Custom Robo trademark CANCELED

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Custom Robo, a Nintendo series first released in 1999 has had its trademark canceled.

It seems that Nintendo didn’t renew the IPs trademark.. Does Custom Robo’s trademark cancellation mean that it will be unlikely for Ray-Mk III to return as an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Will the series enter the public domain or be purchased by another company? Only time will tell.

Kouji Kenjou, Custom Robo’s creator isn’t done with robot games, however, since Synaptic Drive, a 3D competitive shooter for the Switch which will be shown off at Tokyo Game Show 2018.

Authors Note: How do you feel about this? What are your experiences with The Custom Robo franchise?

 

It seems like you're really stressed out by the possibility of Smash including anybody for a remotely marketing influenced reason, so I figured maybe they'd gotten to you (and honestly, I wouldn't call them BS-- at this point there's tons of things on the table, and I wouldn't call any one of them unreasonable).

Nope. I'm a Pokemon fan and am waiting to see who gets added. Incineroar is a good pick and my issue is NOT that 'relevant' characters are taking the place of older 'irrelevant' (I ****ing hate those two words because of the Smash fandom), the issue is that Nintendo isn't using these IP's that people do want to see have a new game, F-Zero included. You would know that if you looked into the small fragments of F-Zero fans who still want a new game instead of just the Smash idiots who only know him as Captain Punch. I only played F-Zero X when it released and while I don't like racers, I'm all for a new title just so the series can become 'relevant', which according to you seems to be THE de facto factor for characters. If that was the case, King K. Rool wouldn't have made it in.

Matter of fact, I still stand by the notion that more 'irrelevant' picks will show up and no amount of bandwagoning leaks will make me think otherwise. When that site updates with a new character, that's what I'll stand by. I'm not gullible enough to believe some idiot who may have gotten a few lucky guesses. I repeat: I got my character (K. Rool) and am set but I'm waiting to see if more fans of 'irrelevant' characters are going to be as happy as I am. I could say **** them and skip along and sing but I'm not that heartless to step on someone when they're down. There are more characters I want to see that I wanted since Brawl and it's not surprising that people want to see more K. Rool-type picks this time around. He was THE never ever based on 'relevancy'.

 

Damg, I remember thinking Ray MK was a really cool looking character after seeing him in Brawl. He was one of the few assist trophies I was sad was cut.

 

Cancelled 2016-03-04.

Uh, I think there's an issue with this story, in that the trademark was cancelled 2 years ago?

It was only brought to attention recently. Thus the article.

 

Nope. I'm a Pokemon fan and am waiting to see who gets added. Incineroar is a good pick and my issue is NOT that 'relevant' characters are taking the place of older 'irrelevant' (I ****ing hate those two words because of the Smash fandom), the issue is that Nintendo isn't using these IP's that people do want to see have a new game, F-Zero included. You would know that if you looked into the small fragments of F-Zero fans who still want a new game instead of just the Smash idiots who only know him as Captain Punch. I only played F-Zero X when it released and while I don't like racers, I'm all for a new title just so the series can become 'relevant', which according to you seems to be THE de facto factor for characters. If that was the case, King K. Rool wouldn't have made it in.

Matter of fact, I still stand by the notion that more 'irrelevant' picks will show up and no amount of bandwagoning leaks will make me think otherwise. When that site updates with a new character, that's what I'll stand by. I'm not gullible enough to believe some idiot who may have gotten a few lucky guesses. I repeat: I got my character (K. Rool) and am set but I'm waiting to see if more fans of 'irrelevant' characters are going to be as happy as I am. I could say **** them and skip along and sing but I'm not that heartless to step on someone when they're down. There are more characters I want to see that I wanted since Brawl and it's not surprising that people want to see more K. Rool-type picks this time around. He was THE never ever based on 'relevancy'.

