Stellar Blade vs \"Stellarblade\" Lawsuit Makes It More Confusing

A Louisiana-based film production company, Stellarblade, is suing Sony and Shift Up, the developer of the PS5 game Stellar Blade, for alleged trademark infringement. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in a Louisiana court, claims that Stellarblade's business has been harmed by the game's use of a similar name.

The plaintiff, Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, argues that the similarity between "Stellarblade" and "Stellar Blade," including their logos and stylized "S," causes confusion and impacts his company's online visibility. He claims that customers searching for "Stellarblade" are overwhelmed by results for the video game, hindering his business.

Mehaffey seeks monetary damages, attorney fees, and an injunction to prevent further use of the "Stellar Blade" trademark. He also requests the destruction of all related game materials. He registered the "Stellarblade" trademark in June 2023, after sending a cease and desist letter to Shift Up the following month. He notes that he's owned the stellarblade.com domain since 2006 and operated his film production business under that name since 2011.

Shift Up initially announced the game as "Project Eve" in 2019, changing the name to "Stellar Blade" in 2022 and registering the trademark in January 2023. Mehaffey's lawyer contends that Sony and Shift Up should have been aware of Mehaffey's prior rights. The lawyer emphasizes the long-standing use of the "Stellarblade" name and the negative impact the game's similar name has had on his client's online presence.

The lawsuit highlights the complexities of trademark law, including the potential retroactive application of trademark rights. The outcome of this case will be closely watched by the gaming and film industries alike.