TSR TSR (2) Confirms TSR (3)'s Acquisition of Trademark (Updated!)

Jayson Elliot registered the TSR trademark back in 2011 and used it to launch Gygax Magazine along with Ernie and Luke Gygax. The two Gygax's left the company a few years later after Gary Gygax's (co-founder of TSR (1) back in the 1970s) widow, Gail Gygax, forced the closure of Gygax Magazine. Then, earlier this year, TSR (3) swooped in on the TSR trademark, after Jayson Elliot accidentally let it lapse, as TSR (2) confirms:

We have owned the TSR trademark since 2011. Last year, we missed a filing date, and another company registered it, though we are still using it in commerce. While we could win a lawsuit, we frankly don't have the money to litigate. So, we're licensing it back from them.

As a result, there are two companies now using the name TSR. You can tell when it's us because we're the only ones using the new logo.

They're opening a museum in Lake Geneva at the old TSR house, and we wish them success with it, it's important to celebrate the legacy that Gary Gygax created.

Ernie Gygax, formerly of TSR (1) under Gary Gygax, then working with Jayson Elliot as part of TSR (2), is one of the founders of of TSR (3), and confirmed in his (now infamous) interview --

The other TSR is a licensee because [Jayson Elliot] let it lapse. But he had absolutely ... love for the game and the products. There was no reason to say 'oh you've screwed up, oh it's all ours, ha ha ha ha!' Instead, Justin [LaNasa] came to him and said ... we love that you're doing Top Secret things, we have a much broader goal for the whole thing. But there's no reason for you to stop or even have any troubles. Justin said, I'll take care of the paperwork, you just give me $10 a year, and you put out all this love for old school gaming that you can. And we appreciate that you were there to try and pick up things, and you produced Gygax Magazine, for in its time that you're also working on a game that you love to play ... because Top Secret was Jayson's love, as a young man.

TSR (2), still run by Jayson Elliot, publishes Top Secret, and is not connected to TSR (3) other than now having to license it’s own name from them. TSR (3) has also registered the trademark to Star Frontiers, a game owned by and still currently sold by D&D-owner WotC.

In other news the GYGAX trademark appears to have lapsed.

UPDATE! TSR (2) has decided NOT to license its own name from TSR (3):

Update to our earlier tweet - we will NOT be licensing anything from the new company claiming rights to the TSR logos. We are not working with them in any fashion.

 

[Maxperson]

There's a pretty big difference between a mob socially and economically ostracizing someone and murdering them just for being.

List of people killed for being transgender - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Yeah, but @Gradine's post, which was in response to me, didn't even talk about ostracizing anyone. That post just says that a fake apology and fake change is better than no apology and no change, because it makes the world safer for trans people. I can't even begin to see how that post can be used as any sort of example of a mob doing anything, let alone going to far.

 

[Maxperson]

I think what they mean is that a lot of elements of the game were created collectively in the early-mid 70s. But a lot of these people were never credited or paid when Gygax made it into a sellable product. That being said I'm not an Umber Hulk expert!

I'm confused. The last time I saw an Umber Hulk... No, wait. That's WHY I'm confused. Carry on!

 

[Mannahnin]

Real talk, can I just take a moment to vent here, but can I just say how freaking disheartening it is that to know that the vast majority of the inventors of the medium, the titans of the hobby I love, despise me for being different? It frakking sucks, y'all.

It's so god damn tiring just reading how my existence has caused fractures or how backlash at folks insulting people like me is ruining lives and products and everything... it's exhausting. To say nothing about contributing to moving something, anything forward, inches at a time. I hate it.

Y'all are good folx here, and I appreciate you. Well, most of you, anyway.

Solidarity, virtual hugs (if they're welcome), or at least sympathy.

I hope what you're perceiving about the founders isn't true. Gary wrote some stupid things about "biological determinism" years ago out of evident ignorance about women gamers and how gaming DOES appeal to them. He clearly failed as a DM at engaging the younger ones of his experience, and inappropriately generalized. Obviously Ernie said stupid and offensive things the other day, though to be fair he's not an inventor of the medium or titan of the hobby in any sense. I can't remember a single byline of his. I haven't seen any of the others say anything negative about trans folks. Tim Kask and Frank Mentzer I know are explicitly supportive and inclusive, and of course Jennell Jaquays is trans. Trying to think of any of the other old guard who I've seen express an opinion on the topic.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Solidarity, virtual hugs (if they're welcome), or at least sympathy.