K. Rool was an exception explicitly due to the demand he got from the Ballot (and likely the actual winner); the fact he was "THE never ever based on 'relevancy'" lead to large amounts of infamy and demand behind only Ridley. And how many people want to see series that died get new games, really? The fact they failed and got canned should be testament enough that they people who really, really want a new game are a vocal minority-- like F-Zero. And I'm saying that as someone who's entirely apathetic to the series; I really don't care much for F-Zero, Golden Sun, Custom Robo, and so on either way. (Also can't help but notice that you completely ignored my point that those series were on ice by the time Smash 4 entered development and would've made more sense as Brawl inclusions-- despite your initial insistence to take it out on Smash 4).

Ah yes, gotta vitriolically insult leakers and everybody who follows them; again, gamefaqs-tier behavior right there.

People go through the same song and dance with Smash; they find patterns that aren't there, get overhyped, and then get pissed off when things don't meat their expectations. Like the ESRB leak, where the empty spots on the CSS "clearly mean there are more characters". Always keep expectations low; my most wanteds (Rex, Decidueye, and Monster Hunter) have been basically shot down, though the first and third are at least super likely DLC choices.

Again, how many "people" actually want more K. Rool type picks? Making judgements and statements based on the echo chamber of the vocal minority generally isn't very good. The Soras and Steves have infinitely more going for them than the 90's kid wet-dreams like Geno and Banjo. The base roster is likely almost completely revealed, and then you have the DLC-- which based on Smash 4, was a mix of mass-appeal icons (Cloud, Ryu) and marketing choices (Corrin, Bayonetta).

 

It's a shame. This game was awesome.

 

and I'm saying that as someone who's entirely apathetic to the series; I really don't care much for F-Zero, Golden Sun, Custom Robo, and so on either way.

Then be quiet and stop shaming people for liking smaller series. Just because YOU don't care for them doesn't mean they need to be ignored. That's the type of mentality that keeps smaller IP's where they are instead of growing. And I'm ignoring your posts because of the same statement I'm quoting now. If you don't care about a series, don't talk about them or dictate how they should be handled and treated. And yes, these leakers are idiots who are wasting their time pulling random bull**** out their asses that may or may not get one or two things right and then they act high and mighty when something aligns with their predictions.

But back to the main point, if you don't care about those series, don't talk about them like your word on them is law. I'm sure those fanbases would love to see their characters get in and are hopeful for something this time. You have no right to dictate what people should care for just because YOU don't care for those series. I don't even have to go on with you, and I'm not going to. On that note, Custom Robo isn't in any danger and I hope a character from that series is confirmed so the series can have a shot at a revival.

End of discussion.

 

Then be quiet and stop shaming people for liking smaller series. Just because YOU don't care for them doesn't mean they need to be ignored. That's the type of mentality that keeps smaller IP's where they are instead of growing. And I'm ignoring your posts because of the same statement I'm quoting now. If you don't care about a series, don't talk about them or dictate how they should be handled and treated. And yes, these leakers are idiots who are wasting their time pulling random bull**** out their ***** that may or may not get one or two things right and then they act high and mighty when something aligns with their predictions.

But back to the main point, if you don't care about those series, don't talk about them like your word on them is law. I'm sure those fanbases would love to see their characters get in and are hopeful for something this time. You have no right to dictate what people should care for just because YOU don't care for those series. I don't even have to go on with you, and I'm not going to. On that note, Custom Robo isn't in any danger and I hope a character from that series is confirmed so the series can have a shot at a revival.

End of discussion.

As much as they'd love to see them get in, the fact of the matter is that the deck is stacked more thoroughly towards the more popular franchises because there's more fans who want to see and play as characters from those franchises than characters from obscure/dead ones.

Also, if a franchise needs to appear in Smash to have a shot at being revived, then I must question the need to have a character from that franchise being playable in the first place.

 

One of the biggest things arguments against Isaac, Banjo, Geno, Skull Kid, etc. is that they're simply not relevant anymore. "They're dead, they're not going to increase sales, etc." Well, first of all Smash Bros isn't just a billboard, but to humor these people...

*After the financial failure that was Federation Force, they some how still decided to make two Metroid titles
*After a 10 year hiatus Star Fox received a new game two years ago
*The last Streets of Rage game released was in 1994, now its getting a new one in 2019 (25 years)
*After a 10 year hiatus Samurai Shodown is receiving a sequel
*Shenmue 3 will finally be happening next year after 18 years of waiting
*Devil May Cry 5 is happening, we're getting a -real- one after an 11 year wait
*Windjammers 2, NES classic, SNES classic, PS1 classic, Ace Combat 7, Fighting Layer Ex, Megaman 11, etc.

