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Lucasfilm files a bunch of trademarks for Maniac Mansion

R

Rösti

Unconfirmed Member
On the 22nd of May, Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. LLC, under Disney of course, filed four trademarks for Maniac Mansion via the USPTO. As far as I can tell, though I might be wrong here, they intend to use this for games due to "video game software; computer programs and software". But that might be connected in some way to the other goods, maybe someone good on IP legislation can provide an answer. It differs from most regular filings for games anyway. The filings are under the following Goods & Services:

Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; audio books; audio recordings; audio and visual recordings; video game software; computer programs and software; consumer electronics and accessories therefor; eyeglasses and sunglasses and accessories therefor; binoculars; decorative magnets; graduated rulers
Goods and Services IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: Clothing, footwear and headwear
Goods and Services IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Education and entertainment services
Goods and Services IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Paper and paper articles; cardboard and cardboard articles; printed matter; publications; books; photographs; portraits; paintings; stationery; office and school supplies
Source(s): http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85940105&docId=APP20130525075031#docIndex=0&page=1, http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85940098&docId=APP20130525075023#docIndex=0&page=1, http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85940086&docId=APP20130525075009#docIndex=0&page=1, http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85939906&docId=APP20130525074632#docIndex=0&page=1

The first trademark for Maniac Mansion was filed on the 1st of October 1987 but has been cancelled since 2009 due to LucasArts filing a new application for the series in 2008. And that trademark is under the following Goods & Services (among others), and the same also applies to Star Wars 1313 for reference:

IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Interactive entertainment software and accompanying instruction manuals sold as a unit, namely, computer game software and manuals sold as a unit, video game software and manuals sold as a unit; video game software, computer game software, and pre-recorded CD-ROMs, DVDs, cartridges, universal media discs, and magnetic game cards featuring games, films, music, computer game software, and video game software; pre-recorded electronic media featuring music; downloadable video game software and downloadable computer game software
http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn77590835&docId=APP20081014152337#docIndex=31&page=1

The most recent event for the above trademark, the "main", is an ITU Extension Approval dated Nov. 17, 2012:

A Notice of Allowance issued for the trademark application identified below on May 25, 2010. The FIFTH request for extension of time to file a Statement of Use has been approved. Applicant must continue to file extension requests every 6 months calculated from the date the Notice of Allowance was issued until a Statement of Use is filed. Please note that a Statement of Use cannot be filed more than 36 months from the issuance date of the Notice of Allowance.
Source: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn77590835&docId=AER20121117084537#docIndex=0&page=1

Now, this was before the closure of LucasArts so if a sixth and final request for extension of time to file a Statement of Use will be approved I don't know. But seemingly Disney/Lucasfilm wants to do something with this franchise, so who knows what might happen. It looks more like some kind of edutainment or visual novel to me than a regular game, hopefully I'm wrong. Well, there you have it.


267612-maniac-mansionihktq.png
From the Commodore 64 version​
 
So much nostalgia for the NES version.
This would work really well on an iPad.

Would be pretty interesting to see how the story / setting would work in the modern world full of cell phones and whatnot.
 

Kuro Madoushi

Unconfirmed Member
They MUST use this on the goods they provided on the app or it won't be registered. They can still remove items from it without penalty iirc, but if they say vidya games then they need to or else they can lose the tm after.
 

SMT

this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
The game my father and brothers played, while I didn't exist.
 
At this point Grim Fandango should just be turned into an animated film.
My vote goes to Henry Selick and his crew of stop-motion animators - it's a match made in heaven!
 

Shaanyboi

Banned
Damnit imagination, stop. STOP. You know this is going to end with us being disappointed, one way or another; don't do this! You have to set realistic expectations as to what this could mean, and for what could come of it.

No... No, no, NO! NOOOOOOOO!!!!









hype
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Awesome news if they make Maniac Mansion 3 - now please bring back Monkey Island as well!
 
I actually tweeted to Pixar about grim fandango since they were making a movie just like it. Maybe they decided to investigate the IPs that lucasarts had
 

jfrisby

Neo Member
Does the reapplication for the trademark stuff actually mean anything beyond internal legal housekeeping? Seems like the Disney folks would jump on a lapse like that (where Lucasfilm maybe didnt?)
 

BJWanlund

Member
Yea I figured but because Pixar's top people has such a stranglehold over the Disney Company it's possible Lasseter or Catmull dug into the Lucasfilm archives to give the other divisions some ideas

I have to wonder if they would do something like this. The *original* Pixar movies of recent haven't been that good (I'm specifically talking about Brave), so maybe their next move is a Maniac Mansion movie? Or even a Monkey Island movie? I wouldn't mind seeing a Monkey Island movie, especially if they tasked Gore Verbinski (the guy that directed the first three Pirates movies) with creating a Monkey Island movie. Then Monkey Island meets Pirates of the Caribbean in a majorly cool overlay? I'd LOVE a Monkey Island Pirates of the Caribbean overlay, it'd definitely be a cool little full-circle moment, since Ron Gilbert was supposedly inspired quite a bit by Pirates of the Caribbean.

I mean come ON, Barbossa looks dead on like the Dread Pirate LeChuck would in real life.

And I think giving the LucasArts IP over to people inside Disney who know what they're doing instead of just letting them languish is a great idea. Now can we please get these games on GOG yesterday? Thanks!
 
If Disney is reviving the IP, it's not likely going to be for any purpose that fans of the original two games will be pleased with.
 

cuyahoga

Dudebro, My Shit is Fucked Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It's Straight-Up Dawg Time
Kinda baffled by this. Disney already has The Haunted Mansion, which I assume would make this IP redundant in their eyes. Did someone license this one?
 

JoseJX

Member
At the very least, I'd hope that renewed interest in the franchise means that we'll get a GoG release at some point in the future. Fingers crossed!
 

megalowho

Member
If they can find a way to make the Maniac Mansion IP work for a new generation without losing its soul, even if new games aren't even involved, Disney will have done good. Hell just the fact that they acknowledge that era is a step up from previous ownership.
 

Mr Swine

Banned
Since this is Disney I have no high hopes for the franchise. Disney may turn it to a kids show or something like that -_-
 
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