A Louisiana film production company, Stellarblade, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Sony and Shift Up, the developer of the PS5 game Stellar Blade.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges that Sony and Shift Up's use of the name "Stellar Blade" for their game infringes on Stellarblade's trademark, registered in June 2023. Stellarblade, owned by Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, provides commercials, documentaries, music videos, and independent films.

Mehaffey claims the game's name has harmed his business by reducing its online visibility. He argues that searches for "Stellarblade" now primarily return results for the video game, making it difficult for potential clients to find his company.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, attorney fees, and an injunction to prevent further use of the "Stellar Blade" name. Mehaffey also demands the destruction of all Stellar Blade marketing materials.

Mehaffey's lawyer contends that Sony and Shift Up should have been aware of his pre-existing trademark rights, noting that Mehaffey registered the stellarblade.com domain in 2006 and has operated his film production company under that name since 2011. He sent a cease and desist letter to Shift Up in July 2023. Shift Up registered the "Stellar Blade" trademark in January 2023, while the game was initially known as "Project Eve."

The lawyer further argues that the similarity between the logos and the stylized "S" in both names contributes to the confusion. The lawsuit highlights that trademark rights can have retroactive application. Mehaffey's lawyer stated to IGN that the superior resources of Sony and Shift Up have pushed Mehaffey's business into "digital obscurity."

The outcome of this case remains to be seen, but it raises questions about the due diligence undertaken by large companies when selecting names for their products.