Mojang: Bethesda refused Scrolls name change
Markus Persson claims Mojang offered to change name and drop trademark
Minecraft creator Markus Persson has revealed that Bethesda refused an offer to change the name of Mojang's latest game from "Scrolls."
Persson, widely known as "Notch," posted a reaction to a Kotaku article on his blog, attempting to dispel the idea that the legal dispute between the two companies could be resolved by simply changing the name.
"We realised we should apply for the trademark 'Minecraft' to protect our brand. When doing so, we also sent in an application for 'Scrolls'," Persson wrote.
"When Bethesda contacted us, we offered both to change the name to "Scrolls: [some subtitle]" and to give up the trademark. They refused on both counts."
"Whatever reason they have for suing us, it's not a fear of us having a trademark on the word 'Scrolls', as we've offered to give that up."
Bethesda's lawyers sent a letter to Mojang in August claiming that the name infringed its Elder Scrolls trademark. Initially, Persson dismissed the matter as "lawyers being lawyers," but confirmation that the case would reach the courts arrived late in September.