Sony, why?! The early success of the PlayStation 4 can be assigned to the feel-good factor that the Japanese giant built around the format: the gamer-centric marketing, the agreeable policies, the Jack Tretton smackdown – so why the heck is the company jeapordising that by trying to trademark the popular phrase Let's Play?
Y'know, when we first read this story, rather than react negatively, we assumed that it was just trying to secure some kind of new slogan, which it would use purely for marketing purposes. But actually, a look at the refusal reveals that it actually wants control of the term in association with online videos. Why would you do this, Sony?
Thankfully, the platform holder's been refused access, with The McArthur Law Firm's letter of protest rubbing salt in the manufacturer's weeping wounds. The company deserves this, though. And it deserves the backlash that it's facing: you can't say that you're for the players then do something like this.
We're just seething that Sony, in its current world-beating guise, would do something so short-sighted. It really seemed like the company had learned a lot of lessons with the PS4, but it would appear that old habits die hard. Want our advice, SCEA? Abandon this immediately, retreat with your tail between your legs, and start re-building those gamer relationships.
[source tsdr.uspto.gov, via smcarthurlaw.com, eurogamer.net, vg247.com]
Comments 30
Idiots! IDIOTS!
Chucky would appeal anyway for obvious reasons... Wouldn't wanna mess with him.
@get2sammyb true it was idiotic
still not the dumbest thing someone has tried to trademark though such as Walmart who tried to claim the yellow happy face or twitter who tried to trademark the word tweet
@FullbringIchigo Sure. But their whole campaign is built on 'For the Players' and stuff. It doesn't take a genius to realise that something like this will irritate gamers - people are already using PlayStation Plus and stuff like that to show that they're complacent.
So to do something like this when they still need gamers onside is unfathomable to me. I literally can't believe it.
I like the phrase." This is for the players ".
I'm still trying to figure out how a company can trademark words. Unless it's the name of a product or service that the company itself invented, it makes no sense to me. I should look more into it to find out what reasons they have for trademarking it, the only thing I can think of is before let's play became a thing, it was a Sony marketing slogan or something like that. Plus in my own opinion, the last thing I would wish is to be affiliated with let's plays. I'm sorry but I would rather read an article about a game, than watch any sort of let's play, or streamer. There are certain sites that instead of writing some articles they just do videos, I don't go to their page any more. But again, it's just me.
I feel like after this, SCEA should be dissolved and absorbed into another branch of Sony.
Oh wait...
At least we know Sony weren't aliens. They are bound to drop at least one bad move per generation.
It'll be forgot about within a week till the Internet finds it's next scandal. At the end of the day Sony tried to make a business move that would have been a big coup if they got it, let's not forget King managed to trademark "Candy" so why wouldn't Sony not try for Let's Play? Let's not forget that they didn't get the trademark because it's similar to another trademark so clearly a generic term can get trademarked. At the end of the day business is business. If the worst thing Sony can do is fail to get a trademark then there not doing too bad at least they didn't try to block used games or try to monetise mods.
@madaussiebloke I hate those kind of youtubers, they just thrive on any kind of Internet outrage.
Guess having such a big chunk of the gaming market leads to arrogant things like this.
Guess Sony is for the players, not for the Let's players
@sinalefa
It's simply amazing that, no matter which company it is, as soon as it gets to the top, stupidity and arrogance seeps in.
@MadAussieBloke The term "storm in a teacup" is appropriate, if people really want to diss a company right now then try Google not paying enough tax.
Trademarking a 'phrase' - particularly one thats been in circulation a long time is WRONG. Youtube has been broadcasting 'Lets play' videos (gamers who play through a game often title their video 'lets play') for a long time. Its not associated or have ties specific to 'Sony'.
Had Sony invented the 'lets play' format/service etc then you could understand it but to try and trademark something in common usage - even if the service differs is wrong.
Its barely more than a footnote though and hardly detrimental to the Playstation - although I guess it could affect some of Sony's revenue/resources due to loss of money this failed attempt has cost.
Oh no, its happening again. Whichever company has the lead in this industry very quickly catches a heavy dose of corporate arrogance. Stupid from Sony and I hope losing cost them a lot of money.
It doesnt matter if it is trademarked anybody could use it just not any other company etc..
@get2sammyb ?? Why anyone can still use the phrase lets play just not someone with similar goods in services do you even know what a trademark is and how it works??
