Copywrite - Torc Interactive?

#1 The site does not show any evidence of Torc being a trademark, so since Torc and Torque are still a lot different from each other, I don't think it will much of a problem.

#2 Torc Interactive is the company name and therefor is their trademark (ie, the mark they are doing business (trade) under). They are also VERY similar as both are game engines. That not only is in the same field or type of business, but the same product.

Several stories on different sites describe what Torc is doing as the "Torc Game Engine". So there is your proof of confusion in the marketplace.

This is a problem and GarageGames needs to do something about it. Trademarks have to be vigorously defended or you will lose it.

#3 I think they'd be in more trouble if they called it the Unreel Engine or the d00m3 engine.

#4 It is extremely important to deal with things like this quickly. The law regarding trademarks is very clear in that you must make an effort to defend a trademark or it will be lost.

I'm no lawyer, but this seems like a pretty clear violation. If Torc was operating in a different business, or was designed as a hoax or mock then it would less of a problem.

#5 Their name is "TORC interactive". They are a game and technoligy development company. "TORC" is probably an acronym for somthing. They are a small development company building a propriatary engine with no name while looking for funding and team members.

GG sells a Game engine called Torque. The definition is "a turning or twisting force".

I don't see what one has to even do with the other. Stop being so militant. If its violation I am sure the people who are involved can settle it. THATS NOT YOU! by the way.

LOL
Matt

#6 Hi All,

I have to agree with John. Matthew, Your suggestion that TORC maybe an acronym is irelavent here, it is being used as a word. The proof is in there copyright notice "Torc Interactive Ltd". Anyway "Torc" is an Irish word, and this seems to be Irish company.

The reality that the name sounds the same, combined with that fact that its in the same industry and for the same type of product warents legal action. The statement that if trade marks are not enforced, they are lost, is true.

However, with all that said a see a couple of problems. First, this is an international company. The other issue is that I don't see a trademark notice, registered or otherwise, on the Garage Games site for the TGE, or am I missing it?

-Gabe

#7 Anyone see the "mikerowesoft.com" battle?
here's one link:

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_860214.html

So if MS can claim c infringement on this dude who offers misc services and furthermore the website name would never be confused with MS's, then why cant GG get action on the torc people? I mean, they ARE in the exact same industry?

ps: ananova rocks for quirky stories and misc world news if anyone would like another news site.


-s

#8 I don't speak for GG, of course, but one of the reasons they got out of the so called big leagues, is to get away from the so called "normal" way of doing business, which includes that litigaring mentality : suing instead of concentrating on making better stuff, etc.

You don't know that Torc Interactive is in the same business as GG. Even less exactly the same : they're not selling an engine, or game, they sell services, from what can be inferred on their site.
Also, by that light, one of the prime community sites in the TGE world could be sued for being called Tork ? C'mon !!

Someone got a patent for computer card games in general, Solitair in particular, in 1996 !! (see gamedev.net news for today)
Happily, this won't fly, as some prominent card game devs can show prior art (and so can I probably, pre-1985 to boot, in Basic for Coco2 and C-64 ;))
But the patent's owner is trying to get money from card game devs (sheesh !!)

It's not because people do it that it's the thing to do.
And M$ lost their case against mikerowesoft, as it's his real name after all ;))

More to the point, I think Matthew Jones hit it spot on : it's not really our business, and if you're really worried about Gg getting ripped off, send an email to one of the addresses in the contact section, describing what's you seen, etc.
This kind of thread is pretty ripe flame war material (look for the Cipher thread to see how it can degenerate. I even have to admit that particular thread influenced me and delayed my buying of the cipher engine, but that's another story ;))
Enough ranting :)

#9 I agree that its none of our bussiness, but I disagree that this thread is good for nothing but a flame war.

Threads like this help us all to learn more about the endevours we set upon ourselves. Knowledge is power, and I for one like to absorb as much knowledge as I can. Threads like this are an important part of that.

#10

Quote:And M$ lost their case against mikerowesoft, as it's his real name after all

Microsoft did not lose the case. The boy in question settled with Microsoft out of court for an X-Box and some other junk.

#11 Yes but on the other hand if the other product is inferior, and may I say it terrible it can only damage GG's reputation if word gets about that their engine sucks. A lot of people wont differentiate between the two and then you start losing potential sales. So you really do have to be careful about these inds of things.

#12 Harold, can you point to reliable sources for such info ? (ie the xbox thingy, etc.)
ie when it made the news around here, on the CBC (the Canuck national broadcaster, for those who might not be aware of that ;)), the point made was that he had won his day in BC civil court. Not an out of court settlement for an xbox and stuff...
And to make my point, his url is still valid :)

#13 Yep, when I posted this, I did know that Torc Interactive was in a similar line of work as GG. Torc Interactive is making a game engine. I'm not sure if it's powering a game they are making or not but they are definately with 100% certainty making a game engine (not a bad looking one either). You can view the tech demo here.

The reason I posted this as a thread, was to inform the community about it. If Torc names their engine (something other the Torc obviously) I doubt that GG will do anything about it. But two Torque engines is a no no. I only bring it up because people could have thought that someone was using a heavily modified version of Torque, which it's not, and we could be hearing "hey, look at what the Torque engine does" but it was really the Torc engine. Now you know ;).

GF

#14 Nicolas: Reliable source.

#15 Hey yeah that looks pretty cool. I'll have to DL the demo video. Nice to see something good going on in ireland and it looks like they have some good relations with colleges in the area.

Heh, wish there were opportunities like that when I was a student in the second half of the 90's.

#16 Mark : Damn :)
Greg : of course, two tor(k) engine would be a problem. From looking at their website, it wasn't really clear what they were up to.

#17 I have only read somr of this but Torc Interactive has been around for a while. I remember playing a really cool tech demo from them around a year or two ago. So if they have been here this long, there obviously isn't anything wrong or it would have been brough up earlier.

Anyways, their engine looks purty.

#18 It says that they formed in 1999 in there About Us... I think thats before Torque.

#19 That engine is pretty amazing. I'd recommend that everyone take a look at that video- however I am curious as to the kind of hardware it requires.

Thats probably the best use of physics and ragdoll effects I have ever seen (even if the crates and barrels have the weight equivelant of styrofoam). The per-pixel lighting and realtime shadows for ALL surfaces in the world are pretty stunning too.