So what happens to all the previously printed games that refer to pieces as “meeples” or have pieces with the yellow meeple shape (e.g. Final Girl)? This whole thing seems like a rather greedy ploy and puts yet another black eye on this beloved hobby

#Gample as a new term for "Meeple" Board game enthusiasts know the tiny wooden pawns as "meeple," a term coined by Alison Hansel in 2000. But with trademark issues surrounding "meeple" I propose "Gample" combining #Game and #People, as a new universal term for any human or animal shape Meeple. "Gample" is short, memorable, and captures the essence of these pawns. Let's make "Gample" the new go-to word for uniting boardgamers everywhere!

At least here in Germany there is virtually no journalism that is critical about the board game industry. Also reviewers are way too soft towards games by german authors because it is al failry small bubble of people that are befriended to each other. So nobody wants to step on anyone toes.

This happened three or four years ago with San Diego Comic-con copywriting the word "Comic-con" and all its variations of spellings after it had been used universally for years. This is just a shortening of the words Comic book Convention. It was a surprise that this was granted because the term was already in the name of comic conventions around the world. It lead to conventions around the U.S. having to run around and work out licensing or lose the names they had used for years. It was based upon marketing. of course. and stating that TV shows like "The Big Bang Theory" using the term Comic-con was synonymous with the San Diego Comicon. It didn't take into account most people have never attended San Diego Comic-con but were more likely to attend the shows near them and to this day call the comic-cons.

I run a board game group at our local school. I put up a few posters for advertising purposes (at school). I also used a meeple for this. But beforehand I asked the German license holder and got even better pictures from there. This is hobby for them. They also supported me with 3 games.

I appreciate the call for more independent critical board game journalism! I have filed a few patents and I think that, in the US, there is a very limited time window for which you can file a copyright if you have already provided a public presentation of the claimed work. Which is why they would probably never get a US approved copyright.

17:01 in the watch industry some ‘Steve’ successfully trademarked NATO in the context of watch straps and makes a living terrorizing the industry’s use of the term NATO strap. 🙄 Also, STANDARDIZATION in the boardgame industry strikes me as really challenging because much of what makes a game successful outside of marketing and aesthetic theme, are how it approaches its gaming model system and mechanisms.

Meeple, Tap, Choose-Your-Adventure, Superhero... by now there should be a list of terms to avoid in games that Game-Designers can easily check. Anyone already created a blacklist? 😜

This may end up being a cause of Genericide "When a trademark or name becomes so commonly used to describe something that it's considered generic, the rights can be revoked by a court. This makes it possible for other companies to use the same name in their branding and marketing. For example, the trademarks for the escalator, yo-yo, and laundromat were all revoked in court." I have read articles about companies having their own products trademarked/copyrighted by someone else and losing rights to their product, though it is a rare thing to happen. That being said it may just be a way to ensure it is thiers or to guarantee they cannot lost it. Interestingly I did find out that games rules cannot by copyrighted or patented.

I would still class $200k revenue as a hobby project. Hobby projects stop being hobby projects when you can financially pay yourself a full time wage that is equivalent to working in a skilled role and pay all your workers etc.

You can get a trademark for something like "meeple" but that doesn't mean you can keep it. The question becomes whether anyone will go to the trouble to try to contest it or just start using a different term.

Reminds me of the guy Tim Landell who patent trolled the word ‘Edge’ for computer games. Eventually EA games took him to court and got the trademark removed Small companies lost money before EA went for him. Meeple is just the same Also a bit of terminology from the UK Redundant = work over without fault Sacked = fired for a reason Laid off = not paid for a time but job remains open possibly

16:50 Exactly-there’s a difference between copying/protection of creativity, and having a common language. Turning a card, pressing a button, decades of calling something a “meeple” (with no one claiming exclusivity), etc. We can use a Kleenex or a tissue, photocopy something or Xerox it, by which I guess I’m trying to say that a generic and descriptive term would naturally arise if “meeple” had been taken off the plate-except that meeple started life as the generic term. And other game developers would’ve just created legally distinct shapes until maybe, say, a gingerbread man shape became the generic meeple outline.

