PINKY
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The Entropia name in danger!
THIS ARTICLE WAS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE
A date was set yesterday in the Swedish high courts for a hearing that may result in MindArk losing the right to the Entropia name.
Swedish band ‘Pain of Salvation’ commenced legal proceedings for trademark infringement against the owner of Entropia Universe platform ‘MindArk’, citing a breach in intellectual property rights. The progressive metal band ‘Pain of Salvation’ launched their first studio album ‘Entropia’ back in 1997, firstly in Japan, then later in Romania, Europe, South America and finally in the USA in 2000.
The grounds for the case come from the way in which the word Entropia was formed. The band claim they formed a portmanteau (amalgamation) of the words ‘Entropy’ (the measure of disorder present in a system), and ‘Utopia’ (an idealistic society) for the albums name. This amalgamation of the two words effectively invented a new word, albeit not one that is officially recognized in the English language and there’s the rub – Pain of Salvation argue the case that they created the word prior to MindArk and as there is no such word in the English dictionary they can claim it for Trademark under international intellectual property law.
[wrap=left]https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/gallery/files/6/7/2/5/mindark_logo_grey.jpg[/wrap]Although no one at MindArk was available to comment yesterday, the court papers (available to download from the Swedish Law Courts) submitted by MindArk in response to the suit claim that as the two uses of the word are for entirely different lines of business, it cannot be said that any attempt was made on MindArks part to solicit additional customers by use of the Entropia name. However, the Pain of Salvation spokesman, Olaf Polri, highlighted the fact that firstly both the Band and MindArk are based in Sweden, giving geographical proximity to the two entities, combined with the fact that The Entropia album was primarily a hit via purchases on the internet, meaning it was a “form of entertainment primarily distributed via the internet”, which gives credence to the fact it is possible that MindArk gained an additional customer base with the use of the name.
[wrap=right]https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/gallery/files/6/7/2/5/painofsalvation-entropia.jpg[/wrap]Worryingly, the Pain of Salvation spokesman, Olaf Polri, offered a demonstration of the problem and asked me to Google the words “Entropia” and “Sweden” and hit the “I Feel Lucky” button. The result was being taken directly to MindArks webpage. So can MindArk really claim they made no financial gain on the back of the Entropia name? Only time will find out. Sadly this will take several months to play out in the courts, although this does give plenty of time for a new name to be found, will MindArk be keen on a name change so soon after marketing the name so heavily right after VU10.0...?
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