@BAMozzy omg it would have no affect only on you at all only someone providing similar service..
@Gamer83 Absolutely. It's capitalism in its truest form. Top dog will always try and use its position to hammer home the advantage further to profit further.
Similarly, the underdog will always be more consumer friendly to encourage sales and goodwill [see MS now doing all the things gamers actually like]. But when a company gets on top, it's like a button is pushed and the company forgets everything got them there in the first place. It's bonkers.
Fortunately, we have fairly healthy competition in the gaming industry...and the internet to let them know they are being arrogant c....., erm, very silly.
@General_Spiller
What's Nintendo's excuse?
Stupid and pointless move by Sony if they were trying to control gamers videos? But the term 'lets play' is used by so many youtubers, can't they come up with something original. Either way I don't really care.
Silly move but it's not hard to see why Sony tried this, seeing how you can make & watch recorded gameplay on the PS4 itself. But it's still not as bad as what Microsoft did, #Dealwithit, haven't got access to the internet we've got the console for you Xbox360, it'll be hard to top.
Heck yeah, go McArthur, calling out a move like this, and go USPTO, actually doing your job right for once!
Wish there was a way to punish companies for doing stuff like this. Sony trying to steal the concept of Let's Plays is like a private citizen trying to, uh... kidnap Justin Bieber. A comedically boneheaded act, to be sure, but still (should be) criminally illegal.
Language -Tasuki-
What would Sony even have done with that trademark? If they tried to do anything at all in relation to actual Let's Plays they would surely be branded as 'the next Konami' and shunned by everyone. What were they hoping to achieve with this?
Technically this is SCE right? Meaning SIE won't have this held against them.
@BigDaddyT0101 Well the idea of a Let's Play is that you can see the actual game rather than the reality potentially being obscured by someone's written opinion. I mean, if you saw Big Rigs being played, you'd know it was awful. I could write a review saying "This is a watershed moment in racing games. A renaissance, if you will. It's safe to say that gaming will never be the same again and all consequent games will have this almighty masterpiece to live up to".
In other words, you're basically experiencing someone's written opinion or description of something rather than the thing itself. Would you rather read a review of a song or listen to a sample yourself? Which do you think it more meaningful?
That said, clearly I still like written things or I wouldn't be here. Aside from our opinion, it's an unavoidable fact that younger people predominantly get their information from Youtube videos and streams. Even Playboy magazine has started having attractive female streamers pose for it in an attempt to get a younger demographic interested. There's a big generation gap in gaming at the moment. People like me grew up when monthly magazines were the only way to find out about games. I didn't have the internet till I was 17, Youtube was still years and years away then. An 18-year-old now has grown up with Youtube being around since they were 8.
This is for the money
Usually thumbs up your articles but i've read the reasoning it was denied, it was because of a very similar name "Letz play" i beileve it was. That imo in no way shape or form tells me they wanted control over the Let's Play of the twitch and youtube world. Sony i beileve was still just going to use it as a slogan probably to tie in with PSVR, honestly Sony wouldn't need to trademark anything to screw those people over, just ask Nintendo.
Some work colleagues went down the pub had too many drinks and came up with this bright idea. It was a stupid idea from the start and they should never have gone for it. Its not as if they were even at the forefront of the idea. "this is for the players" is a good slogan they can plaster that every where.
If you trademark something you want control over it you think they would have allowed youtubers and others to carry on using that phrase, no. If they had for some crazy reason been allowed it then it would have been a big own goal and had very negative feedback from the gaming community.
Yeah i'm sure Sony was out to destroy all the goodwill they gained with gamers with a trademark. Pissing off millions of their customers and potentially millions more, especially when if they wanted to piss these people off all they'd have to do, is flag everything sony, not by sony to have videos or streams down, seems so unnecessary to file a trademark to do this, honestly if they wanted to mess with the community like that, they would of long ago.
Please watch the language -Tasuki-
@Frogger
The similarity to something else was the original rejection in mid-January. It has now been rejected because, rightly, 'Lets Play' has been deemed descriptive. You can see here what Sony were trying to Trademark....
http://www.smcarthurlaw.com/lets-play-securely-in-the-public-domain-as-uspto-rejects-sonys-trademark-bid-for-a-2nd-time/
No two ways around it, Sony have acted like absolute (insert swear word of choice) here
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