14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Blizzard, best known for the Warcraft and Diablo franchises, has launched a case against rival developer Valve, seeking to deny the use of the DOTA name for its upcoming MOBA titles.
The action was lodged at the Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where Valve previously applied for a trademark.
The complaint from Blizzard states, “Blizzard seeks to prevent registration by its competitor Valve Corporation of a trademark, DOTA, that for more than seven years has been used exclusively by Blizzard and its fan community, under license from Blizzard.”
It adds, “By virtue of that use, the DOTA mark has become firmly associated in the mind of consumers with Blizzard, including to signify a highly popular scenario or variant of one of Blizzard’s best-selling computer games, Warcraft III. Over the past seven years, the mark DOTA has been used exclusively in connection with Blizzard and its products, namely Warcraft III.”
The legal team representing Blizzard concludes by saying that Valve has no rights to use the DOTA name.
The developer also says that the fans that have played the DOTA games based on the original Warcraft III will also be affected by the Valve trademark application.
DOTA is used to refer to Defense of the Ancients, the map in Warcraft III that was initially used for the precursors of the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre.
At the moment League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth are the most successful titles in this gaming space and both Valve and Blizzard plan to launch their own takes on the genre.
The Valve title is set to be launched during 2012 and is now in closed beta stage, with the developers planning to deliver a better user interface and more learning opportunities.
Blizzard stated that its own take on MOBA would arrive after the launch of the Heart of the Swarm expansion for Starcraft II.