Mojang hit with cease-and-desist order from minigolf mogul Putt-Putt
Minecraft creator Mojang has been accused of trademark infringement by miniature golf franchise operator Putt-Putt over the use of the Putt-Putt name in user-created Minecraft worlds. Game creator Markus Persson disclosed the details of the accusation, dismissing Putt-Putt's claim as the company "being silly."
The legal notice's whimsical letterhead ("Let the FUN begin!") belies the seriousness of the claim, which alleges that "Mojang AB's use of the Putt-Putt name has benefited Mojang AB to the detriment of Putt-Putt." Putt-Putt further demands that Mojang "immediately refrain from all use of the Putt-Putt trademark in connection with [Mojang's] business."
Putt-Putt's claim is accompanied by a single screenshot of Google search results featuring user-created "Putt-Putt" worlds within Minecraft.
Responding to Eurogamer's request for comment, Mojang's lawyer Alex Chapman issued the following statement:
"I think there is clearly a misunderstanding here as to what Minecraft actually is. It's a game that, amongst other things, allows people to build things. Mojang doesn't control what users build and Mojang doesn't control the content of the videos users make. Suing Mojang for what people do using Minecraft is like suing Microsoft for what people do using Word."
