Trademarks are a way to protect a service or product in combination with how the user applies it. If you’re a plumber using a certain logo, it doesn’t mean that logo can’t be used, but you might need permission in order to do so. The exact legislation and terms surrounding trademarks are vague, at least to the untrained, but in this article we try to understand certain trademarks surrounding GameStop.
An overview of trademarks can be found at USPTO, the United States Patent and Trademark Office. When searching their website you can quickly discover the patents surrounding GameStop. There are a lot of them and some are seemingly alike. Let’s zoom in a bit.
Two of the originals, originating from 2007 when they were filed and 2008 when they were registered.
There even was a Moviestop trademark, which was cancelled in 2019:
There are also the PowerUp rewards trademarks, which are obvious. A more recent one that was abandoned is GameStop kids. Date of abandonment is March 25, 2024: the day before Q4 2024 earnings. Its status reads “Abandoned because no Statement of Use or Extension Request timely filed after Notice of Allowance was issued.“
Another straightforward one is ‘GameStop gives’, a charitable fundraising trademark which is live. It’s also active on the website.
That’s when we stumble upon the GameStop wallet trademark. GameStop shut down its NFT marketplace and wallet service, but the Wallet trademark is still live, as are its NFT and Blockchain trademarks.
All three were filed in 2022 and registered in 2023. Interestingly, the owner of the trademarks is GME Entertainment, LLC, instead of the usual Gamestop, Inc. It is the same with the GameStop PLAYR trademarks:
The PLAYR trademarks are dead and abandoned, which is unfortunate seeing as the news and rumors surrounding what PLAYR could be would have been interesting. Some kind of Steam with NFTs?
I believe the OG trademark is this one:
Another interesting trademark, which actually is pending is one that encompasses electronic cables for electronic transmission, optical cables, etc. There’s also mention of electronic controllers, mouse controllers, headsets, battery chargers, keyboards, and even protective cases for phones and tablets. The list goes on and on! Take a look at the Goods and Services tab.
The application filing date is August 29, 2022. I noticed several photos of GameStop branded products making the rounds, which must be connected to this one. I do wonder who the owner is of the CandyCon trademark; the customizable controller products available exclusively at GameStop. Scratch that, a simple search reveals this:
The CandyCon trademark has the same Goods and Services described under the electronic cables one. Must be a default thing for GameStop.
Whatever GameStop is up to behind the scenes, their trademarks might offer a small glimpse, but doesn’t give any definite answers. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the trademark page because who knows what might pop up in the future.
SandersonClay 