In the world of trademarks, locking down the perfect title for an IP means filing the paperwork on a number of potential titles before someone else can lay claim to them. Square Enix is one company that files for trademarks on a fairly regular basis. The company took out a trademark on the name ‘Forspoken’ recently, which fans believe could be a Final Fantasy 14 expansion. Now, Square Enix has filed for a new trademark, but as to what it could mean is anyone’s guess.
Square Enix has a number of projects at the moment, with development of Part 2 of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 in full swing, as well as Bravely Default 2 coming out this month. There are a lot of legal wrinkles to iron out to make sure those games are released without any fake websites or unauthorized merchandise. This is why filing for trademarks is important not only for the company, but also for fans trying to glean info on what could be coming.
Square Enix’s new trademark filed in Australia is for something called “The Isle Dragon Roars,” which had previously been trademarked in Japan along with a Japanese variant of that name, ドラゴンの島, which reads as “The Dragon Isle.” That the trademark has been filed in Australia has fans speculating that it could be for something coming soon, with one leading theory being the subtitle for Bravely Default 2. The filing is under the trademark classes nine & 41, which are the categories generally associated with video games, nine for technology (the physical media) and 41 for an ’entertainment’ product.
With the game only a few weeks from release, the trailers for Bravely Default 2 haven’t included any reference to “The Isle Dragon Roars,” but that doesn’t discount the theory circulating at this time. A trademark can be filed close to the release date of a new product, as Square Enix itself recently trademarked “Horimiya” (the title of an anime currently airing in Japan) for use in a number of categories including toys, stationery, jewelry, and others to produce goods related to the show.
Square Enix also has a number of patents out there at this time, having patented a number of systems that look to be for an RPG mobile title. Digging into the sometimes confusing and vague world of patents and trademarks gives people a look at what could be coming down the pipeline for a company. “The Isle Dragon Roars” is likely going to make an appearance soon given its trademarks are in order, so Square Enix fans will just have to wait and see what it actually is.
Source: IP Australia
