An Ion Maiden lawsuit has been filed due to a trademark dispute. The legendary rock band Iron Maiden is suing Ion Maiden’s publisher 3D Realms in a dispute over the game’s name, arguing that it infringes on their trademark. Describing the infringement as “incredibly blatant,” Iron Maiden is seeking millions in damages — and their complaint goes beyond just the name of the game.
The Guardian reports that the lawsuit demands $2.1 million in damages and takes several issues with Ion Maiden. Primarily, it argues that the game’s name will cause “confusion among customers,” and that the game’s logo and other visuals bear several similarities to Iron Maiden’s own logo and associated artwork. Furthermore, the Ion Maiden lawsuit alleges that the game’s protagonist is similar to the band’s bassist Steve Harris and that the skull icon is similar to the band’s mascot Eddie.
3D Realms was quick to respond to news of the lawsuit. “We’ve recently heard about a lawsuit filed in California by the band Iron Maiden, claiming our old-school first-person shooter Ion Maiden (@Bombshell_Game) is infringing on their trademark,” began a thread of tweets on the official 3D Realms Twitter account. “From what we’ve heard, the suit claims our main character Shelly Harrison, originally debuting in 2016’s Bombshell, is based on their musician Steve Harris; our skull bomb icon found in-game is based on their skeleton mascot Eddie; our logo in itself is based on theirs; and other frivolous claims anyone who has played Ion Maiden would find more over the top than Shelly’s ‘Loverboy’, her signature 18-round triple-barreled revolver.”
“We at 3D Realms, our co-publishers 1C Entertainment, and developer Voidpoint will review our options once we receive official notice of the lawsuit and will make any necessary decisions at the appropriate time,” the Twitter thread concluded. “Regardless, everyone continues to work diligently on Ion Maiden to deliver the best possible experience later this year.”
While Ion Maiden has been available on Steam for some time, the game is still in the Early Access program and undergoing development. 3D Realms doesn’t seem willing to settle this one, so we can probably look forward to the results of the Ion Maiden lawsuit sometime in the next decade.
