Infogrames changes it's name to Atari

[Infogrames changes it's name to Atari]

I doubt Infrogrames will do anything.  For starters, they have claim to the Atari trademark, but NOT the word atari.  That word has been around for a long time.  Secondly, AtariAge, Atari2600.com, Atarihq, Atariguide, Atarimuseum, atari7800.org, etc... are the primary reason why the name Atari remains synonymous with videogames.

 

The corporate execs at Infogrames are banking on the probability that the Atari generation, now having children of their own, will recognize the Atari logo, remember their fond childhood memories of playing Atari games and buy these new titles for their children.  It's no coincidence that so many toys and games from the 80s are making a comeback.

 

Yeah, what he said. If InfogrAtari hasn't forced the Atari sites to cease and desist back when they first acquired the Atari trademark or first began releasing games under the Atari name (which they've been doing for over a year now), why would they do it now?

 

Some of you guys are just paranoid. Before Infogrames, Hasbro owned the Atari name, and even though they were typically very protective of their properties --I can remember an incident where they requested all unlicensed Tetris clones to be taken off the shelves-- they never tried to shut down the Atari fansites.

 

Besides, webmasters could probably cite "fair use" anyway, since they're not profiting from the name. I'm not a lawyer (thank God), but I'm fairly sure they could receive protection under "fair use."

 

Well, I am a lawyer (although I am not currently practicing), and I can tell you that the "Fair Use" defense is not as easy to claim as you make it seem. It is usually raised in the context of literary and social criticism, parody, news reporting, and educational activities. Using material that is under copyright for commercial purposes would weigh against the defense. And, as much as I love Atari Age, it may be argued that there is a commercial use of copyrighted material here, however small (Selling CD's of icons/images, for example).

 

However, I think you overestimate the popularity of sites such as this. Beyond our group of collectors and enthusiasts, the Atari name is only vaguely known by the modern generation...probably in the same way we might remember Edsel (Just ask a teenaged Xbox or PS2 gamer). So it is probably unlikely that any modern corporate owner of the Atari copyrights and trademarks would be going after fan-based Web sites.

 

Still, the fact remains that Atari is a trademark, and Infogrames...I mean...Atari could legally try to prevent its use. There is a legal concept known as trademark abandonment: when a trademark owner allows a mark to lose distinctiveness, either by action (over-licensing it) or omission (failing to prevent others from using it) this could be considered abandonment.

 

This cuts both ways. If legally threatened, AtariAge and others could argue that the original Atari trademark was abandoned awhile ago (following the Tramiel collapse, even before Atari Games became Midway West and Atari Inc. was part of Hasbro). But at the same time, Infogrames/Atari might be forced to shut sites down and prevent the use of Atari trademarks in order to show that they have NOT abandoned it.

 

I'm not privy to any discussions that Albert/Alex have had with Hasbro or Infogrames in the past. However, as a game journalist who has been in contact with Infogrames PR and management in the past, my impression is that they appreciate the name recognition that the "Atari" brand may still have with adults, and now they want to build upon that with new products for the future. If they can make money off old Atari products, as with the anniversary collections, I'm sure they will try to do so. However, the idea that they would even consider repackaging and re-releasing old Atari consoles or brand-new 8-bit systems is only a ridiculous pipe dream of some collectors who really need to move on.

[Anthology "Unlockables"]

Thanks for the list, Ken. Unfortunately, it contains a few errors.

 

I never scored over 17,500 in Crackpots, but I got a patch nevertheless. I got the Disco Mode, but not in Atlantis as the list indicates. (I also think I got the Tilt-o-Vision mode in a game other than Spider Fighter, but cannot confirm this). Your list also shows Cosmic Commuter as having no rewards, yet you can earn a Game Mode in it. HERO has a Game Mode reward in the actual game, but your list shows it having only a patch.

 

There must have been a few changes made since 10-17-02 (After all, Rampage is in your list though the game is not part of the finished product). But at least it is a good foundation to start from!

 

Mark

[Activision Collection for PS2 - 48 Games with extras]

Well, I see that in HERO the fired lasers remain on the screen in a few places and there is an odd glitch with a couple of the walls (they look solid, but you can walk through them). Do I win a prize?

 

This isn't a glitch, but the colors of the Keystone Kapers escalators are dark purple instead of black and the elevator doors are dark purple instead of dark green.

 

That's all I noticed for the time being...

[Activision Collection for PS2 - 48 Games with extras]

Every Activision 2600 game *except* Ghostbusters, Kung Fu Master, Rampage, and Double Dragon. Prototypes Kabobber and Thwocker are included, as are Imagic's Demon Attack, Moonsweeper, and Atlantis and Absolute's Title Match Pro Wrestling, [Pete Rose] Baseball, and Tomcat F-14...no Skateboarding, however!

[Tell us your atariAGE!]

DOB: July 23, 1966

 

First coin-op played: Super Pong

First coin-op owned: Centipede

First system played: Odyssey 2

First system owned: Sears Super Pong

First cartridge purchased: Air Sea Battle

First hand-held: Mattel Football

First computers used: Commodore PET & TRS 80

First computer owned: Atari 800XL

[Portable wars?]

quote:

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Originally posted by hedgehog:

Where were you atari-master?

 

Ya thinkthey could make a hand held system as powerfull as the N64?

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They have. The PS One with the portable screen is the size of a DVD case. Yeah, you have to set it on your lap or desk, but it has a battery pack and is self-contained, so it meets my definition of portable. And, while the PS One is 32-bits compared to the N64, many of the games are more impressive than Nintendo's N64 titles.

[Computer Space]

quote:

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Originally posted by rolenta:

From Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary:

 

videocassette

videoconferencing

videodisc

video game

videoland

videophone

videotape

videotex

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I know this is how the dictionary currently spells the word, but I think that this will change over time. Our magazine(s), and most magazines out there, use the term "videogame." I know the arguments both for and against combining the two words (I don't understand why no one writes "audiocassette" since the term "videocassette" is well-accepted. Still, my reason for using "videogame" is simple: it looks better, and it takes up less space in an article's word count.