Mother of 14 Nadya Suleman, better known to the world at large as the Octomom, wants to trademark the name for a television show and line of baby products but may have been beaten to the punch by a Texas videogame developer.
Suleman, the California woman who earned notoriety for having octuplets in January despite already being the mother of six children, wants to trademark the name given to her by the media for use in commercial ventures. One of her lawyers filed a trademark application last week for the name “OctoMom” (with a capital “M”) for use in “disposable and textile diapers, dresses, pants and shirts,” while a second application would trademark the name for “entertainment in the nature of ongoing television programs in the field of varity,” which presumably is meant to be “variety.”
But her efforts to capitalize on her celebrity may be complicated by Super Happy Fun Fun Inc., a Texas-based game developer who filed a trademark notice for “Octomom” (without a capital “M”) in March. The company wants to use the name in games for the iPhone and “other technology,” although legal concerns have apparently left Apple hesitant to give the game official approval. As a result, it’s currently available under the name Fertile Myrtle.
“Press down on Fertile Myrtle’s swollen belly, and another adorable bundle of joy will be brought into the world,” the game’s website says. “The babies must be caught by Fertile Myrtle’s mother. Hold down on Fertile Myrtle’s belly to charge, which shoots babies out faster and increases your chances of delivering twins!” Each baby successfully born brings in welfare money which lets Myrtle buy fertility shots to have more babies, while babies born with the paparazzi in the room bring cash bonuses.
We will, of course, be keeping our fingers on the pulse of this intense real-life legal drama. In the meantime, gamers who want some Octomom action but don’t have an iPhone can get a quick fix with Kongregate’s Octomom: The Great Baby Rescue.
Source: CNN, via GameCulture
Published: Apr 16, 2009 06:56 pm