Sony and Shift Up are being sued over Stellar Blade name rights

Stellar Blade developer Shift Up and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment are being sued over the game’s name.

As reported by IGN, a Louisiana-based film production company named Stellarblade is alleging trademark infringement, and claiming the PS5 game’s release has pushed its “long-established business into digital obscurity”.

In the complaint, it’s claimed that Stellarblade owner Griffith Chambers has owned stellarblade.com since 2006, and that the company has provided “multimedia entertainment services” such as film and video production since 2010.

Stellar Blade was initially revealed in 2021 as Project Eve, before its final name was announced the following year.

Shift Up first registered Stellar Blade as a video game-related trademark in January 2023. Several months later Mehaffey registered his own trademark for Stellarblade, before sending a cease and desist letter to the game developer.

“Mr. Mehaffey registered the stellarblade.com domain in 2006 and has used the STELLARBLADE name for his business for nearly 15 years,” Mehaffey’s lawyer said in a statement provided to IGN.

“Given this long-standing and public use, it’s difficult to imagine that Shift Up and Sony were unaware of Mr. Mehaffey’s established rights before adopting their identical mark.

“We believe in fair competition, but when larger companies disregard the established rights of smaller businesses, it’s our responsibility to stand up and protect our brand.

“The defendants’ far superior resources have effectively monopolized online search results for STELLARBLADE, pushing Mr. Mehaffey’s long-established business into digital obscurity and threatening the livelihood he’s built over more than a decade.”

Mehaffey is seeking damages and attorney fees. He’s also requesting that Shift Up and Sony be barred from using Stellar Blade or any similar names, and that all Stellar Blade material in their possession be handed over to be destroyed.

Further reading

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Stellar Blade was released for PS5 in April 2024 and has sold over one million copies, according to Shift Up.

The studio has also said it’s considering a PC release for the game and making a sequel.

VGC’s Stellar Blade review called it “one of the most mechanically satisfying action games of the generation.”