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Hello all

Not sure this is the right place to ask this, but is anyone else struggling to get onto the Warhammer Forum ( http://warhammer.org.uk )
Does anyone know whether the site is down ?

Works for me. But itsup.me says that it's down. Could be that your ISP is having some problems with routing.

Didn't GW issue them with a notice a while ago saying they had to change the name of the website, maybe they're moving to a new forum, though it was said the original address should redirect to it.

Grimtuff wrote:Didn't GW issue them with a notice a while ago saying they had to change the name of the website, maybe they're moving to a new forum, though it was said the original address should redirect to it.

That's correct although I can't remember the timescale that was mentioned.

The site was up & running okay yesterday, but I couldn't get on there either from work at lunch time or now I'm at home . . .

Nevermind, still plenty to read here on Dakka

GW doesn't own the word "warhammer". In any capacity.

If they think they do, history has a few thoughts on the matter.

Aerethan wrote:GW doesn't own the word "warhammer". In any capacity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark

Unless that's a hobby site is devoted to the discussion of these things

then GW does have a concern in the use of the term.

Never the less, IIRC, the evil overlords have hit the site with a C&D (or web equivalent) & told them that they need to change the forum name.
I would include a link to the relevant page except for my reason in starting the thread in the first place . . . .

Yep, its here:

TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Adeptus Astartes, Battlefleet Gothic, Black Flame, Black Library, the Black Library logo, BL Publishing, Blood Angels, Bloodquest, Blood Bowl, the Blood Bowl logo, The Blood Bowl Spike Device, Cadian, Catachan, the Chaos device, Cityfight, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, City of the Damned, Codex, Daemonhunters, Dark Angels, Dark Eldar, Dark Future, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device, 'Eavy Metal, Eldar, Eldar symbol devices, Epic, Eye of Terror, Fanatic, the Fanatic logo, the Fanatic II logo, Fire Warrior, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Genestealer, Golden Demon, Gorkamorka, Great Unclean One, the Hammer of Sigmar logo, Horned Rat logo, Inferno, Inquisitor, the Inquisitor logo, the Inquisitor device, Inquisitor:Conspiracies, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, Kroot, Lord of Change, Marauder, Mordheim, the Mordheim logo, Necromunda, Necromunda stencil logo, Necromunda Plate logo, Necron, Nurgle, Ork, Ork skull devices, Sisters of Battle, Skaven, the Skaven symbol devices, Slaanesh, Space Hulk, Space Marine, Space Marine chapters, Space Marine chapter logos, Talisman, Tau, the Tau caste designations, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tyranid, Tyrannid, Tzeentch, Ultramarines, Warhammer, Warhammer Historical, Warhammer Online, Warhammer 40k Device, Warhammer World logo, Warmaster, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations illustrations and images from the Blood Bowl game, the Warhammer world, the Talisaman world, and the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, TM and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2012, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. All Rights Reserved

Bad move by GW, the members of TWF are pretty much their biggest fans.

Zedeyejoe wrote:Yep, its here:

TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Adeptus Astartes, Battlefleet Gothic, Black Flame, Black Library, the Black Library logo, BL Publishing, Blood Angels, Bloodquest, Blood Bowl, the Blood Bowl logo, The Blood Bowl Spike Device, Cadian, Catachan, the Chaos device, Cityfight, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, City of the Damned, Codex, Daemonhunters, Dark Angels, Dark Eldar, Dark Future, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device, 'Eavy Metal, Eldar, Eldar symbol devices, Epic, Eye of Terror, Fanatic, the Fanatic logo, the Fanatic II logo, Fire Warrior, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Genestealer, Golden Demon, Gorkamorka, Great Unclean One, the Hammer of Sigmar logo, Horned Rat logo, Inferno, Inquisitor, the Inquisitor logo, the Inquisitor device, Inquisitor:Conspiracies, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, Kroot, Lord of Change, Marauder, Mordheim, the Mordheim logo, Necromunda, Necromunda stencil logo, Necromunda Plate logo, Necron, Nurgle, Ork, Ork skull devices, Sisters of Battle, Skaven, the Skaven symbol devices, Slaanesh, Space Hulk, Space Marine, Space Marine chapters, Space Marine chapter logos, Talisman, Tau, the Tau caste designations, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tyranid, Tyrannid, Tzeentch, Ultramarines, Warhammer, Warhammer Historical, Warhammer Online, Warhammer 40k Device, Warhammer World logo, Warmaster, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations illustrations and images from the Blood Bowl game, the Warhammer world, the Talisaman world, and the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, TM and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2012, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. All Rights Reserved

Wait, so if someone else trade marked The God Emperor of Mankind, they could nail Games Workshop with a C&D.....*Gets on knees and prays* god if you have someone do this, it would tickle me to no end.

So I've tried to access the WHF site again today & been able to get in (at 1pm although it failed earlier this morning !)

The new address will be http://wargamer.co for any interested - the site who are UK based, are more focused to the fantasy side of GW rather than 40K as is the case here on Dakka (so don't really 'compete' against each other directly )
No news as yet as to when the plug will be finally pulled & the wargamer site becomes live. If there is sufficient interest, I'll post news again here as it is available.

For anyone interested into yet another case of GW sending in the heavy mob (i.e. lawyers) for IP infringement, details can be found here
http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=98343

thanks for the interest

scarletsquig wrote:Bad move by GW, the members of TWF are pretty much their biggest fans.

The thing is, does anyone think for a moment that any of the guys working for GW, in a development/games making roll, give the slightest damn about this? I am sure if anything they will have the same view as most fans, that it is cruel to the fanbase. But, like so many other issues similar to this, it is a cabal of expensive solicitors justifying their existence.

Even Dakka Dakka has a legal bit, its just being nice and playing by the rules.

With a name change and a new URL they can happily go forward.

This whole deal has inspired me to buy the url and make it an actual forum for discussing warhammers.

I am afraid that GW have blocked use of the URL so no use to you except to hang above the fire.

Unless they bought the url then it can be unblocked on the terms that the site not be in any way related to GW.

Registering the site as I described would be legal. Like I said before, GW doesn't own the word warhammer. They have it trademarked for use in certain markets, like models and video games.

You can't copyright a word, and if you can then you most certainly can't copyright a word that you didn't create and that has been around for hundreds of years.

scarletsquig wrote:Bad move by GW, the members of TWF are pretty much their biggest fans.

Remember when GW hunted down all Bloodbowl fan websites? That's GW's idea of marketing.

Kroothawk wrote:

scarletsquig wrote:Bad move by GW, the members of TWF are pretty much their biggest fans.

Remember when GW hunted down all Bloodbowl fan websites? That's GW's idea of marketing.

Bad press is better than no press?

It's possible that GW wouldn't actually be able to legally stop them from using the name The Warhammer Forum for the name of their website, if the case went to court, the problem is of course that it's not worth it for the Warhammer Forum people to try to fight it.

In a lot of these cases, GWs legal is probably questionable, but they throw their weight around to stamp out guys who don't have the ability or desire to defend themselves in court. Sending a cease and desist letter doesn't mean that GW is legally in the right.

I don't really see the issue, this is standard business practice to control the domain names of trademark names.. and even in terms of generic names, such as actors names, pop stars and politicians.

The guy running the warhammer forum may well be putting a brave face on things but he clearly doesn't see it as a big issue, and it may well be an opportunity for the forum to widen the site's audience by making it a forum for general wargaming. And if they get a good price for the name - either from GW or a speculator then good luck to them.