone game.
On Twitter, Mobigame reported “Tim Langdell is threatening us again… is this love?”, and a report on FingerGaming notes that Mobigame’s David Papazien says Langdell’s now not only affirming his rights to the Edge trademark, but claiming Edge ripped off an ancient EDGE game, Bobby Bearing. Sorry for the italics, but this statement actually make me nearly choke on my cup of tea.
I’m somewhat oldish, and I remember playing Bobby Bearing. (I also remember paying ten quid for the cassette version and discovering that the idiots at EDGE had shipped it entirely without sound—thanks, Tim!) In fact, here’s a screen grab, taken from C64 gaming website Lemon64:
It's Bobby Bearing, an 'isometric' arcade game from 1986!
And here’s Edge, taken from the Mobigame website:
Edge - a fun iPhone isometric game from 2009!
On the face of it, you might, if you hadn’t actually played the games, argue that Langdell has a point. Both games use an axonometric projection viewpoint, commonly referred to as ‘isometric’ in the games industry. Also, both have you controlling a small geometric character around a blocky, retro-oriented videogame world where you can move reasonably freely in several directions.
But wait! I’m sure I’ve seen something like this before somewhere…
Hey, kids! It's Atari's Marble Madness, from 1984!
Oh, look! A game with an axonometric projection viewpoint, where you control a small geometric character around a blocky, retro-oriented videogame world where you can move reasonably freely in several directions! From 1984! Plus, when you actually play Edge, you realise how little it has in common with Bobby Bearing (and, indeed, Marble Madness) anyway…
Having done some digging, it wouldn’t entirely shock us to discover that Langdell’s aggression and, well, ‘jerkness’ are in part down to Bobby Bearing Remix for iPod touch being on its way. But with Edge already being available and great, the fab Marble Madness due soon for Apple portables (and Atari’s iPod touch games being rather good) and Bobby Bearing these days being slightly less fun than being repeatedly punched in the face by someone wearing an extra-large boxing glove stuffed with a brick, we’d suggest, Tim, that you put your energy into actually making your old, tired IP into a decent game, rather than suing the perceived competition. And here’s another free tip: just try suing Atari over Marble Madness. (No, really, please do, because it’d be really funny and we’d love to see you try.)
Posted by Craig Grannell in Gaming, News, Opinions, iPhone | Comment on this article
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oh if only the Apps Store has a rejection on the account of idiot douche bag ism clause. they could use it on Timmy
Lucas, on July 15th, 2009 at 6:00 am
That man is a f****** c***. Plain and simple. Quite literally the most repugnant scum on the face of the earth. He deserves to be (CENSORED FOR REASONS OF BASIC HUMAN DECENCY) in his bed while he sleeps.
owen-b, on July 15th, 2009 at 7:04 am
As far as axonometric viewpoint games go, don’t forget Q*Bert.
InRussetShadows, on July 15th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Isometric projections are a subset of axonometric projections, and those are in fact isometric projections above.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axonometric_projection
Nikolaus, on July 15th, 2009 at 8:10 am
There’s another ’80’s coin op game called Crystal Castles which also uses an axonometric view has a character that you can move in several directions in a geometric playing field, that Tim should take a look as sueing.
James, on July 15th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Two comments:
1) In the second paragraph I think you mean to say “Langdell has his *sights* set on…”
2) In the 5th paragraph, this statement “On the face of it, if you were a bit soft in the head…” is like saying, “On the face of it, if you’re an idiot, you will give consideration to Langdell’s argument.” Implying that we should just automatically accept your assertion. Kind of insulting to the reader.
(Not to say you’re not right, indeed the guy does seem to be quite the @$$w1pe)
daver, on July 15th, 2009 at 8:44 am
@daver – ARGH! Thanks for the typo note and the other note. Since I hate typos and not being clear, I have updated the article accordingly and will now flog myself with a spiked stick.