The trademark on tap expired and wasn't renewed so it's free to use now. Bizarre case of WoTC not being shits. Sad to see this stuff with Meeple. Lazy bullshit from a publisher looking to become a landlord

I'm fairly sure, would need an IP lawyer to confirm, that you can't trademark something if it's existed for X number of years, been in the public domain since then, and in common use. There is a finite limit of time to trademark something. There are also many, many cases of trademarks being granted, but not holding up when challenged in court.

in the UK redundancy means your job is no longer needed. So they legally aren't allowed to hire to replace you and you are entitled to tax free pay (up to a certain amount) based on years of service. If I got made redundant I'd get almost 1 years pay. But "fired" means you're not legally entitled to anything.

The publisher's of Carcassone did not popularize the meeple figure. The board gaming community did. If the publishers had come up with a hard stance against its usage early on, the community would not have popularized it, and it's value would be nearly meaningless. So, they should get backlash from the community from it. Carcasonne sales are not hurt by the usage of meeples. The usage of meeple more likely enhances its sales. They need to focus on making games and stop attempting to claim ownership of things long after the fact.

Never buying from the meeples guys ever again.

Trademark has *absolutely* nothing to do with creation. That is the domain of copyright (both in the design of a meeple shape and the creation of a name). Similarly a patent deals with a created mechanism (actual or virtual). Trademark deals purely with trade dress and identification only. The question asked in any trademark (either as a visual image or as a word) dispute is (at least in UK and US law since I have no knowledge of German trademark law) simply could an uninformed person confuse the use of the term by another person or company as referring to a product that is made by or a service rendered by the company that holds the trademark. In the US, due to some very expensive law suits (for them), the USPTO no longer validates a trademark on filing unless it is particularly egregious or the application is highly contested at the time of filing. They much prefer to let the courts (who cannot be sued for their decisions) settle the issue of the actual validity of a trademark. So it is relatively easy to trademark something and then get your lawyers to send a Cease & Desist letter on trademark violation grounds. Given the costs of lawyers and civil law (especially in the US) this is usually sufficient to scare people away. Although it also requires you to choose your target, such as not sending a C&D letter to Amazon to remove all books that made use of "Space Marine" in title or description (once Games Workshop was granted the word trademark of "Space Marine (TM)." But someone off the street would not confuse the Space Marine in those books for the iconic Space marine of Games Workshop, and Amazon's in-house lawyers politely reminded GW's US attorneys of this fact (and nothing evolved from it). But as with most US civil law, the company with the most money generally wins. Civil law is intentionally very very expensive. Actually enforcing a trademark on "meeple" would probably be fairly difficult considering that hey did not invent the term or general shape (there is established prior art in gaming), as well as on the grounds that it has definitely entered common usage. But sending a C&D is relatively cheap and scary to most people. The real test if they are willing to actual file court papers over the matter. But defending this can get very expensive, even if you win (depending on jurisdiction). This is, of course, not legal advice.

Something similar happened for the term "Coke": it became a common way to refer to Coca Cola and the company registered it in 1944

Why haven’t you been in my feed more? I subscribed and I like all videos of your that I see. Are you trying to tell me something? lol, awesome video as always !

This is Terror in Meeple City....what a RAMPAGE.... Okay couldn't help myself...but wow had no idea...and what a weird TM....

So if they get a no on the meeple name then that is no to everyone which may accomplish their goal of at least keeping it from being taken by someone else.

IGN are a shitshow of a company full stop. Full of bias and crappy game journalism. Seen this coming a mile away.

What bothers me most is why tf does the head of a big gaming company like Hans im Glück think someone will sue them for using the word meeple when it's been used for MORE THAN A DECADE! They didn't even invent the term, they're just one of the first to use it in their game! And the idiots here in Germany who approved the trademark really believed the word needs to be protected?!

