Author Topic: Nintendo renaming Wii U by choice? or by force? (Read 21769 times)

BlackNMild2k1 · « **on:** February 10, 2012, 10:12:50 PM »

Quote from: Rösti

Well, considering a potential name change, I can, as I referenced [...], mention that Nintendo Co., Ltd. on the 11th of January 2012 received a "Suspension Letter". It regarded the "master application" for the Wii U trademark, and says that unless Nintendo provides a "true copy, a photocopy, a certification, or a certified copy of a foreign registration from applicant’s country of origin", they cannot do any action with the mark, and thus have only the option to abandon it. This was, as I wrote, on the 11th of January. I doubt it would take Nintendo almost a month to provide documents of this designation, even with coinciding earnings releases and other corporate briefings. So maybe they are currently discussing what they potentially could rename the system.

Source: http://tdr.uspto.gov/search.action?sn=85393173

I'm considering sending an inquiry to correspondent Jerald E. Nagae about this. It could also be favourable if something attending GDC could ask Nintend of America about it (they're in booth CP2020). Well, at least if they haven't prior to the conference announced any change of plans. Do we have any GDC goers in this thread?

http://tdr.uspto.gov/jsp/DocumentViewPage.jsp?85393173/SUL20120111220504/Suspension%20Letter/2/11-Jan-2012/sn/false#p=1

Looks like some legal issue could have been the reasoning behind Nintendo changing the name. Somebody forgot to cross the "t"s and dot the "i"s on some legal paperwork.

NWR should follow up on this.

Lithium · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2012, 10:52:17 PM »

Well even if its just patent trolls im happy if it forces them to rename it. Although it could go either way i suppose.

Caterkiller · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2012, 11:31:10 PM »

Wowzers! How in the heck did you find this stuff?

I don't care either way, cause what ever they decide to rename it, everyone will hate it cause it's going to be called Wii Y or some other strange letter.

MegaByte · « **Reply #3 on:** February 11, 2012, 02:24:46 AM »

I'm not a lawyer, but as far as I can tell, they're just waiting for the Japanese trademark registration before continuing the US registration process.

Wii Party, Wii Sports Resort, etc. received suspensions in the past, and it took them several weeks to resolve them.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #4 on:** February 11, 2012, 06:05:10 AM »

I like the idea of a name being so stupid that the trademark office rejects it just on the basis of it being stupid. I don't think that's what happened here, but that would be hilarious.

TJ Spyke · « **Reply #5 on:** February 11, 2012, 08:03:43 PM »

I don't see any actual issue here. Nintendo owns the "Wii" name, and no one owns "U", so "Wii U" is not a problem. I thin MegaByte is right.

I don't get the hate the Wii U name gets. I could see it with Wii, but not Wii U.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 11, 2012, 08:17:57 PM »

I don't mind the name, but I wouldn't be mad if they changed it.

Wuu

Yuu

Nintendo U

as long as it's not too crazy or out there, it won't matter to me.

Adrock · « **Reply #7 on:** February 11, 2012, 08:20:36 PM »

Quote from: TJ Spyke on February 11, 2012, 08:03:43 PM

I don't get the hate the Wii U name gets. I could see it with Wii, but not Wii U.

Just out of curiosity, why?

To be clear, I think the name is silly but I don't hate it. I think the rumor of Nintendo wanting to avoid confusion holds more weight than this one. There's no reason Nintendo couldn't call a console Wii-something since it's their brand.

TJ Spyke · « **Reply #8 on:** February 11, 2012, 08:50:16 PM »

People seem to act like it's the worse name a game system has had. I would prefer Wii 2 (NOT Super Wii), I just don't see the problem with it. I don't think people should expect them to drop the "Wii" name because it has sold so well, and I think the confusion came because they didn't really show the actual system that much at E3.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #9 on:** February 11, 2012, 09:52:21 PM »

Quote from: TJ Spyke on February 11, 2012, 08:03:43 PM

I don't see any actual issue here. Nintendo owns the "Wii" name, and no one owns "U", so "Wii U" is not a problem. I thin MegaByte is right.

The problem might be that no one is allowed to trademark an individual letter.

Quote from: TJ Spyke on February 11, 2012, 08:03:43 PM

I don't get the hate the Wii U name gets. I could see it with Wii, but not Wii U.

