From Software has acquired the Elden Ring trademark from Bandai Namco
Ownership of the trademark switched between the companies last year
From Software has acquired full rights to the Elden Ring trademark from Bandai Namco.
According to a recently unearthed US Patent and Trademark Office assignment document, ownership of the trademark switched between the companies in March 2023, about 13 months after the blockbuster game’s release.
“Assignor [Bandai Namco] hereby assigns to assignee [From Software] all right, title and interest in and to the trademark, together with the goodwill of the business symbolised by the trademark and the identified registration therefor, and with all claims arising out of or relating to the use of ownership of the trademark,” it reads.
Update
The trademark transfer appears to cover the game’s name only. Hoeg Law attorney Richard Hoeg told VGC that it would not be a transfer of what we think of as the game itself (although this could have occurred separately). The transfer of an IP like Elden Ring (which is copywrite protected) would be done by contract and not necessarily require a public registration, he said.
Elden Ring was released in February 2022 and sold 20 million copies within its first year, according to From Software and Bandai Namco.
While developer From Software also published Elden Ring in its native Japan, fellow Japanese company Bandai Namco published the game internationally.
In August 2022, From Software owner Kadokawa Corporation announced plans to sell shares to Sony and Tencent which would result in the pair owning a combined 30% of From Software.
It said the move would enhance From Software’s development capabilities and potentially help it to publish its own games globally.
“Through the implementation of the fund procurement, FromSoftware will aim to proactively invest in development of more powerful game IP for itself to strengthen FromSoftware’s development capabilities and will seek to establish a framework that allows the expansion of the scope of its own publishing in the significantly growing global market,” it said.
An Elden Ring expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, was announced three days after the title’s first anniversary, although few details about the DLC have been confirmed in the year since.
Further reading
Elden Ring publisher ‘working to secure IP and partnerships’ amid M&A spree
“We are currently working hard on the development of DLC for Elden Ring but we have not announced a release date at this time,” Kadokawa said in a quarterly earnings reports published this month.
It was also reported this month that Tencent is developing a mobile version of Elden Ring.
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