French indie developer Mobigame said this week that its well-received iPhone game
Edge is returning to the App Store, months after the studio pulled the game following alleged legal threats from Tim Langdell's Edge Games, which holds the trademarks for "The Edge," "Gamer's Edge," "Edge," and "Cutting Edge."
Mobigame's
Edge, which was a finalist in three categories at the 2009 Independent Games Festival Mobile awards, is currently back on the App Store, selling for $4.99. Mobigame pulled the game from the digital storefront in April this year after it was claimed that Edge Games CEO Langdell threatened legal action for trademark infringement.
Mobigame said in a statement last night that Langdell's claims against the studio are "unmerited and unjustifiable," calling the trademark holder and his associated companies "discredited."
Earlier this year, Edge Games' actions against Mobigame and
Edge prompted the International Game Developers Association to call for a special meeting regarding Langdell, who was serving on the organization's board since March 2009. Langdell, known for aggressively defending his "Edge"-related trademarks, voluntarily resigned as a board member before the meeting convened, and he admitted to no wrongdoing.
Mobigames' statement also said, "We remain convinced that we are and at all times were entitled to use the name '
Edge' and we are determined to continue our efforts to fight for that right and to support those who have been similarly affected." The
Edge developer added, "We would stress that we have not reached any settlement or compromised our position in any way…"
Mobigame immediately saw grassroots support of its situation from the indie game community, and in late September, major publisher Electronic Arts
filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Langdell's trademarks.
Edge Games responded to the petition, saying it is "clearly a desperate attempt by EA to see if they can win the right to use
Mirror's Edge by forcibly removing Edge's legitimate rights to [the trademark] EDGE."
Mobigame is currently working a game titled
Cross Fingers.
