GW having trademarked "Space Marine" in Novels as well?

[Tiina Brown]

I don't know if anyone else has posted this here yet ... so i post this link, and see what you think about it ...

http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/1208235.html?view=24685739#t24685739  

[Vikki Stardust]

So GW is being GW again.... Yay.... stare  

[lord-kensington]

emotion_donotwant
They can be a right shower of bastards sometimes always.  

[Asmondai]

GW, you have alot of explaining to do to pull that stupidity off.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_marine  

[Orkronos]

Damn it GW....  

[Lady Blodwynn]

This has to do with GW having trademarked the word "Space Marine" for gaming purposes, the whole literature side of it is a bit murky.  

[Angels Sonata]

I just said this on another website, and I'll say it again: so far we only have one side of the argument. Where is the proof that GW have tried to trademark the term? If they had, and it did effect the writing community then there would be a huge backlash, and I'm sure the Black Library authors would have something to say.  

[Sean King]

I have already heard of GW doing this in the past. It is intimidation. GW has tried to intimidate anyone who comes close to their supposed IP. The problem is that so much of what GW claims is their own creation has been taken from existing material. For instance power armor, Orks, Dwarves, Chaos, the Warp, etc. This instance is probably part of the backlash from GW over the lawsuit against Chapterhouse Studios and the recent revelation that a former GW developer owns the intellectual rights to the Squats and Space Skaven although GW owns the term Squats.  

[Van Evok]

GW at their finest, plundering Aliens (Tyranids) , Terminator (Necrons, and of course Terminators), and even introducing Sly Marbo, in a brazen reference to Stallone - but Chaos Gods forbid someone uses something they claim is THEIR IP. They need a good lawsuit spanking IMHO.  

[Lady Blodwynn]

Angels Sonata

I just said this on another website, and I'll say it again: so far we only have one side of the argument. Where is the proof that GW have tried to trademark the term? If they had, and it did effect the writing community then there would be a huge backlash, and I'm sure the Black Library authors would have something to say.

As I mentioned, GW has trademarked the term "Space Marine" for their own merchandising purposes in way, shape and form of tabletop products. The whole literature side of this trademark is somewhat murky, as novels are not part of the tabletop experience.

GW has overstepped its legal rights in my opinion and Amazon was wrong to pull the book without giving it a proper situational review.

Sean King

I have already heard of GW doing this in the past. It is intimidation. GW has tried to intimidate anyone who comes close to their supposed IP. The problem is that so much of what GW claims is their own creation has been taken from existing material. For instance power armor, Orks, Dwarves, Chaos, the Warp, etc. This instance is probably part of the backlash from GW over the lawsuit against Chapterhouse Studios and the recent revelation that a former GW developer owns the intellectual rights to the Squats and Space Skaven although GW owns the term Squats.

Squats were canned not due to intellectual rights, but rather due to the race no longer fitting into the ever evolving setting that was still growing at that time. The Squats were a joke race and while I'm sure some people want 40k to be funny, it has grown beyond its Rogue Trader roots now into something grimmer and darker, where certain things, such as the Squat, no longer readily fit. "Space Skaven" have officially been turned into the Hrud via some retconning.

Van Evok

GW at their finest, plundering Aliens (Tyranids) , Terminator (Necrons, and of course Terminators), and even introducing Sly Marbo, in a brazen reference to Stallone - but Chaos Gods forbid someone uses something they claim is THEIR IP. They need a good lawsuit spanking IMHO.

I think it was more tongue in cheek homages than blatantly ripping things off. By now, the Tyranids have evolved beyond any comparison between it and the Alien franchise, Necrons have moved beyond the obvious jokes and Guardsman Marbo is still just that, a tongue in cheek reference and homage to an endearing pop culture character.

As for suing them, who would want to do that and on what grounds? These 80's era minis look vaguely like something from a movie? These metallic skeletons are a rip-off from some movie? This character's name is an anagram of a famous part this actor played?

GW might be a small fish in the corporate pond, but they are still a money making powerhouse that can afford to go to court with people and pull out the bag of legal tricks that all corporations use to keep things going.  

[Sean King]

You may want to check again. It was recently revealed at a trial in US Federal Court in Chicago in a lawsuit between Chapterhouse and GW. I have a lawyer friend who is obsessed with this trial and reads the minutes of the trial religeously. GW only owns the IP rights to the name not the concept. That is why Warpath has the Forgefathers and the Veer-myn. This has been a dirty little secret that GW has not wanted to discuss for years.  

[Vikki Stardust]

Sean King

You may want to check again. It was recently revealed at a trial in US Federal Court in Chicago in a lawsuit between Chapterhouse and GW. I have a lawyer friend who is obsessed with this trial and reads the minutes of the trial religeously. GW only owns the IP rights to the name not the concept. That is why Warpath has the Forgefathers and the Veer-myn. This has been a dirty little secret that GW has not wanted to discuss for years.

Got proof?  

[Asmondai]

Speaking of the devil: surprised
GW Legalwatch  

[Sean King]

This a direct quote from Courthousenews.com. I will also include a link. Makes for interesting reading.
GW vs. Chapter House
In its opening brief in support of its motion for summary judgment, Chapterhouse identified fifteen products for which it argues GW cannot establish ownership because freelance artists created the works. Specifically, Chapterhouse contended that nine of the individuals whom GW identified as authors of a number of relevant products—Gary Chalk, Simon Egan, Wayne England, Des Hanley, Clint Langley, Mike McVey, Bob Naismith, Adrian Smith, and Adrian Wild—were not GW employees. In response, GW stated that it “is not claiming copyright infringement of the works prepared by Gary Chalk, Des Hanley, [and] Adrian Wild.  

[BloodyMary76]

They have to meet their quota of blowing smoke up people's asses for this year. Starting early?