Not only that, lets not pretend that the inclusion of obscure/lesser known series in Smash like Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, Mother, Metroid, Star Fox, and more didn't help their sales. Smash is unique because you can advertise a lesser known character using it because it already has Mario, Sonic, Link, and Pikachu on the cover. Call of Duty guy does not need their help. Someone like Shulk would benefit very well from being in Smash.

This isn't the late 2000s or early 2010s anymore.

Companies like Nintendo don't have to shell out a million Mario titles anymore nor does one overgenre saturate the market. Due to the rise of social media, its made it very easy to advertise something like a new Metroid, Shenmue or Samurai Shodown. Advertising spreads extremely fast on twitter now and influencers and Youtubers with huge audiences have the ability to vouch for these games.

It is really annoying (stupid) when people say relevancy should be the only factor. Sakurai is a man who included a list of all games ever published by Nintendo in Brawl. He spent time and resources on this instead of shoehorning in a reference to $$$ Kanye West, Michael Jordan, or Spongebob $$$. That is how a man who loves games behaves.

Want to see what it would look like if someone completely corporate was at the helm?

Melee (2001)
- Ice Climber wasn't relevant since the 80s, no Ice Climber
- Fire Emblem is a Japanese exclusive that no one outside of Japan heard of, so Marth and Roy are no included. Fire Emblem remains a Japanese exclusive as well.
- Mr Game and Watch is a wash upped loser
- Goodbye: Ice Climber, Marth, Roy, Ike, Robin, Lucina, Corrin, and Chrom (-8)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Mach Rider, Custom Robo, etc.

Brawl (2008)
- ROB? More like ROB a relevant character of a deserving spot
- Ness is replaced by Lucas due to not appearing in a game since the 90s
- Sheik has not made a relevant mainline Zelda appearance since her debut)
- Pit is not included. Kid Icarus : Uprising does not happen
- So long: Ness, Sheik, Rob, Pit, Dark Pit, and Palutena (-6)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Golden Sun, Hotel Dusk, etc.

Smash 4 (2014)
- Little Mac should retire cause he's no longer relevant, should give up like how Rocky did in Rocky 5
- Wii Fit Trainer? What is this? 2007?
- Duck Hunt? More like Duck out of the way for a more relevant character
- At this time Star Fox had not had a game since 2008. So long losers.
- Lucas has not had a game since 2006. He better go cry home to his mom about it.
- Samus you lucky girl, your last two outings weren't too good, but you're $ hot $ so we're keeping you.
- Speaking of classics, that loser from F-Zero hasn't received a sequel since 2004.
- Bon Voyage: Captain Falcon, Fox, Wolf, Falco, Lucas, Wii-Fit Trainer, and Duck Hunt (-7)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Brain Age, Drill Dozer, etc.

Ultimate (2018)
- Simon and Richter aren't in, but we get Gabriel Triple AAA Belmont instead
- King K Rool hasn't been in a game since Sluggers, we can't have that can we?
- Pichu, an unimportant Gen 2 Pokemon does not return.
- Bye Bye, Simon, Richter, King K Rool, and Pichu (-4 so far)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Joy Mecha Fight, Takamaru, etc.

25 characters removed (probably in favor of Mario or Pokemon characters). One entire series not ported to the west. One game no longer exists. Extra content in reference to Nintendo's fast underrepresented history removed.

Also, if a franchise needs to appear in Smash to have a shot at being revived, then I must question the need to have a character from that franchise being playable in the first place.

Kid Icarus Uprising was a good game and so are the NES titles. Check them out!

Federation Force was a complete commercial failure, then some how they decided to make two new mainline Metroid titles.

I also love Fire Emblem and lets be real here, none of us would be able to play them without their inclusion in Melee. "who the **** is this blue haired chick"

Just because a character needs the aid of being on the same box or roster as Mario, Sonic, Link, and Pikachu does not mean they're not from a quality game series. Unless you're saying Metroid, Mother, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, and Star Fox are terrible. Of course that's subjective, but still.