The Wii U name takes everything that was wrong about the name "Wii" and then adds a little dingleberry "U" onto it.

cubist · « **Reply #10 on:** February 11, 2012, 10:28:49 PM »

BnM...you're a freakin' beast! NCL/NOA are most likely going to stick to the name since they made a huge spiel about it at the last Nintendo Press Conference. Iwata maybe a different brand of CEO from Yamauchi, but the company overall is stubborn.

ThePerm · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2012, 02:59:56 AM »

Yamauchi wanted to call Gamecube Starcube, Starcube sounds awesome

cubist · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2012, 08:56:15 AM »

Quote from: ThePerm on February 12, 2012, 02:59:56 AM

Yamauchi wanted to call Gamecube Starcube, Starcube sounds awesome

Really? Starcube? I'd rather they went with Dolphin instead, which was the code name for the GCN.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2012, 09:09:19 AM »

Quote from: ThePerm on February 12, 2012, 02:59:56 AM

Yamauchi wanted to call Gamecube Starcube, Starcube sounds awesome

Ceric · « **Reply #14 on:** February 12, 2012, 09:53:17 AM »

If anyone was really dedicate back at the Rumor time for the Wii I have a whole lot of Borg references.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #15 on:** February 13, 2012, 01:47:17 PM »

"Starcube" sounds a lot like exactly what it and "Wii" and "Wii U" are: a name made up by someone who doesn't speak English who thinks it sounds cool. No native English speaker would ever come up with any of those names because they sound DUMB. It would be like if I was in charge of naming a product for Japan and picked a collection of Japanese words and syllables entirely because I think they sound cool. Odds are I would come up with something silly.

I don't know why the name even has to be universal across regions anyway. There was no issue with having the Famicom in Japan and the Nintendo Entertainment System in America. Or how the Genesis was the Megadrive in the rest of the world. Why can't Japan have their goofy Engrish name and let NOA come up with something better suited for the North American market?

ThePerm · « **Reply #16 on:** February 13, 2012, 02:50:49 PM »

lol most consoles have dumb names either way. The only console names I ever liked was Jaguar, and Saturn, which also happen to be car names. Genesis was cool too, though I can't see Nintendo making a Nintendo Leviticus. Cafe sounded cool, and classy. Iv mentioned in other threads, I always liked their code names, except Nitro. Gamecube isn't any better

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #17 on:** February 13, 2012, 03:42:09 PM »

Turbografix-16 and Neo Geo were cool console names also.

It kinda seems like the console with the stupidest name always wins and the console with the coolest name is always dead last in terms of marketshare. The Dreamcast had the coolest name of its generation, but it was the worst selling of all. Meanwhile Playstation was number one, even though the name sounds like a playpen for toddlers. And of course who could forget the Wii? That's the worst name of any console ever made, and yet it had the highest market share by far this gen.

cubist · « **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2012, 04:19:43 PM »

Let's call the next system 'Ian Sane'.

Ceric · « **Reply #19 on:** February 13, 2012, 04:36:48 PM »

Quote from: cubist on February 13, 2012, 04:19:43 PM

Let's call the next system 'Ian Sane'.

The Sane.

*chest pound Peace Sign*

Peace Out!

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #20 on:** February 13, 2012, 05:32:05 PM »

Quote from: cubist on February 13, 2012, 04:19:43 PM

Let's call the next system 'Ian Sane'.

How about "Wiian Sane"?

nickmitch · « **Reply #21 on:** February 13, 2012, 08:42:03 PM »

Nintendo should just take a random word, preferably one or two syllables and then a "le" in front of it and call it a day.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #22 on:** February 13, 2012, 10:41:35 PM »

All game systems not made by Sega have stupid names.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #23 on:** February 14, 2012, 12:43:27 AM »

Super Wii, first in line.

Spak-Spang · « **Reply #24 on:** February 14, 2012, 12:53:28 AM »

Well...Nintendo isn't asking trademarking one single letter. They are trademarking "Wii U" together.

I mostly don't care about system names...I think they are usually ok...but I don't understand the hate for them.

Wii is a cool name, and if Nintendo would have had the Wii as powerful as the Xbox 360/PS3 and was as popular as it was...the Wii would still be the "it" name for Nintendo.

So my question is why abandon it...Wii U sounds weird when you speak it...but when you see it, it actually is pretty cool. Though, I do like the idea of Nintendo Cafe...specially if they worked on the online features alot...another idea could have been to call Nintendo's online service Nintendo Cafe, since it is more social gaming.

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Author Topic: Nintendo renaming Wii U by choice? or by force? (Read 21769 times)