Help, lawyers are after me and my game!

[JarlFrank]

Quick google shows me 4 other products called "The Long Way Home"(not even "A"), 2 movies(from 1997 and 1998, I assume one of them caused the C&D), 2 books(2010 and 2013 I think), a title of an episode of some show from 1966, a title of song from 1969(and several songs afterwards) and a restaurant. The phrase is extremely generic, I forgot where's that google service that could track its occurrence throughout the last 200 years or so, that would be helpful, but as I've said, contact a lawyer, the situation is relatively simple so you won't spend god knows how much on that consultation and you will know whether you should just dodge it by renaming or can you safely ignore it because they lack legal basis to successfully sue you. Obviously you don't want to actually go into legal warfare with them, but renaming will potentially hurt your potential sales and recognition so if you can avoid it...

I checked Wikipedia for "The Long Road Home", not even long way but literally long road, and...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Road_Home_(disambiguation)

• The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home, a 2008 monthly five-issue comic book mini-series
• The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family, a 2006 book by Martha Raddatz
• The Long Road Home (novel), a 1998 novel by Danielle Steel
• The Long Road Home, a 2005 compilation album by John Fogerty
  • The Long Road Home – In Concert, a 2006 DVD and double live album by John Fogerty
• Long Road Home (Charlie Simpson album), a 2014 studio album by Charlie Simpson
• The Long Road Home (film), a 1999 American television film directed by Craig Clyde
• The Long Road Home (miniseries), 2017 docudrama/miniseries for the National Geographic Channel

 

[JarlFrank]

Also, "The Long Road Home" as a trademark was only fully registered in 2018:
https://uspto.report/TM/87534599

First application of the trademark: 2017-07-22
Actually registered: 2018-02-20

Release date of J_C's game according to Steam:
31 Jan, 2017

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Why not flip it into ǝɯoH pɐoɹ ƃuo˥ ∀?

Yeah might as well call it "The Game formerly known as A long road Home"

 

[Mortmal]

"the not so long road ahead" , "butthurt and a long road home" , pick whatever you want.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

So, some of you might know that my very first adventure game is called "A Long Road Home". I never had a problem with this name, so imagine my surprise when I got a letter in my inbox from National Geographic's legal department, with a Cease and Desist order.

It turns out, they had a documentary called "The Long Road Home", and because the two names are almost identical, they asked me to take it down from any digital storefronts. I'm infringing their property, as they wrote. Now what the fuck do I do know?

Waaaaaaitaminnit how do I how this ain't you pulling a long one on us on the first of April?

 

[catfood]

P. neat april fools. Got a chuckle out of it.

 

[Angelo85]

Nice one.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

P. neat april fools. Got a chuckle out of it.

J_C got me.

Spoiler

But you know what he isn't getting?

Spoiler

Transylvania.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Waaaaaaitaminnit how do I how this ain't you pulling a long one on us on the first of April?

The game itself is the joke part.

 

[laclongquan]

J_C Use Trademarkia.com

The Long Road Home seem to be registered for Entertainment and educational services in the nature of television and multimedia program series featuring subjects of general human interest distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing entertainment information to others via a global computer network.

NOTHING say about games which is a separate category. And I think the owner is not National Geographic

You can point out to National Geographic's legal department, that they damn well better register their trademark (to games category) before they can send the CD letter.

 

[4249]

A Long Road Homo.

 

[Melcar]

"National Geographic made me change the name"

That will surely catch the attention of potential buyers.

 

[J_C]

So, some of you might know that my very first adventure game is called "A Long Road Home". I never had a problem with this name, so imagine my surprise when I got a letter in my inbox from National Geographic's legal department, with a Cease and Desist order.

It turns out, they had a documentary called "The Long Road Home", and because the two names are almost identical, they asked me to take it down from any digital storefronts. I'm infringing their property, as they wrote. Now what the fuck do I do know?

Waaaaaaitaminnit how do I how this ain't you pulling a long one on us on the first of April?

Oh, it's April 1st? I'm sure this is just a coincidence.

Spoiler

 

[J_C]

P. neat april fools. Got a chuckle out of it.

J_C got me.

Spoiler

But you know what he isn't getting?

Spoiler

Transylvania.

Ok, this was a good one. :D

 

[Darth Roxor]

 

[Parsimonious cook]

You might try just ignoring it. They are very well aware that a mail from "legal department" is an extremely scary thing for a normal Joe, it costs them nothing to send it and if it scares you into submitting, all the better for them. It doesn’t necessarily mean they will actually take legal action.

If you feel like standing up to the man, try consulting a local lawyer about it and see what he tells you.

I knew a guy at TTLG forums ages ago, who got a similar mail back in the day from some British company (I think) that demanded him to rename his own "company" (he was like a freelance web designer or w/e) or something like that because his name was very similar to their one. He just ignored the mail and nothing happened.

 

[Falksi]

 

[ERYFKRAD]

You win this round Matt Barton

 

[Tacgnol]

Nice one J_C.

Shows how crazy copyright/trademark enforcement stuff has gotten that it was so believable.

 

[Bester]

You might try just ignoring it

The same way you ignored the entire thread?

 

[NJClaw]

inb4 the National Geographic's legal department sees this thread and actually goes for the cease and desist.

 

[ghostdog]

well played, Matt.

 

[Atlantico]

So, some of you might know that my very first adventure game is called

See, 365 days of the year we're telling each other lies and making up stories.

This is merely an exercise for autism. Present a "problem", get people on the internet to post "solutions".

Did you sniff glue as a kid? By the way, I wouldn't even recommend your garbage games to my enemies

 

[thesheeep]

Damn, man.
I was about to give you some serious heartfelt advice here.

Well done!

 

[Haba]

Brb, contacting some folks who hold the trademark for "A Long Road Home".

You should've paid me, gweilo.