Hazelight Studios has abandoned an attempt to trademark the name of their co-op platform It Takes Two after it was disputed by Take-Two Interactive. In a comment to EurogamerA spokesperson for Hazelight said it “cannot comment on ongoing disputes” but “hopes it will be resolved.”
The developers of Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons and A Way Out filed a trademark application for It Takes Two in May 2020, and the trademark notice was published on September 29. Others then have 30 days to file a trademark objection. However, Take-Two Interactive has submitted two 90-day extensions for this period, on October 26, 2020 and January 27, 2021. These documents are available on the publicly searchable USPTO website.
Hazelight then give up the trademark application on March 25, 2021, a day before It Takes Two was released.
Rejection of a trademark application or abandonment of a trademark application does not prevent Hazelight from continuing to use the name It Takes Two if they so desire. That means Hazelight cannot use trademarks as a means of preventing other companies from using the same or similar names.
As attorney and legal commentator Richard Hoeg pointed out on Twitter that Take-Two is very active in submitting renewal requests, stacking up to “25 challenges over the past months”. These include challenges against Rockstar Ax Throwing, a Florida-based ax throwing company, and clothing brand Max Fayne. You can find all these challenges on the USPTO . website.
Here’s the pitch: perhaps Hazelight and Take-Two can find their differences if they play It Takes Two together, a game in which a bickering couple must work together after becoming a couple. into little dolls. Alice B called it a fun way to tell a boring story in her review – and what could be more boring than legal proceedings.