 

One of the biggest things arguments against Isaac, Banjo, Geno, Skull Kid, etc. is that they're simply not relevant anymore. "They're dead, they're not going to increase sales, etc." Well, first of all Smash Bros isn't just a billboard, but to humor these people...

*After the financial failure that was Federation Force, they some how still decided to make two Metroid titles
*After a 10 year hiatus Star Fox received a new game two years ago
*The last Streets of Rage game released was in 1994, now its getting a new one in 2019 (25 years)
*After a 10 year hiatus Samurai Shodown is receiving a sequel
*Shenmue 3 will finally be happening next year after 18 years of waiting
*Devil May Cry 5 is happening, we're getting a -real- one after an 11 year wait
*Windjammers 2, NES classic, SNES classic, PS1 classic, Ace Combat 7, Fighting Layer Ex, Megaman 11, etc.

Not only that, lets not pretend that the inclusion of obscure/lesser known series in Smash like Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, Mother, Metroid, Star Fox, and more didn't help their sales. Smash is unique because you can advertise a lesser known character using it because it already has Mario, Sonic, Link, and Pikachu on the cover. Call of Duty guy does not need their help. Someone like Shulk would benefit very well from being in Smash.

This isn't the late 2000s or early 2010s anymore.

Companies like Nintendo don't have to shell out a million Mario titles anymore nor does one overgenre saturate the market. Due to the rise of social media, its made it very easy to advertise something like a new Metroid, Shenmue or Samurai Shodown. Advertising spreads extremely fast on twitter now and influencers and Youtubers with huge audiences have the ability to vouch for these games.

It is really annoying (stupid) when people say relevancy should be the only factor. Sakurai is a man who included a list of all games ever published by Nintendo in Brawl. He spent time and resources on this instead of shoehorning in a reference to $$$ Kanye West, Michael Jordan, or Spongebob $$$. That is how a man who loves games behaves.

Want to see what it would look like if someone completely corporate was at the helm?

Melee (2001)
- Ice Climber wasn't relevant since the 80s, no Ice Climber
- Fire Emblem is a Japanese exclusive that no one outside of Japan heard of, so Marth and Roy are no included. Fire Emblem remains a Japanese exclusive as well.
- Mr Game and Watch is a wash upped loser
- Goodbye: Ice Climber, Marth, Roy, Ike, Robin, Lucina, Corrin, and Chrom (-8)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Mach Rider, Custom Robo, etc.

Brawl (2008)
- ROB? More like ROB a relevant character of a deserving spot
- Ness is replaced by Lucas due to not appearing in a game since the 90s
- Sheik has not made a relevant mainline Zelda appearance since her debut)
- Pit is not included. Kid Icarus : Uprising does not happen
- So long: Ness, Sheik, Rob, Pit, Dark Pit, and Palutena (-6)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Golden Sun, Hotel Dusk, etc.

Smash 4 (2014)
- Little Mac should retire cause he's no longer relevant, should give up like how Rocky did in Rocky 5
- Wii Fit Trainer? What is this? 2007?
- Duck Hunt? More like Duck out of the way for a more relevant character
- At this time Star Fox had not had a game since 2008. So long losers.
- Lucas has not had a game since 2006. He better go cry home to his mom about it.
- Samus you lucky girl, your last two outings weren't too good, but you're $ hot $ so we're keeping you.
- Speaking of classics, that loser from F-Zero hasn't received a sequel since 2004.
- Bon Voyage: Captain Falcon, Fox, Wolf, Falco, Lucas, Wii-Fit Trainer, and Duck Hunt (-7)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Brain Age, Drill Dozer, etc.

Ultimate (2018)
- Simon and Richter aren't in, but we get Gabriel Triple AAA Belmont instead
- King K Rool hasn't been in a game since Sluggers, we can't have that can we?
- Pichu, an unimportant Gen 2 Pokemon does not return.
- Bye Bye, Simon, Richter, King K Rool, and Pichu (-4 so far)

Extra: No trophy or musical references to Joy Mecha Fight, Takamaru, etc.

