The results are in: Tim Langdell is “Pinhead of the Year” by a landslide!

Ok, so who cares that there is still a month plus in the year. There is really no need to wait on this one.  Tim Langdell, the CEO of  developer/publisher Edge Games is Pinhead of the Year!  (Calling Edge games a developer is blasphemy!  Noting that they are a publisher still is an attempt to ride the coat tails of an industry that has left “Edge Games” in the dust!)

Tim AKA "Slimy" Langdell is Pinhead of 2009

Immoral monster of no conscience

Where Tim Langdell is no Bernie Madoff,  stocks and bonds are not near and dear to my heart.  However, video games, and even more to the point, independent developers are!  What this snake oil salesman (allegedly) has done over the years is reprehensible, legal or not!  Until recently, and I mean 7:49pm earlier tonight, (11/22)I had no clue who Tim Langdell was.  I admit, I missed the initial story when it broke earlier this year in May, and I have been out of touch with my indie circles. What I do have is a solid understanding of the facts reported, via respected & credible writers, blogger’s, and indie developers I follow, namely Adam “Atomic” Saltsman, Derek Yu, &  Stephen Jacobs and other credible sources like Gamasutra, Eurogamer, & TIGSource.

Like a domain squatter that watches to see who will become the next Tim Tebo only to scoop up that athletes domain name, and any marketable or catchy derivation of it in an attempt to cash in for a big payday on the strength of another’s accomplishments, Tim Langdell sits and wait’s for some unknowing developer to create a game, become “ready to market”, and advance the game with word “Edge” in the title-allegedly.  It is at this time right before release when so much has been set in stone that Tim, CEO of Edge Games, a company located in California, sends notice of trademark infringement and alleged notice of pending lawsuit-allegedly.    What is the intent here?  The law makes the holder of a trademark act “vigilant” in its defense of it.  As an owner of intellectual property, I can respect that.  However, it doesn’t  really stop there.  This is not honest defense! No, the intent is clear, and seemingly Tim has made a successful career of bending people over at the pulpit-metaphorically speaking of course-allegedly.  His threats are simply about messing up a game’s timing during its main revenue period.  Then leaving people to either cough up some cash for a license or to pay him off with a credit in the title,  a royalty agreement, or any creative compensation package that allows them to get to market, and him to make a quick buck- I think we have a lucrative revenue stream here!  A careful calculation of what it may cost a company to repackage/re-market/re-brand, and perhaps even re-develop changes is your target payoff here.  One could easily develop a consistent formula for determining that.  What are your choices as a publisher or worse yet, as an independent developer: Play ball or cripple your chances of success.  Trademark hearings are administrative and very long and drawn out, and it should be noted that Edge Games have not developed anything to completion since the 8-bit days and look more like a company that chases trademark infringements rather than a publisher or developer of video games.  Someone needs to tell them they left their website back in 1989.

Get your game to market as quickly as possible! -Truer words have never been spoken by any self-respecting publisher.   One such independent UK developer Mobigames and credible individual David Papazian  has spent a good portion of the 2009 calendar year on a roller coaster ride wrestling with the question of “vigilant defense” or  “malicious intent”.   It is very hard not to see the latter.  Defense of what?  One would think a company needs to be actively producing “their own” works  with a trademark, however, everything I find relative to “Edge” is acquired via an infringement settlement.  In this dispute with Mobigames over their game “Edge”, Mobigames offered to change the name of the game to “Edgy”  which Tim quickly applied for a Trademark.  Shockingly backhanded!  I checked and found a mark filed on May 16th and then abandoned on August 3rd for “Edgy” by (APPLICANT) Edge Games Inc CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 530 South Lake Avenue, Ste 171 Pasadena CALIFORNIA 91101.  No doubt the address of a huge, plush video game publishing giant of “several” hundred games like Edge Games right?!  Wrong!

You have arrived at Edge Games, err Mail Box Planet-Photo by Brian Beuken

What’s even a bit more disturbing is Tim was on the board of directors for the IGDA (International Game Developers Association).  An association I am very familiar with and have been a part of on and off again for the last 9 years.  I have not paid my 50$ dues in 2 years so I presently can make no waves about his presence within that organization or their responsibility to know who their executive officer’s really are.  That being said, it’s not the first time a wolf slipped into the hen house dressed as a rooster, and probably won’t be the last!  The irony is the IGDA is an organization in support of the indie developer, and good people like Tom Buscaglia who fought for me and my group of independent developers in 2003, got caught on the wrong side of the fence on this one. It happens to the best of us!

Tom has been a voice in the industry for independent developers.

Let me just say that of all the individuals I have mentioned in this post, I know Tom personally.  As a green independent developer shopping his companies western shooter and game treatment at the GDC & E3 in 2003, Tom Buscaglia was there to make sure we came out on top with are limbs intact.  They say you get screwed on your first deal.  I say as an independent developer, “I’d rather have Tom than not!”  Tom set up meetings with agents, confidential showings with publishers, and worked as the catalyst for serious networking!  We never had to pay a single dollar for his advice & legal guidance because we were on a contingency fee set-up and didn’t get picked up, (and not the standard ambulance chaser’s contingency fee arrangement where their getting 30% and 40% if they goto court-It was about helping us make it, not about him getting paid.) but Tom didn’t walk away.  He continued to invest his time and money in not only my studio, but other studios of the independent nature trying to also break through.  I would be happy to answer any questions in regards to Tom’s credibility.  Feel free to email me at mindflyer@ezgamerz.com.  Tom is a fair guy, and perhaps he is only guilty of protecting the IGDA  and a colleague who was really a wolf (allegedly)covered in the shroud of the IGDA.  After all, love is blind is it not?  I know Tom loves this industry and has always stood for, and represented, the small guy!  Fortunately for Tom and everyone in the IGDA, Mr. Langdell resigned on August 31st from the IGDA, before he could be ousted by a majority vote.

The light at the end of the tunnel may be that gaming giant Electronic Arts is now involved and filed a petition to have Edge Games various trademarks canceled.  If it’s a question of deep pockets and patience, I think Edge Games may finally have met their match.

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