Cut the Rope creator takes aim at King.com "candy" trademark in the EU

Although the Candy Crush developer cancelled its trademark application for the word "candy" in the US, creators in Europe may still come under fire.

It was under intense criticism that King.com, developer of Candy Crush Saga, withdrew its application to trademark the word "candy" in the US. The trademark attempt, King.com claimed, was to protect its IP from developers hoping to cash in on the popularity of Candy Crush Saga by using the word "candy" in the titles of their games — a move the International Game Developers Association described as "predatory".

However, while the trademark may have been cancelled in the US — and the developer's application to trademark "saga" also suspended — King.com still holds a registered trademark on the word "candy" in the European Union. It was this registration that King.com used as a precedent to file the US application.

ZeptoLab, creator of popular arcade title Cut the Rope, which sees the player cutting a rope to feed a small monster candy, believes that the use of the word "candy" should be free for all. The developer has filed an official claim against the registration at the Intellectual Property Office in London in a bid to cancel King.com's stranglehold on the word.

In the EU, King.com's trademark extends to video games, video game services, and merchandise. If ZeptoLab's claim succeeds, all applications for the registration in the EU will be dissolved, allowing all developers to use the word freely.

"Candy is an integral part of the Cut the Rope franchise," said ZeptoLab CEO Misha Lyalin, "And we do not support King.com trademarking and preventing others from using it."

This week, King.com will go public on the New York Stock Exchange. In its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company claimed to have generated US$1.88 billion in revenue for the year 2013. It is estimated that Candy Crush Saga earns King.com upwards of US$825,000 per day.