25 characters removed (probably in favor of Mario or Pokemon characters). One entire series not ported to the west. One game no longer exists. Extra content in reference to Nintendo's fast underrepresented history removed.


Kid Icarus Uprising was a good game and so are the NES titles. Check them out!

Federation Force was a complete commercial failure, then some how they decided to make two new mainline Metroid titles.

I also love Fire Emblem and lets be real here, none of us would be able to play them without their inclusion in Melee. "who the **** is this blue haired chick"

Just because a character needs the aid of being on the same box or roster as Mario, Sonic, Link, and Pikachu does not mean they're not from a quality game series. Unless you're saying Metroid, Mother, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, and Star Fox are terrible. Of course that's subjective, but still.

Here's a thing though: Neither Metroid or Star Fox were as much dead as they were or are floundering in recent times. And unless we're talking about a small subset of characters, most of the cast are characters from franchises intended to have future games. Characters from the Mario franchise are some of the bigger examples, but this also holds true for games like Fire Emblem (even back in Melee) and Mother (pre-Brawl; it's been dormant since Mother 3 and likely a reason why Lucas missed the initial Smash 4 roster). The ones who don't tend to be from really old standalone games (Ice Climbers and Duck Hunt Duo to name some examples; the former even missed out on a game because it was decided that they weren't worth the effort to get to work on both versions of Smash 4) or a throwback to something made possible through a piece of hardware (Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, Mii Fighter, Duck Hunt Duo again).

Heck, I'd wager it's possible that we haven't had any new F-Zero characters in Smash yet because that series was effectively rendered dormant by the GameCube game for being too perfect that the developers themselves still haven't found a way to evolve it further from that.

 

R-Ray?
****!

 

Then be quiet and stop shaming people for liking smaller series. Just because YOU don't care for them doesn't mean they need to be ignored. That's the type of mentality that keeps smaller IP's where they are instead of growing. And I'm ignoring your posts because of the same statement I'm quoting now. If you don't care about a series, don't talk about them or dictate how they should be handled and treated. And yes, these leakers are idiots who are wasting their time pulling random bull**** out their ***** that may or may not get one or two things right and then they act high and mighty when something aligns with their predictions.

But back to the main point, if you don't care about those series, don't talk about them like your word on them is law. I'm sure those fanbases would love to see their characters get in and are hopeful for something this time. You have no right to dictate what people should care for just because YOU don't care for those series. I don't even have to go on with you, and I'm not going to. On that note, Custom Robo isn't in any danger and I hope a character from that series is confirmed so the series can have a shot at a revival.

End of discussion.

I'm not "shaming" anybody; I'm just saying acting pissy and degrading Smash 4's roster over not including characters from dead franchises is dumb. You've been overly emotional and illogical, projecting anger where there was mild bemusement. Long shot characters from dead franchises are exactly that: long shots. Everybody has their dream characters, but acting like they're anything but incredibly unrealistic is foolish and setting yourself up for disappointment.

And again, what "smaller IPs" is Nintendo actively using that aren't in Smash in some factor? By and large, the stuff that isn't being used is dead. Custom Robo, Golden Sun, Chibi Robo, and so on would've made more sense as additions in Brawl than Smash 4 because they were already dead at that point (while your entire initial argument was throwing a fit over Smash 4 and Nintendo not investing into dead franchises).

Also, nice illogical comeback; "a series that Nintendo lost the trademark to two years ago isn't in danger right now".

 

Hello thread-goers, I hope you are all doing well.

We have been discussing the trademark and its meaning in the Ray-01/Custom Robo support thread in Ultimate's Newcomer Speculation section for the past week or so now. Through analysis, we have come to the conclusion that the lapsed Trademark is not the coffin's death nail that this news article claims it to be. Looking over the trademark, and the reddit thread related to it, we would ask that you please consider the following:

Spoiler: I've put the information in a spoiler for your thread-reading convenience

- In the United States, Custom Robo Battle Evolution, the game that launched on the Gamecube, was simply called Custom Robo. Henceforth in this post, it will be called Custom Robo (GC).

