iPhone Game Edge Reappears on App Store
Award-Winning iPhone Game Prevails over Trademark Dispute
Jun 18, 2009
From Mobigame, Edge is a simple puzzle title where players roll a cube through 43 isometric obstacle courses while using different devices. After its release on February 25th, Edge won awards like the Milton Award for Best Mobile Game, Excellence in Gameplay at the 2009 International Mobile Gaming Awards, and was a triple finalist in the 2009 Independent Game Festival.
A few weeks ago however the game mysteriously disappeared from the North American and UK App Stores (but has always remained available in Europe). There was no apparent reason given for the disappearance until stories emerged about a trademark dispute.
The Dispute over “Edge”
iPhone games site Finger Gaming reported that Edge was pulled due to a dispute over the game’s title.
“We have legal issues with a man named Tim Langdell,” said Mobigame’s David Papazian to Finger Gaming.
The owner of EDGE Games Langdell holds the trademark for the word “Edge” across entertainment media. According to The Independent Gaming Source, Langdell said that EDGE Games told Apple about the trademark violation after which Apple sent a notice to Mobigame. Langdell and Papazian said that Mobigame pulled Edge voluntarily.
Langdell claimed that Mobigame started the dispute over the title.
“We have the trademark EDGE in Europe” Papazian told FingerGaming. “We are trying to register it in the US.”
Papazian denied Langdell’s claim, saying he has not released any comments on the dispute since the report from Finger Gaming.
Mobigame’s Return Notice
In an e-mail announcing Edge’s return to the App Store, Papazian expresses gratitude for the support Mobigame received. He also called out the Independent Game Devlopers Association, of which Langdell is a member of the board of directors.
“During the last days, we received extraordinary support from the developer community, from small indies like us, to EA [Electronic Arts],” Papazian writes. “Even if we are all still really disappointed in the IGDA, we see no reason to keep the game out of the store any longer.”
Papazian also announced that Edge 1.2 – with three additional levels, is currently in review at Apple.
On Tim Langdell
Langdell has been known for starting disputes over many products with names containing the word “Edge.”
“If you already asked why Soul Edge [Namco’s arcade fighting game series] was called Soul Blade and later Soulcalibur in the US, you have your answer,” says Papazian.
Langdell has either established connections to or claimed ownership over brands like UK gaming magazine Edge, EA’s game Mirror’s Edge, Edge Computers, and the film The Edge starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.
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