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Blizzard secures Overwatch trademark after legal wrangling

A company called Innovis already owned the trademark to "Overwatch," and after a deal to share it went south, Blizzard has claimed the rights to the name.

Blizzard has gained the legal right to call its upcoming shooter Overwatch.

That was in question up till now, as a company called Innovis Labs had registered a trademark for the same name in 2013 -- for multiple applications, including video games. But a new legal filing reveals that Blizzard is in the final stages of preparing a settlement with Innovis.

Blizzard announced its game in 2014; Innovis had claimed the trademark in 2013.

The financial terms of the forthcoming settlement will not be revealed, but it appears that Blizzard will assume complete control of the trademark, according to a blog post from video game industry attorney Stephen McArthur which outlines the details of the case.

McArthur blogged on Gamaustra earlier this year about the benefits of trademarking your video game title.

For its part, Innovis has produced an app under the name "Overwatch" which uses smartphones to bring video game trappings to real-life paintball and airsoft matches. Its fate is unclear until the final settlement is issued.

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