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Thread: Trademarking "It's On Like Donkey Kong"

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    Default It's on like Donkey Kong!

    Lawsuits that is.
    So yeah. Nintendo wants to trademark that slogan.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming....ex.html?hpt=T2

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    Default Trademarking "It's On Like Donkey Kong"

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming....ex.html?hpt=T2

    I find this absolutely laughable. Hopefully their trademark application gets denied. Also, towards the bottom of the article, there's a paragraph about Donkey Kong's origins, claiming "His name came when the Japanese company wanted to show how stubborn he was. (Mario, incidentally, is reportedly named for the landlord of the Nintendo of America building)."

    I thought Donkey Kong's name came about as a result of a mistranslation; he was originally to be called Monkey Kong. Did I just imagine that or is the author of the article full of it?
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    I always thought that saying was rather silly. Can they even trademark such a thing? If I wanted to trademark some random phrase could I? Sounds to me more like some marketing/publicity stunt for 'Donkey Kong Country Returns' that is coming out here pretty soon.

    And I've always heard the Donkey=stubborn Kong=giant gorilla story.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobra Commander View Post
    Lawsuits that is.
    So yeah. Nintendo wants to trademark that slogan.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming....ex.html?hpt=T2
    I just read the article and there's no mention of a lawsuit.

    "Nintendo filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to trademark the pop-culture phrase, 'It's on like Donkey Kong.'"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobra Commander View Post
    Lawsuits that is.
    So yeah. Nintendo wants to trademark that slogan.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming....ex.html?hpt=T2
    First, random slogans, next is Walt Nintendo World down in Florida.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Enigmus View Post
    First, random slogans, next is Walt Nintendo World down in Florida.
    Nintendo World already exists. It's in NYC:

    http://www.nintendoworldstore.com/

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    The bottom of that article suggests that this might just be a publicity stunt, and I think maybe they're right. I don't know much about trademarking slogans, but can you even trademark a phrase that's been in the public domain for years? I know you can trademark simple phrases ("Just Do It", "Have a Coke and a Smile"), but those are things those companies came up with.

    If this phrase is trademarked I will begin saying things are OFF like Donkey Kong.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob2600 View Post
    I just read the article and there's no mention of a lawsuit.

    "Nintendo filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to trademark the pop-culture phrase, 'It's on like Donkey Kong.'"
    No of course not, but if they did own it, don't you think there would be a lawsuit if they opportunity arose?

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    I thought for sure I already posted in this thread

    Edit-
    Oh, I did...nevermind...
    http://box422.bluehost.com/~videogc7...d.php?t=149143
    "Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...

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    Well this thread was created first...
    zomg I have a sig

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    In college, I used to say "drop it like some tetris pieces" around when the Snoop Dogg song Drop it like It's Hot came out. Maybe I should trademark that stupid quote

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    Leave it to Nintendo to file a patent based on a slogan they never came up with in hopes to get royalties every time someone else makes reference to it.
    Everything in the above post is opinion unless stated otherwise.

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    People want to trademark everything just to try and scam royalties. Donald Trump wanted to trademark "You're fired."

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    What's the point of trademarking a phrase that contains a name that (I'm guessing) they've already trademarked? It doesn't seem like anyone else would be able to profit off of it as-is.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple View Post
    People want to trademark everything just to try and scam royalties. Donald Trump wanted to trademark "You're fired."
    George Lucas trademarked the name "droid" way back when. All he did was lop off the 'an' from android. Verizon now pays him royalties to use the term.
    "Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...

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    Quote Originally Posted by jb143 View Post
    George Lucas trademarked the name "droid" way back when. All he did was lop off the 'an' from android. Verizon now pays him royalties to use the term.
    What up with that?


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    Lucas you could say originated the term droid. Nintendolt had absolutely nothing to do with this phrase.
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    Default

    None of the gamers I know personally say that line. I only hear it from non-gamers, maybe some Madden players, and people trying to be cool on tv. Even being so, it has been used for a loooong time, and now that it's a popular phrase, the big N wants in on some cash, too late. However, can't they still do something because their trademark name is in the phrase? I'm sure if you tried making a film entitled "It's On Like Donkey Kong" Nintendo would have rights for royalties or to sue.

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    All i can think of is Manning saying that on that Oreo commercial. Oh yeah and that one song by blood on the dance floor.

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    Does anyone else think this is actually a really creative and kind of awesome publicity stunt? Seriously, I thought the big N didn't have a sense humor left.

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