November 8, 2006
What's in a name?Many GamePolitics readers will recognize the name GamerDad, aka Andrew Bub. For the past several years Bub has provided parents with reviews and other game-related articles aimed at families rather than hardcore enthusiasts.
In addition to running the popular GamerDad.com, Bub’s writing has appeared in several different publications and he is often cited as an expert on parenting videogame kids.
Late last month, Xbox.com unexpectedly launched an unrelated “Gamer Dad” column. Bub’s e-mail box was immediately flooded with letters from outraged fans of the original. Clearly stung, Bub wrote:
I don't have much to say except that GamerDad is more than a name to me. It's a mission and it's my identity. I do a lot of work with radio, television, and newspapers – where I'm quoted as GamerDad - helping parents understand videogames and children. There's more but the point is, this is my life's work! I'd hate to see the name diluted or reduced to become part of the Microsoft Xbox marketing arm.
On Monday of last week, without any fanfare or explanation, Xbox.com simply changed the column’s name to Xbox Dad. Soon after, Bub received a voice mail apology from Jon Porcaro, Sr. Manager of the group responsible for maintaining the online communities for Xbox and Games for Windows. Bub wrote that although he appreciated and accepted the apology, he would have preferred to hear from a representative of Xbox.com:
This was never about competition. I welcome "Xbox Dad" to the Internet and while I understand he's in marketing, I hope he's going to do his very best to, in good faith, recommend the best Xbox content for kids and families.
"Xbox Dad," my point is this, you think you work for Microsoft. You do, but you also work for parents, kids, and families now. Earn it. Make the name mean something. Like I did. I honestly mean this: good luck!
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen likes it when issues can be resolved without hard feelings or legal action.
Comments
Awww, now I feel all mushy. :P
Thanks for addressing the points, it's great to see that, even though those responsible didn't contact you directly, they did change with minimal fuss and apology. MS gets a couple of credit points for that.
Anywho, good luck. Keep up the good work.
Something similar to this happened during the filming of the Borat movie... A woman in charge of scheduling guests was contacted by Sasha Baron Cohen's people and asked if they would like Borat to appear (and he did, making some pretty rude and inappropriate comments during a live broadcast). The lady got fired and now complains that Sasha Baron Cohen was the reason she got fired, when in reality she took the word of some random person on the phone regarding the identity of a person she intended to put on live TV. If anyone's googled the name Borat they know how easy it is to find out that the Borat character is used for some pretty offensive humor.
Hear, hear. I'm glad there isn't any hard feelings, and that M$ actually acknowledged GamerDad as an ally, instead of an enemy.
The cynic in me says that M$ knew about the name before hand, knew they could've stolen it (and defended this in court), and staged the whole thing to look good to parental-types (gamers, too). Perhaps I am too mistrustful of the many-tentacled M$. I did buy a Mac recently; I wonder if I'm on a list somewhere . . . .
My guess is they knew but caught so much flak from potential customers (Bub readers) that they reversed field.
Either one is problematic, but I'm hoping it's the former since it's less worrisome. It does point out to me that these companies like to ignore such important allies that are out there. I believe GamerDad has done more for the betterment of the videogame image than the big 3 combined.
Next. Is GamerDad trademarked? I'll lay odds it's not. That's where a legal search would have likely started and ended. They should have checked for websites, so they missed the right course of action there. But when confronted with the issue. MS chose the correct course of action and renamed their site and apologized.
Lawsuit? Microsoft legal doesn't scare that easy. It's important to remember that MS takes on countries and unions of countries in their regular course of business AND they they go after kids with sound-alike websites. If MS wanted a fight on the matter, there would be a fight.
MS did the right thing, but it's the WHY that interests me. WIth the attorney firepower it has, a lawsuit from Bub would have been little more than a chuckle in the conference room. I'm still betting MS took so many bullets from gamers and others via e-mail and other routes that they decided (rightly) to cut their losses and drop the name. However, I like the1jeffy scenario, especially since this story is probably unknown to anyone outside the gaming community and therefore the name theft wouldn't damage MS stock prices or sales.
Anyway, to answer your questions:
1. Porcaro is the PR guy yes, but he had nothing to do with the decision. I found it uncomfortable that the one guy over there who handled things well (he mentioned me in the announcement about the Xbox column) was the one who had to phone me to apologize. I felt bad for him. Wasn't his fault and I'd have preferred to hear from someone responsible for the decision. I have a long history with Microsoft (I've been a professional reviewer in this biz since 1996).
2. GamerDad is trademarked in web, print, and book form. It's not just a website, it's a role and personality and I'm published under the name in Family Fun magazine, in the book PopCulture, I'm interviewed in the upcoming documentary film "NERDCORE" and I've appeared on television, as a guest speaker at the Penny-Arcade Expo, and I've conducted lectures locally in Wisconsin (at PTA meetings, etc.,) as GamerDad. I've also appeared in over 50 news stories under that name. Also, I'm actively pursuing a GamerDad book deal.
3. I've been approached by businesses wishing to buy the website and the trademarked name, but so far I haven't been willing to compromise enough to take a deal. Hey ECA! You acquired GamePolitics! Call me! ;-)
4. I wish XBox Dad luck and this was never about me not wanting competition. It's only about something I own. A name and the role behind it. Other than that, anything that helps parents is a good thing. Even if it comes from Microsoft Marketing.
That's about it really. Glad it's over, happy this story is just a retelling of the tale, and I'm confident it won't happen again. You guys are right, I may have owned the mark, but there's no way I could have beaten MS in court. Not without a LOT of donations. Glad it didn't come to that.
Back to work, if you have kids in your life, play some games with them. Just be careful about the content. Games aren't bad. Bad parenting is bad.
Andrew S. Bub
-GamerDad
you need to add to your name so you can be resposiable for the rep of it :3
I had to add DSM then lee to my Zippy name now its mine and mine alone.....0_o
RESPECT.