Update: King has responded to our request for comment on the trademark withdrawal.
“King has withdrawn its trademark application for Candy in the U.S., which we applied for in February 2013 before we acquired the early rights to Candy Crusher," a representative told us via email. "Each market that King operates in is different with regard to IP. We feel that having the rights to Candy Crusher is the best option for protecting Candy Crush in the U.S. market. This does not affect our E.U. trademark for Candy and we continue to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP.”
Original Story:
After drawing in bad press for its enforcement of a trademark on the word “candy” and allegations that Candy Crush Saga was stolen, King.com Limited has abandoned its claim on the word. The company filed paperwork for an express abandonment of the trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 24.
It does not appear, however, that the European trademark filing has been abandoned. King is also in the process of opposing Stoic's attempt to trademark the name of its recent game, The Banner Saga. King’s attempt to trademark the word “saga” was suspended, but that does not prevent the company from opposing other uses.
We’ve reached out to King for a comment on the matter, and we’ll update should the company respond. For more, read up on the International Game Developers Association’s response to the matter.
Our Take
King is cutting its losses as it heads into an IPO. Even the appearance of unethical behavior, especially in the wake of the Candy Swipe story from earlier in February, has the potential to scare investors off. This is the right call made too late.