U.S. Patent Office suspends Nintendo 'Wii Remote' trademark

Nintendo recently filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which, as you might have guessed, has been shot down. Apparently, the word "remote" is far too common and incapable of being trademarked, said a letter sent to Nintendo from the USPTO last week.

The attempt to trademark the term "Wii Remote" was filed back in March by Nintendo, and even though it has been put on hold, Nintendo still has the ability to trademark the term. It would merely require that Nintendo "disclaim" any ownership of the word "remote," except for when used with "Wii Remote."

[Update: Removed uses of "patent" -- it's a trademark, duh.]