A Film Production Company Named ‘Stellarblade’ is Suing PlayStation Over ‘Stellar Blade’

A Louisiana-based film production company, Stellarblade, has just filed a case against the developers of Stellar Blade, Shift Up and the publisher, PlayStation. 

As reported by IGN, Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, the owner of the film company, has filed a trademark infringement case against PlayStation, Shift Up, and an unnamed insurance company for using the trademark “Stellar Blade”. Mehaffey’s complaint adds that his business was damaged due to the similarity in names and logos.
 
Mehaffey’s complaint states that he has owned stellarblade.com since 2006 and has offered “multimedia entertainment services” since 2010. The complaint also discusses how the game was announced as Project Eve in 2019 and later changed to Stellar Blade in 2022. Shift Up registered Stellar Blade as a video-game-related trademark in January 2023, and Mehaffey registered Stellarblade in June 2023. He followed this up by sending a cease and desist to Shift Up in July. 

Regarding the business, the owner of the film company has claimed that his customers could easily find details about his business on the internet. However, since the game was released, his business has been overshadowed by Shift Up’s Stellar Blade in the searches. Mehaffey has also claimed that both trademarks are “confusingly similar”, pointing out the colour schemes and how both logos have a stylised S. 

Mehaffey’s demands are clear: he wants Shift Up and PlayStation to cease using the name ‘Stellar Blade’, hand over all materials bearing the name for destruction, and compensation for the damages and attorney fees.

In other news, the Astro Bot credits referenced Stellar Blade. Also, Shift Up job listings have hinted at a possible PC port and future content. What are your thoughts on Stellarblade suing Stellar Blade? Let us know in the comments or our new community forum!

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