Mobigame: Langdell Legal Battle Just Getting Started

Edge Games’ defeat in court is a good start, said Mobigame’s David Papazian, but the fight isn’t over until it’s completely disarmed.

The news of Edge Games’ failure to be awarded an injunction against EA over the game Mirror’s Edge, which would have prevented its sale was seen as a significant victory against a company that many feel exists solely to bully others into licensing agreements, using trademarks as leverage.

But Papazian, whose encounter with Edge Games’ Tim Langdelll over Mobigame’s iPhone game Edge brought the matter to the public’s attention in the first place, said that there’s plenty more to do before Langdell is defeated.

Papazian recognized that the victory over Langdell and Edge was incredibly good news, and said that it was the first time the courts had acknowledged that Langdell was “trolling various gaming-related licensing opportunities” and questioned the legitimacy of Edge Games’ trademarks. But Langdell wasn’t completely harmless, he said, and wouldn’t be until the United States Patents and Trademarks Office, or USPTO, cancelled the trademarks that he held. “[W]e will continue to support EA in the battle against Tim Langdell,” he said. “It is just the beginning; Tim Langdell did not harass only EA or us, but many other companies. I bet that more good news will follow soon.”

In his ruling, Judge William Alsup, who threw Langdell’s injunction claim out of court, said that Langdell may well face criminal charges, as there was a lot of evidence that suggested he had committed several acts of fraud against the USPTO. It rather looks like things are falling apart around Langdell’s ears, but given the complexity of this case, and the amount of time it is likely to take going through the courts, it will be months, and possibly even years, before it’s fully resolved.

Source: Eurogamer