Back in August, Bethesda sent Minecraft developer Mojang AB a cease and desist letter over their upcoming card battle game, Scrolls. The studio claimed that the title infringed on trademarks held for Elder Scrolls series and that the similarities would lead to confusion among consumers.
No matter whose side you're on, it's unquestionable that public opinion has been fairly one-sided on the matter. That's partly due to the fact that Mojang head Markus "Notch" Persson has been very vocal about the lawsuit, while Bethesda has remained almost completely silent on the matter.
That changed yesterday, when Bethesda marketing VP Pete Hines spoke to Kotaku about the case, claiming that parent company Zenimax Media needed to take action and defend its trademarks, otherwise they'd run the risk of losing them altogether.
"This is a business matter based on how trademark law works and it will continue to be dealt with by lawyers who understand it, not by me or our developers," Hines stated. "Nobody here enjoys being forced into this. Hopefully it will all be resolved soon."
Notch had previously claimed that he offered to withdraw his company's trademark filing for Scrolls and even add a subtitle to the game, an option that Bethesda allegedly rejected. Hines says that description of the negotiations isn't entirely accurate. "Mojang's public comments have not given a complete picture as it relates to their filings, our trademarks, or events that have taken place."
With the case now headed for Swedish courts, it's unlikely we'll see any resolution on the matter for quite some time.