I hope what you're perceiving about the founders isn't true. Gary wrote some stupid things about "biological determinism" years ago out of evident ignorance about women gamers and how gaming DOES appeal to them. He clearly failed as a DM at engaging the younger ones of his experience, and inappropriately generalized. Obviously Ernie said stupid and offensive things the other day, though to be fair he's not an inventor of the medium or titan of the hobby in any sense. I can't remember a single byline of his. I haven't seen any of the others say anything negative about trans folks. Tim Kask and Frank Mentzer I know are explicitly supportive and inclusive, and of course Jennell Jaquays is trans. Trying to think of any of the other old guard who I've seen express an opinion on the topic.

Pauli Kidd, James Lowder, Jeff Dee, and Skip Williams have all been pretty explicit in their support of equal rights in response to this garbage fire. I'm sure there are many others I'm missing as well.

 

[Misterque]

He probably should remark his company and reference the TSR tradmark as an amusing historical footnote. Based on history the present TSR deal will eventually collapse.

 

[darjr]

He probably should remark his company and reference the TSR tradmark as an amusing historical footnote. Based on history the present TSR deal will eventually collapse.

He's already done so.

 

[Maxperson]

So EGG, Jr showed up in my friends recommendation on Facebook. Because of what has been happening the last few days I took a peek at his Facebook page and saw this post from 10pm last night. The bold part really stood out. He also left out gender from his sort of apology.

"I wish to state in the strongest terms that I never meant to hurt anyone of any race, creed or color. My video From the Bunker caused some to feel that they would not be welcome or would be looked down upon. That was never the intent, I was reacting to focus of modern role play into a more background and Role Play rather than the wargame that so made so many lives happy over 40 years ago.

As a gamer it meant that most of us were not worthy of any attention from others of our own age. We were Nerds. We were brainy-acks and others would snicker. Older classmen would ask to "borrow" something of ours to then pass back and forth a game of keep away. I used to receive some special attention from about 4 Juniors in my Freshman year. I played the Violin and often I began to wish that indeed I did have a Thompson 45 Machine Gun inside so that I could wipe away some of those laughs. I was far to shy and then embarrased as attractive ladies would just lower the eyes while the jocks or other socially vibrant fellows had some fun at another geeky nerds expense. Thank goodness I grew 4 inches my junior year.

The only real comfort zone we all could share was a table in the lunch room. At least the fledgling TSR found fertile minds in those who had only those like us - gamers. Rather than have to risk embarrassing myself, since Phy Ed was going to force us to dance with those wonderful and yet scary girls. Well to get my Diploma I had to slave for a month to Mr. Gerber the head of the Phy Ed department. Fortunately I knew all about janitorial work as before D&D and TSR dad only made $5,000 as a Cobbler (five children) and we had food stamps and even free school lunches. Yes you had to go to the councilors office every week to collect your free lunch passes. Obviously you could feel all the eyes on you and the talk about....

Everyone has been welcome at my gaming table and multitudes of new friends have been created by the time spent playing the games we Love. Look at pictures of gaming on my site or anywhere I run games. Everyone is welcome, just like a Boot Hill game leave your guns at the bar until you leave town. If you come to the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum Jeff R. Leason will show you courtesy and a smile and you will see that gaming with elder gamers is a safe and entertaining environment."

 

[Bardic Dave]

So EGG, Jr showed up in my friends recommendation on Facebook. Because of what has been happening the last few days I took a peek at his Facebook page and saw this post from 10pm last night. The bold part really stood out. He also left out gender from his sort of apology.

"I wish to state in the strongest terms that I never meant to hurt anyone of any race, creed or color. My video From the Bunker caused some to feel that they would not be welcome or would be looked down upon. That was never the intent, I was reacting to focus of modern role play into a more background and Role Play rather than the wargame that so made so many lives happy over 40 years ago.

As a gamer it meant that most of us were not worthy of any attention from others of our own age. We were Nerds. We were brainy-acks and others would snicker. Older classmen would ask to "borrow" something of ours to then pass back and forth a game of keep away. I used to receive some special attention from about 4 Juniors in my Freshman year. I played the Violin and often I began to wish that indeed I did have a Thompson 45 Machine Gun inside so that I could wipe away some of those laughs. I was far to shy and then embarrased as attractive ladies would just lower the eyes while the jocks or other socially vibrant fellows had some fun at another geeky nerds expense. Thank goodness I grew 4 inches my junior year.

