Atari wants owner to turn over atari2600.org

[Lucifersam1]

Anyone hear about this?

http://atariuser.blogspot.com/2011/08/atari-continues-efforts-to-alienate-and.html

It looks like Atari wouldn't have much luck due to the age of the site. It sucks that companies are starting to play this game (I believe Activision went after a site recently?). If I wanted to make a fansite for a console, and used that console's name, the company could just sue me for the rights to the domain because it contains their trademark?

Hrm...

[Collector_Gaming]

money = power
power = greed
greed = evil

i think you can understand this. Money makes our world go around and everyone is always trying to be the next Bill Gates

[Sunnyvale]

Thanks for the info, LuciferSam1. I'm not entirely surprised, but to hell with them. If these guys were cranking out ET and Pac Man (as if), I'd see there point. As it is, I think the dicks are just pissed all they have to there name is a 30 year old system and a handful of collectible systems. And to an older gamer, wow, ATARI is bitching about liscensing the 2600's games?!? Umm...

[Greg2600]

Not for nothing, but atari2600.org has next to nothing on it, and hasn't been updated in years. That said, if Atari actually "demanded" the turnover of the domain, that is pretty heinous on their part. atari2600.com, on the other hand, is a good classic game commercial site, yet I'm shocked Atari hasn't attacked the hell out of it.

[Bojay1997]

Oddly, Atari doesn't even have a live registered trademark for Atari 2600 anymore. It looks like they let it die in 1995. That's not to say they can't make a common law trademark argument and certainly they have several registered trademarks for various forms of "Atari", but considering they haven't really used Atari 2600 in commerce in a number of years and let at least two websites use the trademark and URLs for over a decade, it certainly puts Atari in a weaker position.

[skaar]

Quick, who do I call to report NintendoAge? :D

[tom]

There's a thread on AA under Atari 8-bit about this nonsense.

[Aussie2B]

According to the article, it seems like they take issue with the use of "Atari" rather than the full "Atari 2600", but that seems like utter BS to me. The Internet is a global thing, and it's not like Atari has control of the use of their name around the entire world. I mean, "atari" is an ordinary word in Japanese, for crying out loud. What if a Japanese person, who knows nothing of the company, made a website with "atari" in the title? I don't know if it makes a difference if the site creator is located in the US or where the website host is located, but it's all still nonsense in the end. Why can't they just be a decent company and offer the guy some money to claim the URL?

[portnoyd]

Quick, who do I call to report NintendoAge? :D

piracy@nintendo.com

Don't forget to mention RetroUSB.com

[DreamTR]

According to the article, it seems like they take issue with the use of "Atari" rather than the full "Atari 2600", but that seems like utter BS to me. The Internet is a global thing, and it's not like Atari has control of the use of their name around the entire world. I mean, "atari" is an ordinary word in Japanese, for crying out loud. What if a Japanese person, who knows nothing of the company, made a website with "atari" in the title? I don't know if it makes a difference if the site creator is located in the US or where the website host is located, but it's all still nonsense in the end. Why can't they just be a decent company and offer the guy some money to claim the URL?

I guarantee you they don't even know that Atari is a common word....some of these companies don't do their homework.

The Felix The Cat trademark owner was hilarious. eBay was taking down Felix the Cat NES game auctions awhile ago because the company that owned the trademark (probably new) said it was a bootlegged game. Seriously.

[Aussie2B]

Well, they should, considering that Nolan Bushnell named the company after a term in the Japanese board game Go, although, yeah, who knows what the hell the current execs know.

[Sunnyvale]

Next in Atari's laywer's crosshairs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwpjAQPirE0

Shoulda gone by 'The Vectrexes'.

[old man]

Looks to me like it falls under fair use. If Atari wants to capitalize on their company name they should try and make some decent games. Otherwise I think they should stfu. Personally, I'm pretty sick of money grubbers attacking people over BS.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I guarantee you they don't even know that Atari is a common word....some of these companies don't do their homework.

Or play Go.

[Bojay1997]

According to the article, it seems like they take issue with the use of "Atari" rather than the full "Atari 2600", but that seems like utter BS to me. The Internet is a global thing, and it's not like Atari has control of the use of their name around the entire world. I mean, "atari" is an ordinary word in Japanese, for crying out loud. What if a Japanese person, who knows nothing of the company, made a website with "atari" in the title? I don't know if it makes a difference if the site creator is located in the US or where the website host is located, but it's all still nonsense in the end. Why can't they just be a decent company and offer the guy some money to claim the URL?

They do, however, likely have control over their trademarked name as it relates to video games worldwide. Trademarks are intended to "protect" the public, not necessarily companies, but they will likely argue that having sites out there with "Atari" in the name related to video games and in fact related to their products will spread confusion as to their source. I don't know that it's a winning argument for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the sites in question have been around for over a decade, don't really sell competitive products, and are informational in nature, but who knows what could happen should the matter proceed. At a minimum, it's going to cost the site owners time and money to fight. It really reflects poorly on the new Atari in my view.

[Paet]

Do they want atari7800.com too?

Screw them. They haven't been Atari in decades.

[bangtango]

I guarantee you they don't even know that Atari is a common word....some of these companies don't do their homework.

The Felix The Cat trademark owner was hilarious. eBay was taking down Felix the Cat NES game auctions awhile ago because the company that owned the trademark (probably new) said it was a bootlegged game. Seriously.

That is the trouble when some companies get a little long in the tooth or they go through murky sales/buyouts, leadership changes, etc.

Best example I recall is of some intern or bottom-feeder over to Electronic Arts completely removing all references to founder Trip Hawkins from the EA Wikipedia page and web site.

[Baloo]

Or play Go.

I'll play the Tengen point as my starting move.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Nice word play. Go for the eyes Boo! LOL

[bangtango]

Edit: Replying to the wrong thread. Damned tabbed browsing.

[retroguy]

Don't forget to mention RetroUSB.com

Dude, don't even joke about that. The copyright nazis are bad enough as it is, don't give them any ideas.