- The Trademark in question, established in November of 2003, came out in preparation for Custom Robo (GC), which launched in March 2004 (JP) and May 2004 (NA/Global). Meanwhile, the Franchise in question has existed since before this trademark existed!

- The Trademark in question concerns the technology used in the game, chiefly concerning the nature of the discs, and not the franchise as an Intellectual Property. It should be noted that Custom Robo (GC) is the only game of the franchise to appear on a disc-format, of which this trademark speaks solely about.

- Other examples of this include the technology used in Donkey Kong Country 3 (tech trademark of the game expired in 1991) and Punch-Out Arcade (The tech trademark expiring in 2005). Of note is that these series, and the characters within, are not dead and are maintained by Nintendo. These trademarks are solely about the tech of the game, not the game itself and of the characters within.

- Compare the Trademark in Question Trademark, and its talk about disc-tech, to the Zelda Trademark, which more closely talks of the notion of an intellectual property (as it covers the concept of game programs themselves)

In summary, the nature of the Custom Robo (GC) Trademark relates to the nature of the tech used within its disc. As Nintendo no longer operates using such discs after it made the 'Switch' back to cartirdges, there was no reason to maintain the trademark of said discs just as there was no reason to maintain the other two trademarks mentioned above. The series, while clearly dormant, still remains within Nintendo's hands. This article's inaccuracies does more harm to the Custom Robo franchise than needs doing.

 

its a shame this happened.. i think this was a good series i have not played it though.

 

Hello thread-goers, I hope you are all doing well.

We have been discussing the trademark and its meaning in the Ray-01/Custom Robo support thread in Ultimate's Newcomer Speculation section for the past week or so now. Through analysis, we have come to the conclusion that the lapsed Trademark is not the coffin's death nail that this news article claims it to be. Looking over the trademark, and the reddit thread related to it, we would ask that you please consider the following:

Spoiler: I've put the information in a spoiler for your thread-reading convenience

- In the United States, Custom Robo Battle Evolution, the game that launched on the Gamecube, was simply called Custom Robo. Henceforth in this post, it will be called Custom Robo (GC).

- The Trademark in question, established in November of 2003, came out in preparation for Custom Robo (GC), which launched in March 2004 (JP) and May 2004 (NA/Global). Meanwhile, the Franchise in question has existed since before this trademark existed!

- The Trademark in question concerns the technology used in the game, chiefly concerning the nature of the discs, and not the franchise as an Intellectual Property. It should be noted that Custom Robo (GC) is the only game of the franchise to appear on a disc-format, of which this trademark speaks solely about.

- Other examples of this include the technology used in Donkey Kong Country 3 (Main Game for Dixie Kong, the tech trademark of the game expired in 1991) and Punch-Out Arcade (The tech trademark expiring in 2005). Of note is that these series, and the characters within, are not dead and are maintained by Nintendo. These trademarks are solely about the tech of the game, not the game itself and of the characters within.

- Compare the Trademark in Question Trademark, and its talk about disc-tech, to the Zelda Trademark, which more closely talks of the notion of an intellectual property (as it covers the concept of game programs themselves)

In summary, the nature of the Custom Robo (GC) Trademark relates to the nature of the tech used within its disc. As Nintendo no longer operates using such discs after it made the 'Switch' back to cartirdges, there was no reason to maintain the trademark of said discs just as there was no reason to maintain the other two trademarks mentioned above. The series, while clearly dormant, still remains within Nintendo's hands. This article's inaccuracies does more harm to the Custom Robo franchise than needs doing.

So what you're saying is Custom Robo still belongs to Nintendo and they have the rights to use, as the trademark in question only relates to the tech used for the game? The only part that concerns me is that the Goods and Services statement has some of the same phrases (electronic game programs; electronic game software; video game programs; video game software) between them, and I don't know what that means.

If Custom Robo is still in Nintendo's hands. If that's the case though, that's awesome!

 

You can be rest assured, as I've also done more research in the Custom Robo Support thread.

Now, its only a matter of spreading the word around and getting the article updated or a correction of some form out.