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Mon Dec 22 11:17:59 2003 EST
FAIRFAX, Va., Dec 22, 2003 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
Mythic Entertainment, developer and
publisher of the award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game
"Dark Age of Camelot(R)," and many other popular online games, announced that
it has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation for trademark
infringement and unfair competition.
"We have worked hard for eight years to earn our reputation for producing
high quality online games, including games that compete successfully with
those offered by the biggest corporations in the world, such as Microsoft,"
Mark Jacobs, president and CEO of Mythic Entertainment, said. "The Mythic
name and registered trademark are the symbols of that reputation and quality,
and they represent the goodwill and recognition we have achieved in the
computer game industry and among consumers worldwide.
"We cannot allow Microsoft to usurp our rights, confuse the public, and
use the Mythic brand to gain an unfair competitive advantage."
The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia, in Alexandria, alleges that Microsoft's forthcoming online game,
"Mythica," and pre-release publicity for such game, infringes Mythic's name
and federally-registered trademark MYTHIC ENTERTAINMENT(R), and amounts to
unfair competition in violation of federal and state law. The complaint
alleges that the term "Mythica" is so similar to Mythic's registered mark and
name as to be likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among consumers.
Mythic is seeking a permanent injunction and economic remedies. Mythic
Entertainment objected to Microsoft's use of "Mythica" previously, but
Microsoft refused to stop using the name.
"We had hoped not to have to resolve this in court, and it is truly
unfortunate that Microsoft declined to respect Mythic's rights," Jacobs said.
"But our name and mark are among our most valuable assets. We have no choice
but to defend them, regardless of the size and power of our adversary. We
would expect Microsoft to react no differently if someone launched an
operating system called Microsofta just as Microsoft did when confronted with
an operating system called Lindows."
About Mythic Entertainment
Mythic Entertainment is one of the most successful online game developers
in the industry today. Credited with 14 online titles including the award
winning "Dark Age of Camelot(R)" and subsequent expansions "Shrouded Isles(R)"
and "Trials of Atlantis(TM)," Mythic has played a major part in the evolution
of the online game industry. The company's other titles are some of the most
popular online-only games of all time, including "Aliens Online," "Starship
Troopers: Battlespace," "Godzilla Online," "Silent Death Online," "Rolemaster:
Magestorm," "Darkness Falls," "Splatterball" and "Dragon's Gate." In 2003,
Mythic was ranked 36 in Inc. 500. Mythic was also named one of Deloitte &
Touche's national "Technology Fast 500" companies and regional "Technology
Fast 50" companies for the past two years. For more information about Mythic
Entertainment, visit
http://www.mythicentertainment.com .
SOURCE Mythic Entertainment
Rannie Yoo, +1-415-777-4000,
[email protected] , for Mythic
Entertainment
http://www.prnewswire.com