Indie Developer Opposes Kings Trademark

Albert Ransom is about to become famous. In 2010 he created a game called Candyswipe. He was quick to protect his work and was awarded the CandySwipe trademark in July 2011. As a small time developer he has little power but in April of last year he opposed Kings trademark for Candy Crush Saga. In an open letter to King he explains why.

Two years after I released CandySwipe, you released Candy Crush Saga on mobile; the app icon, candy pieces, and even the rewarding, "Sweet!" are nearly identical. So much so, that I have hundreds of instances of actual confusion from users who think CandySwipe is Candy Crush Saga, or that CandySwipe is a Candy Crush Saga knockoff. So when you attempted to register your trademark in 2012, I opposed it for "likelihood of confusion" (which is within my legal right) given I filed for my registered trademark back in 2010 (two years before Candy Crush Saga existed).

 

- Albert Ransom, Runsome Apps Inc

The letter explains more about his game, which predated Candy Crush Saga, and how he has quietly fought this battle for months. Recently however it seems King have purchased the rights to an old game called Candy Crusher in a bid to get Ransom's trademark abolished.

You can read more about the story in this article.