The iconic British metal band Iron Maiden has filed a $2 million lawsuit against 3D Realms’ new first-person shooter, Ion Maiden. The band claims the name is “nearly identical to the Iron Maiden trademark” and “an effort to confuse consumers into believing the Defendant’s products and services are somehow affiliated with or approved by Iron Maiden.”
Filed at the Central District of California court on May 28, the document (uploaded by GameDaily.biz) states 3D Realms is “attempting to take advantage of Iron Maiden’s worldwide recognition to sell Defendant’s products and services.” Here is a brief list of
- “…adopting Shelly Harrison as the name of its main character which is an attempt to copy the name of Steve Harris, and Iron Maiden founder and primary songwriter”
- “adopting a similar steel cut font for its Ion Maiden name knowing that Iron Maiden also uses a steel cut font…”
- “creating a video game that has the same look and feel as the Iron Maiden video game, ‘Legacy of the Beast’”
- “…choosing to use its Ion Maiden Yellow Bomb emoji in its Ion Maiden video game and merchandise which is graphically similar to Iron Maiden’s Eddie character…”
For reference, here are both logos for Iron Maiden and Ion Maiden:
Additionally, here is footage for both Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast and Ion Maiden:
Much of this lawsuit also deals with customer and fan “confusion.” In fact, the document claims there have been “numerous instances” of Iron Maiden fans believing Ion Maiden was related to the band.
3D Realms has issued a statement via Twitter about the allegations stating that they are “frivolous claims” and that said claims are “more over the top than Shelly’s “Loverboy,” her signature 18-round triple-barreled revolver.” They also stated that they will review their options and make “necessary decisions” when they receive the official notice.
(1/4) 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.
From what we’ve heard, the suit claims our main character…
— 3D Realms (@3DRealms) May 30, 2019
Ion Maiden is a retro-style first-person shooter by 3D Realms and Voidpoint. It initially hit Steam Early Access in February 2018. It is still in Early Access for $19.99.
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