Craig Grannell, on July 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I can’t play isometric games. I was severely scarred by zaxxon as a child? How was I supposed to judge the height of those walls??!!
Michael, on July 15th, 2009 at 9:45 am
This reminds me of one of the first video games I ever played… Q*Bert. Oh how I loved that game.
At any rate, has Langdell considered a career at Monster Cable? It seems very fitting — trademark a common word then sue anyone who uses it. This guy needs to think beyond iPhone games, there are literally millions of mobile phones connected to an EDGE network, and they are moving around reasonably freely!
nak, on July 16th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Come on Tim you havent developed a game for the last decade and still you claim to own words associated with games, give it a break!
Mike James, on July 16th, 2009 at 2:17 am
Isometric is indeed a subset of axonometric (@Nikolaus), but not all of the projections here are isometric. I just posted about this at http://www.adambanks.com/wordpress/isometric-games-are-they/1946/, if you’re not already bored.
Adam, on July 16th, 2009 at 4:47 am
I thought Bobby Bearing was a pretty good game back in the day, though clearly derivative. I played it on my Amstrad, and it was probably better than the Marble Madness port, which relied on the C64’s superior graphics hardware. I don’t think any of these games were as good as Paul Shirley’s epic Spindizzy, though.
Peter J Cat, on July 16th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
@Peter: The Marble Madness port for Spectrum (and Amstrad) was crazy. It ignored the arcade entirely and just wrote new levels, using flick-screen rather than scrolling as well. Mind you, most of the home ports were awful.
I agree that Spindizzy was great (and really wish I could convince Paul Shirley to talk about the game in Retro Gamer), but Bobby Bearing… Well, it was OK at the time, but time hasn’t been kind. And for Langdell and co. to claim that Edge is a Bobby Bearing knock-off, that the name Edge was used to somehow remind people of that ‘famous’ mark, and that Bobby Bearing actually influenced Atari’s Marble Madness… well, he’s just got a dose of the crazies.
Craig Grannell, on July 17th, 2009 at 1:30 am
[...] on blogs over his agressive trademark claims. Here are some examples on Kotaku, TIGSource, and Cult of Mac. The general consensus is that EDGE GAMES, which has not released a game in years, is misusing [...]
Popular iPhone game EDGE pulled over TM dispute | The Apps Law Blog, on July 17th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I honestly can’t BELIEVE that a WORD can be “trademarked”. No, really. And I really MEAN that.
Stop a second and think about this: how ridiculous is that someone can “TRADEMARK” a plain english vocabulary free for everyone to use, for himself to make money? WHAT IF we one day will have to pay DOLLARS for every word we use to write on the net? what if we even have to pay if we READ those words?
Aren’t we heading to some really, really ridiculous future here?
You can sue anybody who tries to use “edge” in their products? (sure sure, blablabla it’s only in gaming industry or software business blablablablablablablablablablablablabla)
I hate that troll idiot a lot, but even more I loathe the current “trademarking” system that’s heading to really, really, sad future.
Jason, on July 18th, 2009 at 6:18 am
Hi. It’s just not right to be able to hold a copyright on the word edge. It’s evil and it’s selfish. How come Namco gave in to Tim with Soul Edge btw when they too have metal gloves on fire?
Alvin, on July 18th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
@Alvinâ€â€Namco didn’t give in. In fact, the case was thrown out of court ‘with prejudice’ (meaning Langdell is not able to make the same claim against Namco again). In all likeihood, Namco’s name change for the game had little or nothing to do with Langdell.
Craig Grannell, on July 20th, 2009 at 5:38 am
It’s not just for video games and tech-related products. Langdell has tried to own the rights for clothing, printed materials, mugs and cups, peripherals, etc. Langdell is like Homer Simpson at an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.
Why isn’t he going after Playstation Edge? Sony has a 1b filing status (intent to use in commerce) for that mark.
Max, on July 20th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
“Why isn’t he going after Playstation Edge?”
