Take-Two Interactive filed a trademark dispute against Hazelight Studios over its co-op title It Takes Two, but the case was never resolved.
Rockstar Games’ owner has filed hundreds of trademark disputes with the US Patent and Trademark Office over terms like “2K,” “Rockstar,” and “Take-Two.” This included the publisher attempting to file a trademark dispute with Hazelight Studios over It Takes Two. Hazelight dropped the trademark after it was published in May of last year.
The owner of the trademark application withdrew the application, and it is no longer active, according to the filing.
A more recent and open trademark filing from Take-Two concerns Max Pain, a company that promotes Twitch streamers, Youtube content creators, and Esports teams, according to opencorporates.com. Max Pain was given a June 29, 2020 incorporation date (the date on which it can start doing business).
While the US Patent and Trademark Office does not specify what this specific trademark from Take-Two is for, it appears that the publisher is filing in connection with Rockstar’s Max Payne series. The trademark dispute has been extended, and it appears that it will continue.
Take-Two has been pursuing reverse-engineering projects of classic Grand Theft Auto games that the publisher believes are infringing on its copyright. The modders behind those projects have now defended their work, claiming that it falls under the category of “fair use.”
