EA drops unused ‘Ghost’ trademark following dispute with Ubisoft

As spotted by an eagle-eyed NeoGAF user, EA recently abandoned an unused trademark for “Ghost,” which was filed under entertainment services.

Ubisoft and EA came to blows over the trademark, as GameInformer reports, due to the Tom Clancy: Ghost Recon franchise, which Ubisoft argued would create confusion. The trademarks’ abandonment records reflect this, with Ubisoft listed as the mark’s opposer.

Funnily enough, this is the second time this year that EA has been forced to abandon a trademark. The board game Unravel led to legal trouble with the 2D platformer of the same name which EA published.

It remains unclear what EA had in mind for the “Ghost” trademark to begin with. The publisher oversees studio Ghost Games, the creator of Need for Speed Rivals, but beyond that has no apparent connection to the name.

It’s possible the trademark was something of a placeholder, perhaps for a new release or even a new IP, but it’s impossible to tell from current records.