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Home News Microsoft's Application For Killer Instinct Trademark Denied

GAMING NEWS

Microsoft's Application For Killer Instinct Trademark Denied

Posted on Tuesday, December 4 @ 08:12:25 Eastern by Alex_Osborn

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it had renewed the trademark for Rare's fighting franchise Killer Instinct. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the publisher has secured the rights after all, as the US Patent Office has denied the Big M's request.

Apparently it can't be renewed because of fear of "confusion" with the same trademark for “entertainment services in the nature of a television series featuring drama.” Polygon believes that the culprit is likely a TV show called Killer Instinct, which received a mere 13 episodes back in 2005.

Are you still holding out hope that we'll one day see a new installment in the franchise? Let us know by commenting below.

[Via]
Tags:   Microsoft, Xbox 360, Rare, Killer Instinct


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Comments
  • moretokes
    moretokes
    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 8:46 am
    Can't they just change the name but still make it a sequel. Maybe I'm just a dunce
    0 1
  • drathbone
    drathbone
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 6:03 am
    That's what I was thinking. Do play on words count, "Instinct of the Killer" or something, or simply KI2 without actually calling it Killer Instinct, just simply KI2.
    0 0
  • Fieperskaivu
    Fieperskaivu
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 8:58 am
    Murderer's Nature

    Assassin's Tendency

    Slayer's Hunch

    Executioner's Tendency...

    Yea these are all terrible. Screw you thesaurus.com
    0 0
  • sg4real
    sg4real
    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 8:58 am
    Just change the name to Instinct Killer and make the game :D
    0 0
  • Nosidda89
    Nosidda89
    Joined: Dec 2012
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 9:48 am
    That actually wouldn't work because gamers will still miss the fact that it is based on the Rareware fighter, they'll think it's a new IP. Without the Killer Instinct name exactly as it is, it won't sell nearly as much as it would with the old name. Clever idea though. lol
    0 0
  • Nosidda89
    Nosidda89
    Joined: Dec 2012
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 9:52 am
    Personally, I'm glad they weren't able to renew it, and I hope they never will, because if Killer Instinct gets renewed and a sequal goes into development, guess who's going to make it? If you've been following Rareware since 2002, you know why this is a problem. Look at Perfect Dark Zero and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. It's more than likely with that development team that it will be far from the sequal you wanted.
    0 1
  • Kakulukia
    Kakulukia
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 11:52 am
    Why did the patent office allow a shitty TV series to steal the title in the first place? Killer Instinct was released in 1994. The show was in 2005.
    0 1
  • PeeDeeJay
    PeeDeeJay
    Joined: Oct 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
    I wonder that myself. Seems a bit backwards.
    0 1
  • xclant
    xclant
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
    Was thinking exactly the same thing myself....
    0 0
  • Somaroth
    Somaroth
    Joined: Feb 2011
    Posted: Dec 6th, 2012 at 11:29 am
    I couldn't say for sure, but U.S. I.P. law has a "use it or lose it" clause the kicks in after ten years or so (I could be wrong). I had never heard of Rare following up on Killer Instinct between now and its release, and the T.V. show lucked into it.
    0 0
  • Bras
    Bras
    Joined: Jul 2008
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
    Haha
    That reminds me of when Ferrari couldn't call their car F150 because apparently people would confuse it with the Ford pickup truck.
    0 0
  • xclant
    xclant
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
    Id love to see a new Killer Instinct on the new Nintendo console just for old times sake......
    0 0
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
    But the Killer Instinct games were out way before 2005, how does this TV show years later take more precedent?
    0 0
  • Lok-Nar
    Lok-Nar
    Joined: Feb 2012
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 12:55 am
    I would like to see Killer Instinct character roster bought and added to Mortal Kombat.
    0 1
  • xclant
    xclant
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
    Now thats a crossover event....
    0 0

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