Creation should be respected. Sadly (for them), they didn't create "meeple". So they need to respect Alison Hansel's creation, and the trademark should belong to her.

Just for fun The name "Hans im Glück" is also "stolen" from the fairy tale "Hans in luck" 😂

You don't have to apologise for talking about negative things. I think more people should, so thank you. I also wanted to let you know the difference between redundancy and fired. Redundancy is where the company strongly asks you to leave but also gives you a whole heap of money, typically the longer you've been working there the more money your given. Being fired is where you get nothing and your gone.

Tiny Epic is a trademark. That one makes a lot of sense

I still can't believe people are so gullible to fall for NFTs.

I'm calling them Wooeples (wooden meeples) and trademarkong it

I think they use "redundant" in the EU because there are fewer laws protecting job loss due to redundancy. News articles about the lay offs in the gaming industry used the same language and I believe that was the explanation given for the forced terminology. Saw someone mention that claiming in any publication that they were fired and not made redundant is grounds for liable too. EU may have some better protections but companies always find a way around.

A little more data for the Cysmic "Minnesota Killjoy" affair, which has been all over from last Thursday at this point: Of the $7800 "extraneous" funds from this dude to go from 152k to the 160k goal, $6000 was pulled in the immediate 24 hours after. Jason gave a day by day breakdown of funds for each day of the campaign and yeah there was a funding spike for sure, but it looks like funding without MK would've happened later in the same week anyway. All that said, I personally don't get waiting until a campaign funds to pledge. It feels like a weird stand off to me, you know?

Hmm.. sounds like Games Workshop and the words space marine

If you ask me, the system is here the problem. I do not like the trademark system at all. I guess Germany was really upset, when the Enercon theft happened in the 90s. So now everyone tries to claim something to "protect" themself. I think the good thing here is that you can still talk to them. Other companies are not even doing that. But I would be also mad if I would be a creator of a game, and then a company tells me. Oh by the way for the next update of your boardgame you have to pay us. Guess why, we have now the trademark of your "Yugutholoth" piece.

Zombicide: Carcassonne

So is my logo technically copyright infringement for the meeple shape?!

Never heard of Sheol….still absolutely LOVING DoM. Worth all the time it takes imo. Also playing 6 Siege and got spanked by my son last night lol still learning my abilities and the map. Went completely wrong direction

IGN destroying dicebreaker is real hit to the board game industry. It shouldn't be allowed as it establishes a monopoly of thought and dissemination of information. I will not be supporting them in any way going forward and hope another company comes forward to take the place of Dicebreaker.

I want that car that you enter from the trunk! 😂👍

You should include Hybris: Disordered Cosmos in your video on more indie-level projects. That game needs more attention/

Rip.

The name meeple is not theirs. They are insane and will not be able to win a battle with any large size company. One company that I will never buy any more games firsthand. Don't feed the troll.

Hope IGN goes the way of the dodo. Garbage urinalism like Kotaku.

Stop showing Dawn of madness, its making me jealous, we are still waiting for our copies to turn up in the UK and EU, 35 days later after they went to the fulfillment center in Poland, in Europe, first of all it was due to them wanting to fulfill the Deep madness pledge first and now its because of postal strikes in Poland, its bloody frustrating. I just hope these are not gathering mold when we finally open them.

When you see how poor integrity and profesionalism video game journalists have, I really think boatd games will do better without these "professionnal journalists". KZfaq reviewers and comunitiws like BGG is all the hobby needs

"Fired" vs "made redundant" can trigger people in Europe because "fired" happens when somebody has done something wrong. The company will hire someone else for that role. "Made redundant" is when their job role no longer exists. Saying that everybody was fired suggests, to Europeans at least, that everybody did something wrong, was incompetent, crooked, negligent or whatever. It can feel like you're disrespecting those folks.