FromSoftware has acquired the rights to the Elden Ring trademark from Bandai Namco. As caught by VideoGamesChronicle, document submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office indicates that the Elden Ring developer has acquired full rights to the game’s name from its publisher.
According to the report by VGC, the transfer of trademark seems to only apply to the game’s name. While rights to the game itself could have also happened separately, these documents indicate that only ownership of the name has been transferred from the publisher to the developer.
Citing Hoeg Law attorney Richard Hoeg, the report states that a transfer of IP ownership between the two companies would more likely take place through a contract rather than through paperwork submitted to the US PTO.
“Assignor [Bandai Namco] hereby assigns to assignee [FromSoftware] all right, title and interest in and to the trademark, together with the goodwill of the business symbolised by the trademark and the identified registration therefor, and with all claims arising out of or relating to the use of ownership of the trademark,” reads the document.
FromSoftware is currently in the midst of developing a DLC for Elden Ring. Titled Shadow of the Erdtree, the Elden Ring DLC doesn’t yet have release date. Recent reports, however, have indicated that the DLC might be closer to completion than previously thought, and is currently going through QA testing.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.