So what happens if a player makes a character name, and a year later from making that character name, a company out there in the world trademarks it? Does that player get penalized with a 72 hour ban and forced rename?
If the copyright owner contacted us to ask for a change, we would accommodate that request. Those of us choosing character names do not “own” them, nor have a copyright on them. Therefore, someone who does pay the fees and files the documents gets precedence.
Naturally, if someone uses a name that is already bound by copyright, the same process would apply.
Our practice with names has changed to be kinder and gentler than it once was for first offenders. In most cases, if someone has a disallowed name, we will simply flag the name for rename but we will not place the account under suspension for the first offense. The player must rename to access the character, but he/she can play without a time-out. If someone chooses an offensive re-name, or uses offensive names in the future, then he or she would be subject to suspension(s).
So in this case, if someone copyrights a term and it becomes bound by law with a corporate or individual Intellectual Property, we’ll handle it with a rename but not penalty.
