Zero Tolerance On Eidos News

At the end of October SCi Eidos announced that they were changing the name of their forthcoming title Roll Call to Zero Tolerance: City Under Fire. Now it seems that the decision may have legal repercussions courtesy of Randel Reiss, former president of now defunct developer Technopop who claims Eidos are infringing on a trademark that he owns.

Reported on legal site GameLaw.org, both the Legal Vice-President at Eidos James Oâ??Riordan and Mr Reiss have commented on the matter with Mr Oâ??Riordan stating:

â??There is only one registered trademark for Zero Tolerance, and that is by SCi Eidos.â?

Looking at the US Patent Office website however tells a different story; back in 1994 Technopop released a SEGA MegaDrive title called Zero Tolerance that went on to sell in North America and Europe. In the years that followed the company went under leaving Mr Reiss as trademark owner of Zero Tolerance. When that was brought before Mr Oâ??Riordan he remarked, â??Oh that one. Well that one is 11 years old.â?

The day after the name change was announced, Mr Reiss sent a Cease and Desist order to Mr Oâ??Riordan saying:

â??Frankly I am shocked and appalled that your legal counsel apparently put no effort whatsoever in attempting to communicate with me. All records and information regarding the Zero Tolerance name are clear and publicly available. Business partners interested in licensing the Zero Tolerance name have fluently contacted me through those clear and public channelsâ?

Eidosâ?? position is that the Zero Tolerance name is now dead following the collapse of Technopop however Mr Reiss has said that new games based on the 1994 game are currently in development including one on PSP. Asked by GameLaw.org whether heâ??s ready to sue Eidos he replied:

â??â?¦we may be forced to seek other legal remedies if Eidos continues to be so blatantly abusive to independent developers like us.â?

Weâ??ll have more on the situation as it unfoldsâ?¦