Sony’s attempt to trademark the term ‘Let’s play’ was met with a rather muted response online, surprisingly enough- you just know that if Nintendo or Microsoft had attempted it, they would have been met with massive amounts of backlash.

Nevertheless, online response notwithstanding, it is clear that the US Patent and Trademark Office was having none of that nonsense, as they didn’t accept the application- they did, however, give Sony six months to justify their trademark.

Meanwhile, other people have taken the initiative in this period to demonstrate exactly why Sony’s application should not be accepted. We’ve already reported on some of these attempts- and now, the USPTO has admitted another two Letters of Protest that seek to prove that the trademark is “merely descriptive or generic-” meaning that the letters establish that the term is widely enough used to not be retroactively trademarked, since it has no association with the applicant in this case. The admittance of these letters indicates that the USPTO considers them relevant to the case at hand.

Hopefully this application falls through- it’s really shamefully transparent, and it being accepted would illuminate all that is wrong with current IP law.

Okay, so this was just a dick move, and would have pissed off countless people if it had come to pass. Apparently, Sony filed a trademark for the phrase ‘Let’s Play.’ You know, the term that is used for YouTube videos showing personalities playing through games, often with commentary that adds flavor to the broadcast, and other times just as a video walkthrough.

It’s a term that has become so ingrained in our daily vocabulary, we don’t even stop and think about it. But Sony was going to trademark it – presumably because of the PS4’s extensive in built sharing and broadcasting features – although their trademark application failed.

That’s the good news- the bad news is that the rejection was not for the right reason. See, for any common phrase that is trademarked by a company, the company in question needs to demonstrate that the phrase has acquired a distinct secondary meaning that directly recalls the products of the company. Sony was unable to demonstrate this- but that’s not why their trademark application failed. It failed because of its similarities to another trademark filed a while back, for “LP LET’Z PLAY,” filed by a company that offers live video game tournaments.

The worse news is that Sony has six months to respond to this refusal- and they may just manage to successfully appeal. In which case a very basic and common term that has existed for far longer than the PS4 or its sharing features, will be Sony property.

Terrible.

If the tens of millions of users for Minecraft across a variety of platforms – including PS Vita, PS4 and Xbox One – didn’t clue you into its popularity, then recent YouTube search data from Google should provide more clues. According to the company, Minecraft ranks as the second most popular search term on YouTube. Yes, that’s second most overall only behind “Music”.

When you consider the number of Minecraft Let’s Players on YouTube including Achievement Hunter and PewDiePie (who is rated as the eighth most search term on YouTube), it’s really not that surprising. Still, it speaks to the overall popularity of gaming as well.

In fact, it seems that gaming content has more consistent viewers who spend the most time as compared to other classifications. YouTube released a graphic on the same for October 2014’s top trending content and gaming videos were on top for 23 of 31 days.

What are your thoughts on the popularity of Minecraft and gaming in general on YouTube? Let us know in the comments.

Speaking to Gamefront, Nintendo stated that, “We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property.”

Then why not just leave well enough alone? As such, with many users using YouTube to legitimately earn money, Nintendo has effectively draw a line in the sand for content creators.

As for Scott, he responded that, “Video games aren’t like movies or TV. Each play-through is a unique audiovisual experience. When I see a film that someone else is also watching, I don’t need to see it again. When I see a game that someone else is playing, I want to play that game for myself.

“Since I started my gaming channel, I’ve played a lot of games. I love Nintendo, so I’ve included their games in my line-up. But until their claims are straightened out, I won’t be playing their games. I won’t because it jeopardizes my channel’s copyright standing and the livelihood of all LPers.”