Image credit: Sony
Sony and developer Shift Up are being sued by Louisiana-based film production company Stellarblade, which – in case you haven’t already guessed where this is going – is alleging trademark infringement following the release of this year’s PS5 action-adventure Stellar Blade.
As reported by IGN, the complaint was filed in a Louisiana court earlier this month by Stellarblade LLC and its owner, Griffith Chambers Mehaffey. It’s specifically targeting Sony, Shift Up, and and Sony’s unnamed liability insurance company, amid claims Stellarblade’s business (that’s the film company) is being damaged by Stellar Blade (the game’s) use of the name.
Stellarblade was established to provide “multimedia entertainment services” – including film, documentary, and music video production – in 2010, and Mehaffey is said to have owned the domain stellarblade.com since 2006. In the complaint, Mehaffey claims his customers have been unable to easily find information about his business online since the game formerly known as Project Eve was re-revealed under the name Stellar Blade in 2021.
In a statement provided to IGN, Mehaffey’s lawyer expanded on the latter point, adding, “The defendants’ far superior resources have effectively monopolised online search results for Stellarblade, pushing Mr. Mehaffey’s long-established business into digital obscurity and threatening the livelihood he’s built over more than a decade.”
Mehaffey also argues Shift Up and Sony’s Stellar Blade trademark (filed in January 2023) is “confusingly similar” to his own Stellarblade trademark (filed in June 2023), citing similar colour schemes and a stylised ‘S’. He’s seeking damages and attorney fees if his legal action is successful, and is requesting Shift Up and Sony be prevented from using Stellar Blade or any other similar name in the future – and that all Stellar Blade material in their possession is handed over to be destroyed.
Eurogamer’s Jessica Orr quite liked Stellar Blade when it launched earlier this year, celebrating its “moreish combat and bizarrely appealing lack of personality” in her four star review.
