A relatively unknown film production company, Stellarblade, has launched a lawsuit against Sony and Shift Up, claiming infringement over the name “Stellar Blade” used in this year’s hit action-adventure video game. At the core of the legal dispute lies Stellarblade’s concern over brand confusion and the potential dilution of its identity due to the similarity of the names.

This kind of lawsuit might seem like one of those opportunistic attempts to profit from a successful intellectual property—where someone comes forward claiming they thought of a similar idea years ago, hoping to capitalize on the success of a larger entity. However, the Stellarblade vs. Stellar Blade case brings a few valid points into focus, particularly around trademark law and brand protection.

Trademark law, while often seen as tedious and convoluted, serves an essential purpose: you must actively defend your brand to retain exclusive rights to it. If a company doesn’t take the necessary steps to protect its trademark, it risks losing ownership of its name. Just ask companies like Escalator, Hovercraft, and Trampoline—once proprietary brand names that became generic terms through a failure to defend their trademarks. In that light, Stellarblade’s legal actions make more sense.

Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, the owner of the Louisiana-based Stellarblade film production company, finds himself in this exact situation. According to IGN, Mehaffey has operated under the name Stellarblade for 14 years. However, after the game—originally named Project Eve—was rebranded as Stellar Blade in 2022, Mehaffey claims his company’s Google search ranking dropped dramatically, which has significantly impacted his business. Stellarblade’s website, www.stellarblade.com, which had long dominated search results for the name, suddenly lost visibility, threatening Mehaffey’s business prospects. Understandably, he feels the need to defend his brand against this much larger entity.

But the case gets complicated. Mehaffey didn’t register the trademark for “Stellarblade” until 2023—after Shift Up had already rebranded their game. This raises questions about the timing and strength of his claim. Trademark protections often hinge on who is using the name first and how promptly they take steps to secure those rights. Although common law trademarks can exist based on usage rather than registration, the delay in filing casts doubt on Mehaffey’s position. Following the trademark registration, Mehaffey reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Shift Up, but by then, the game was already deeply embedded in public awareness.

The situation gets even murkier when considering Mehaffey’s assertion that his company’s logo is “confusingly similar” to that of the game, despite the logos appearing distinctly different. This echoes the notorious case of Tim Langdell, who spent years attempting to control the word “Edge” in the gaming industry, much to the frustration of developers and gamers alike.

The most surprising aspect of the lawsuit, however, lies in Mehaffey’s requests for legal relief. As IGN reports, Mehaffey is asking for an injunction that would prohibit Sony and Shift Up from using the name “Stellar Blade” or any similar name in the future. Additionally, he has requested that all materials featuring the “Stellar Blade” name be turned over to him for destruction. Such demands seem highly unlikely to succeed, especially considering the game’s release and the widespread investment already tied to the project.

While Mehaffey’s frustration over the loss of SEO visibility is understandable—having your brand suddenly overshadowed by a more prominent product could be a huge blow—it’s also worth noting that owning the domain stellarblade.com may have brought him unexpected traffic. The controversy surrounding this lawsuit has likely drawn more eyes to his business than ever before, even if much of the attention stems from confusion.

In the end, regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: Stellarblade, the film company, is no longer flying under the radar. What started as a small, quiet business has now garnered significant media attention, thanks to its legal battle with two industry giants.