Well, there are only so many hours in a day! As some wags have said online, it’s only a matter of time before he sues Sonic the hEDGEhog, claiming that it’s somehow very similar to Edge’s Garfield game—after all, that had a furry character and a sideways 2D viewpoint!
Craig Grannell, on July 21st, 2009 at 1:55 am
Ha ha! Joke’s on me. He IS going after Playstation Edge!
http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=91189164
Max, on July 21st, 2009 at 9:01 am
@Maxâ€â€heh! I wonder if Langdell will use suspiciously badly designed covers from a never-seen-by-the-world-at-large (and certainly not Future Publishing) US version of Edge magazine in this case?
Craig Grannell, on July 21st, 2009 at 9:27 am
Maybe he’ll use one almost as good as this one:
http://tmportal.uspto.gov/external/PA_1_0_LT/OpenServletWindow?serialNumber=74556730&scanDate=2009021146231&DocDesc=Specimens&docType=SPE¤tPage=1&rowNum=4&rowCount=11&formattedDate=10-Feb-2009
“Cutting edge” graphics!
Max, on July 21st, 2009 at 11:48 am
[...] of Mac : Tim Langdell Still Being a Jerk – Resues Edge iPhone Game Maker Over Rights Issue This article by Craig Grannell is really a must read, it has lots of facts and updates about the [...]
Gossip: Apps on the EDGE - Apps & Hats, on July 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 pm
PUBLIC STATEMENT
23rd July 2009
“Edge of Twilight proceeds with title unchangedâ€
FUZZYEYESâ„¢ approached EDGE® Games several months ago, with the intent to resolve any issues arising out of both companies use of the mark “EDGE.” Fuzzyeyes, developer of the game titled “Edge of Twilight,” sought to address any potential trademark conflicts. Through amicable negotiations, Fuzzyeyes and Edge Games have arrived at a satisfactory arrangement that addresses the concerns of both parties. This arrangement allows the highly anticipated Edge of Twilight to proceed with its title unchanged, and without infringement on any trademarks held by Edge Games.
Lu, Wei-Yao
CEO of FUZZYEYESâ„¢
This statement hopefully clarifies what has been taking place between the parties in contrast to the unfounded and inaccurate speculation that has been circulating the Internet.
Steve, on July 24th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Lovely. Now, if you guys can stop suing the crap out of indie iPhone devs for no discernible reason and stop making outlandish comments about Mobigames’ Edge somehow being a rip-off of Bobby Bearing (which it isn’t—not remotely—and yet BB bears more than a passing resemblance to Marble Madness smushed together with an Ultimate adventure, or, for that matter, Spindizzy) and being named as it was to somehow try and capitalise on the name of a company that was most active around 1986, everyone will be happy. Well, happier.
Craig Grannell, on July 24th, 2009 at 8:53 am
well with the Langdell lawsuit still at hand is there any name they can put “Edge” under so i can download it for my itouch. Regardless of whether Langdells being a jerk or Mobigame just won’t change the name, there still has to be a way to get this app. its sooo good….
filoski, on July 27th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I suspect a name-change at this point would give Langdell more legal ammunition (at lease more perceived ammunition), and my understanding is that the lawsuit would continue regardless.
Craig Grannell, on July 28th, 2009 at 1:59 am
I used to work for Tim & his crazy wife Cheri in the late 80’s when they were running Softek International in Covent Garden, London. He was a very angry, nasty person back then too!
Luke, on November 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am
@Luke: If you don’t mind sharing, what did you used to do at Softek?
Craig Grannell, on November 13th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Trademarking system is weird. really…
It looks we will pay for breathing in the future
yarkin, on December 12th, 2009 at 11:39 am
[...] of Mac : Tim Langdell Still Being a Jerk – Resues Edge iPhone Game Maker Over Rights Issue This article by Craig Grannell is really a must read, it has lots of facts and updates about the [...]
my nonlinear » Blog Archive » where’s the EDGE, on March 18th, 2010 at 6:39 pm