Intern Saga: Game Mocks Law Grads' Lives, Trademark Disputes

A trademark and law school parody, all in one app.
It's common knowledge that today's law grads, for lack of a better term, are screwed. Six-figure debt, no jobs, yadda yadda.
And as lawyers, we're often amused by some of the more ridiculous trademark battles out there, like trademarking "candy" and "saga" for all videogames and then going after games that bear no resemblance to your candy-crushing puzzle game.
Take both jokes, turn them into a game, and you get Intern Saga: Trademark Lawyer.
Too Soon?
If you've ever interned for, worked with, or fought against a shady troll or frivolous suit filer, the game play may hit too close to home.
According to Android Police, you play as an intern in a trademark law firm, where your job is to check a fake app store for games that infringe upon your well-known client's trademark. The player also sends cease-and-desist letters. For each app that is "removed" from the app store, you get a few dollars closer to paying off your student loan debt. Fail, and you are fired.
Seriously. This is a game about student loan debt and tedious trademark claims. We can't give a review on the actual game play just yet, but in terms of concept, it's simply brilliant.
The 'Saga' Trademark Saga
As we discussed on our In House blog, Candy Crush Saga developer King filed trademarks for "candy" and "saga," covering all uses of the common words in video games, clothing, and a ton of services (including, strangely enough, party planning).
Though the developer claimed that it was merely protecting its valuable property against app clones and imitators, and that it would not attack legitimate users of the two common nouns, it did just that when it tried to block The Banner Saga's own application for a trademark. The role-playing game about Vikings bears no resemblance to anything coming out of King.
King stated that it had no issues with The Banner Saga's name, and only opposed the trademark because it was protecting its own IP. Nonetheless, the company's cease and desist letters to other game makers, plus their dustup over The Banner Saga, painted them as a villain in the developers' community, and now, in a parody game.
What's next - a chase the ambulances without violating the Model Rules game? Hmmm ... Share your ideas on Facebook at FindLaw for Legal Professionals.
Related Resources:
- #BringBackMiles: You Need Twitter Accounts for All Company Brands (FindLaw's In House Blog)
- Craigslist Ad Breaks Our Hearts; Advice for the Unemployed (FindLaw's Greedy Associates Blog)
- Holy Cow! Our Government Has at Least One Great, Working Website (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
- Legal Technology Center (FindLaw)