The trademark application filed by Sony for the expansion to its critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn, The Frozen Wilds, has been suspended by The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO stated that another studio had filed for a similar trademark before Sony.
The studio, called Huuuge, had filed for a trademark for its game Frozen Wild in May. Huuuge Games develops mobile free-to-play casino games and Frozen Wild is one of them. The suspension notice was issued on 18th September, 2017, but was recently found by a NeoGaf user. Sony haven’t responded on the matter yet and it seems highly unlikely that they will change the expansion’s name.
The suspension notice reads as follows -:
“SUSPENSION NOTICE: NO RESPONSE NEEDED
ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 9/18/2017
The trademark examining attorney is suspending action on the application for the reason(s) stated below. See 37 C.F.R. §2.67; TMEP §§716 et seq.
The effective filing date of the pending application(s) identified below precedes the filing date of applicant’s application. If the mark in the referenced application(s) registers, applicant’s mark may be refused registration under Section 2(d) because of a likelihood of confusion with that registered mark(s). See 15 U.S.C. §1052(d); 37 C.F.R. §2.83; TMEP §§1208 et seq. Therefore, action on this application is suspended until the earlier-filed referenced application(s) is either registered or abandoned. 37 C.F.R. §2.83(c). A copy of information relevant to this referenced application(s) is attached.
– Application Serial No(s). 87466907
The USPTO will periodically conduct a status check of the application to determine whether suspension remains appropriate, and the trademark examining attorney will issue as needed an inquiry letter to applicant regarding the status of the matter on which suspension is based. TMEP §§716.04, 716.05. Applicant will be notified when suspension is no longer appropriate. See TMEP §716.04.
No response to this notice is necessary; however, if applicant wants to respond, applicant should use the “Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension” form online at http://teasroa.uspto.gov/rsi/rsi.”