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I'm pretty sure it was always Tau until recently but now I see T'au. Anyone remember when the change happened?

Pretty sure T'au has always been the world and Tau the race. They Just went from Tau (the race) Empire to T'au (the world) Empire.

I think it was the start of 8th? I assume it's because they can't copyright Tau but they can copyright T'au.

The descriptions on the webstore seem to imply that the race is indeed the T'au and not the Tau as previously. I think this happened in the last 6 months?

pm713 wrote:
I think it was the start of 8th? I assume it's because they can't copyright Tau but they can copyright T'au.

Trademark not copyright

I don't know British law but in US law it's about how it sounds not insignificant spelling changes. And Tau is trademarkable as long as no one was using it for toy figures before GW started.

I always likes Tau better, besides being a Greek letter it also opened the door for obscure Asian philosophy jokes.

The Tau you can see is not the true Tau!

Also, Tau is the 5th letter and they are the 5th xenos army GW put out for 40K.

It was from the start of 8th. Same goes for Aeldari.

With the advent of gatheting storm GW finished to "rename" most of the factions to a more Copyright friendly ones.

IG become the Astra, Aeldari and Drukhari changes for the Eldar and the T'au names popped out just between the final of 7th and the beginnings of 8th

 Lord Perversor wrote:
With the advent of gatheting storm GW finished to "rename" most of the factions to a more Copyright friendly ones.

Trademark!

Content (art, prose, sculpts, video) is copyrighted.

Distinct marketing elements (product names, logos, symbols) are trademarked.

Copyrighted material must be original, but trademarks can include ordinary words etc, so long as you are using them to distinguish your product. The main limits are they can't be generic (Apple brand computers are fine, Apple brand apples are not) or confusing similar to someone else's product (I can't make a game called Hammer Wars, GW can't rename their faction IG Joe).

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:

 Lord Perversor wrote:
With the advent of gatheting storm GW finished to "rename" most of the factions to a more Copyright friendly ones.

Trademark!

Content (art, prose, sculpts, video) is copyrighted.

Distinct marketing elements (product names, logos, symbols) are trademarked.

Copyrighted material must be original, but trademarks can include ordinary words etc, so long as you are using them to distinguish your product. The main limits are they can't be generic (Apple brand computers are fine, Apple brand apples are not) or confusing similar to someone else's product (I can't make a game called Hammer Wars, GW can't rename their faction IG Joe).

Maybe they did it for SEO? Googling Tau comes up with lots of unrelated stuff.

When the Ga'mes™ W'Orkshop™ Lawy'ers™ decided that it was better for trademark purposes, and who gives a about silly things like the fluff when you have IP to protect. Trash it all, and make more C'itadel™ Pro'ducts™.

I for one welcome our new T'au overlords. They will sit nicely on the shelf next to my Astroglide Milipedes and my Harlaequaens.

D'oh.

Should be the next army...
Oh, wait. Likely copyright belongs to FOX.

 jeff white wrote:
D'oh.

Should be the next army...
Oh, wait. Likely copyright belongs to FOX.

It's spelled: Annoyed Grunt

 Peregrine wrote:
When the Ga'mes™ W'Orkshop™ Lawy'ers™ decided that it was better for trademark purposes, and who gives a about silly things like the fluff when you have IP to protect. Trash it all, and make more C'itadel™ Pro'ducts™.

I believe T’au is the tau pronunciation and Tau is the imperium way of saying it.

It’s been that way in the fluff for a while too, and the change isn’t that bad, honestly. It’s probably the least ergegous case of this. I see no reason to be mad.

 Lord Perversor wrote:
IG become the Astra, Aeldari and Drukhari changes for the Eldar and the T'au names popped out just between the final of 7th and the beginnings of 8th

IIRC they were Codex: Astra Millitarum as early as sixth edition.

That was the one that needed it the most, I think. The aesthetic was easily replicatable and the name was super generic, the need for change to defend it as IP made sense, even if it was fun to make fun of it.

Everything after that didn't involve taking lesser used alternate names that already existed probably came from a place of 'it worked for the guard, let's play it safe'.