Sony, EA, Konami file new trademarks

The first week of April was a busy one for publishers filing US Patent & Trademark Office applications. In addition to NCsoft's fairly straightforward claim on City of Heroes 2, a number of more ambiguous trademark applications have also surfaced in the government agency's online database.

From Konami comes "Adrenalin Misfits." Filed on April 1, the application carries a number of the qualifiers to be expected from a new game, including "video game software, video game programs, computer game programs, computer game software, and electronic game programs." No other information on the potential new game, such as platforms, genre, or release date, could be gleaned from the filing.

Electronic Arts and Sony Computer Entertainment America also filed trademark applications during the first week of April, apparently staking claims on names for downloadable titles. EA's application is for "Pirates Ahoy," which the publisher seeks to claim for "entertainment services, namely, providing an online computer game." It is not clear whether the game will surface on the publisher's casual game portal Pogo.com or one of the console maker's online services.

As for SCEA, the publisher has filed to trademark "Until Dawn." Sony specifically notes that the name would be used with a product that "may be accessed over global and local area computer networks by network users." SCEA's parent company--that is, Sony Corp.--also got into the trademark application game on April 1, filing to secure the rights to "Road to Zero." However, that trademark would be from goods ranging from games to "saddle bags" to "apparatus and instruments for astronomy."