The only real comfort zone we all could share was a table in the lunch room. At least the fledgling TSR found fertile minds in those who had only those like us - gamers. Rather than have to risk embarrassing myself, since Phy Ed was going to force us to dance with those wonderful and yet scary girls. Well to get my Diploma I had to slave for a month to Mr. Gerber the head of the Phy Ed department. Fortunately I knew all about janitorial work as before D&D and TSR dad only made $5,000 as a Cobbler (five children) and we had food stamps and even free school lunches. Yes you had to go to the councilors office every week to collect your free lunch passes. Obviously you could feel all the eyes on you and the talk about....

Everyone has been welcome at my gaming table and multitudes of new friends have been created by the time spent playing the games we Love. Look at pictures of gaming on my site or anywhere I run games. Everyone is welcome, just like a Boot Hill game leave your guns at the bar until you leave town. If you come to the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum Jeff R. Leason will show you courtesy and a smile and you will see that gaming with elder gamers is a safe and entertaining environment."

I feel some pity for him reading this post, tbh. He’s so unbelievably out of touch. Harbouring a high school fantasy of revenge against the bullies making your life miserable is understandable, but openly discussing the violent particulars of that fantasy today, given the sheer number of school shootings that have taken place in the last twenty-five years, is frighteningly insensitive and tone-deaf; he just can’t open his mouth without jamming his foot in.

I don’t think he’s actively courting controversy; I believe he genuinely thinks he has the best of intentions and sincerely tries to be welcoming to people of all stripes. But he seems utterly incapable of the kind of introspection and growth that would allow him to actually achieve that. He’s a complete mess.

i hope the backlash he’s getting will help him reflect and grow, but somehow I doubt it will.

 

[Black Dougal]

So EGG, Jr showed up in my friends recommendation on Facebook. Because of what has been happening the last few days I took a peek at his Facebook page and saw this post from 10pm last night. The bold part really stood out. He also left out gender from his sort of apology.

"I wish to state in the strongest terms that I never meant to hurt anyone of any race, creed or color. My video From the Bunker caused some to feel that they would not be welcome or would be looked down upon. That was never the intent, I was reacting to focus of modern role play into a more background and Role Play rather than the wargame that so made so many lives happy over 40 years ago.

As a gamer it meant that most of us were not worthy of any attention from others of our own age. We were Nerds. We were brainy-acks and others would snicker. Older classmen would ask to "borrow" something of ours to then pass back and forth a game of keep away. I used to receive some special attention from about 4 Juniors in my Freshman year. I played the Violin and often I began to wish that indeed I did have a Thompson 45 Machine Gun inside so that I could wipe away some of those laughs. I was far to shy and then embarrased as attractive ladies would just lower the eyes while the jocks or other socially vibrant fellows had some fun at another geeky nerds expense. Thank goodness I grew 4 inches my junior year.

The only real comfort zone we all could share was a table in the lunch room. At least the fledgling TSR found fertile minds in those who had only those like us - gamers. Rather than have to risk embarrassing myself, since Phy Ed was going to force us to dance with those wonderful and yet scary girls. Well to get my Diploma I had to slave for a month to Mr. Gerber the head of the Phy Ed department. Fortunately I knew all about janitorial work as before D&D and TSR dad only made $5,000 as a Cobbler (five children) and we had food stamps and even free school lunches. Yes you had to go to the councilors office every week to collect your free lunch passes. Obviously you could feel all the eyes on you and the talk about....

Everyone has been welcome at my gaming table and multitudes of new friends have been created by the time spent playing the games we Love. Look at pictures of gaming on my site or anywhere I run games. Everyone is welcome, just like a Boot Hill game leave your guns at the bar until you leave town. If you come to the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum Jeff R. Leason will show you courtesy and a smile and you will see that gaming with elder gamers is a safe and entertaining environment."

It's full of the usual nonsense in the comments from many.

"People are overreacting" - because you know demeaning individuals like transexual individuals is totally not a big deal, right? /s

"The twitter mob"

"the left"

etc.

The comments Jolly Blackburn and his own younger brother give some hope that there are people out there who care and who will hold him to his mistakes. He's still dancing and still won't say "I screwed the pooch, I'm sorry."

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I am starting to seriously think Ernie Jr is showing a lot of signs of senility and the people around him are taking full advantage of it. It may be time for his family to make an intervention before all this can totally destroy him.