Update 2: Ubisoft is calling the filing fraudulent and has filed a claim with the USPTO.
Ubisoft Entertainment submits this Petition to the Director under Trademark Rule 2.146 to prevent the abandonment of Application Serial No. 85642398. A fraudulent Request for Express Abandonment was recently filed in connection with Application Serial No. 85642398.
Facts
On February 1, 2014, Ubisoft Entertainment received an email fromTEAS@uspto.gov notifying Ubisoft Entertainment that a Request for Express Abandonment had been filed in connection with Application Serial No. 85642398. The Request for Express Abandonment purports to be signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft Entertainment, Yves Guillemot.
Mr. Guillemot, however, did not sign the Request for Express Abandonment, nor did Ubisoft Entertainment file the Request for Express Abandonment. The Request for Express Abandonment is fraudulent and was not filed by Ubisoft Entertainment or its representative.
[Update: As we speculated, it looks like Ubisoft is gearing up for a rebranding of the name from just Watch Dogs to including the underscore for Watch_Dogs. Check out this tweet from Ubisoft Montreal that confirms the game is not cancelled.]
@griffmeister69 @gooner4life_uk I can assure you that Watch_Dogs is still being polished as we speak. cc. @Ubisoft
— Ubisoft Montréal (@UbisoftMTL) February 3, 2014
In a bizarre twist surrounding rumors of the Wii U version being cancelled, today NeoGAF discovered that Ubisoft has abandoned the Watch Dogs trademark. The company has several other trademarks for the name Watch Dogs relating to wearable items. This is the trademark that has been abaondoned today:
IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Game software and electronic game programs, namely, software games recorded on CD-ROM and digital video discs for computers; software games recorded on CD-ROMs, digital video discs, and cartridges for console and individual, portable gaming systems; software games that are downloadable from a remote computer site and electronic game software for mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and handheld computers
You can see the official filing here. Could it potentially mean that the series is getting a new game, or will Ubisoft trademark the Watch_Dogs branding that has been seen for some time now?
Thanks, Michael!
