snuffysam

I'm opening up commissions for 3D art! If you need 3D models for your comic, game, or tabletop character, shoot me a DM! #comics #webcomics #gamedevs #indiecomics

I just released my fighting game Parable Academy (store.steampowered.com/app/3626300/Pa…) and I heard from a Polish acquaintance about the conversion issue @PolishOurPrices , it's really ridiculous lmao. Valve wanted to charge 46 PLN, I dropped it to 37!

@PolishOurPrices Just released my game Parable Academy store.steampowered.com/app/3626300/Pa… Heard from a Polish acquaintance about the conversion gap, and yeah it's ridiculous LOL. Valve wanted the game to be zł46, I dropped it to zł37!

@samreich Hi Sam!!! I've made a bunch of experimental web games over the years - I've cycled between programming, art, and sound depending on the project, and I've also done solo dev stuff. I'd love the chance to work with you all! snuffysam.itch.io

Are there any web game developers who might be willing to chat with us about some fun little projects we want to do over the next year or so? Please link to work if possible! 🙏

A new episode of Steamgear Inc. is out on Webtoon! steamgearinc.com⁠ Ax needs a plan to defeat Corporal Mallet! But can she really trust Starhead Driver?! Patreon: patreon.com/snuffysam #comics #webcomics #webtoon #indiecomics #steampunk

@SolitaryVices @heymintmiller @Ettin64 I don’t like pitching on here but I think you’d definitely like my steampunk comic ( steamgearinc.com ), facing against the extreme horrors of capitalism is the whole point of the story!

@heymintmiller @Ettin64 politically Steampunk is also the most interesting bc it uses the visuals of these staggering steam-powered monstrosities to reflect the horrifying transition of power from the crown into industry resulting in the literal birth of capitalism but rarely any steampunk explores it!!

Invented a new genre I call "cozy cyberpunk". It's got all the cool aesthetics of cyberpunk without the uncomfortable political stu—wait a second

The PAs for the NBC Upfronts sent some Dunkin' to the line outside of Radio City Music Hall today to show their support! 🥰 #WGAStrong #1u

@aDyspraxicEnby @DumbBullHat @StickerTricker Weather & New Pucci were both free downloads, I'm guessing they were already done at launch & held back to avoid spoiling the anime. Super annoying how returning characters are apparently gonna be paid DLC now though, especially since they had to start with The Worst One.

@DumbBullHat @StickerTricker i guess Weather and the version of Pucci they ripped out to add back in later didn’t count as DLC then? Regardless it always sucks to be sold characters that were already playable in a previous game. ASB added new characters and should continue to do so.

Rudol von Stroheim is the next DLC character in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R! jojoasbr.bn-ent.net/character/char…

@failratePrime @KlaessCulptures @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Not the trademarking part, the removal part.

@snuffysam @KlaessCulptures @MarcDWyz @Sirlin DOOM -IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Game software; computer game software; downloadable game software; downloadable computer game programs STREET FIGHTER - IC 028. US 022 023 038 050. G & S: [ video output game machines and ] computer game programs.

Deranged game dev @Sirlin, maker of Fantasy Strike, trademarks a common Japanese word "yomi" and proceeds to DMCA takedown small indie games for Christmas without warning. Yomi Hustle and Yomi Domini have been targeted. No signs of stopping. Have to try hard to be this sick.

@failratePrime @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz Refusing to change your mind when given new information on how trademark "violations" are actually treated is 100 points lost. Sorry, bud, you lost the debate.

@snuffysam @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz What you are describing is literally how trademark registration works. I am not changing any of my arguments.

@failratePrime @RunDaltonRun @MarcDWyz @Sirlin So there WAS an option other than Sirlin threatening to sue unless they were removed from Steam immediately before the Winter Sale... weird, you seemed to think it was super urgent earlier...

@snuffysam @RunDaltonRun @MarcDWyz @Sirlin No, and I never stated or implied that. I have done my best to limit my responses to only US IP law and its application. The developers can easily change the name of their games via Steam's developer interface:

@failratePrime @KlaessCulptures @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Weird how this thing everyone has to do seems to be a thing only one game developer actually does...

@snuffysam @KlaessCulptures @MarcDWyz @Sirlin If the developers of Hades were made aware of these, they may have to C&D them, yes.

@failratePrime @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz Ok, but your solution to "just register a trademark and see if the government rejects it" literally won't work. Changing your argument when you're proven wrong is another 15 points lost.

@snuffysam @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz Whereas YOMI is already established as being used in commerce and is trademarked in this product category, therefore it is incumbent upon the scrappy freeware game to respect that trademark. Giving away something for free e.g. fan games, does not grant protection from IP law.

@failratePrime @RunDaltonRun @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Wait, but I thought you liked games that infringed on trademarks getting their Steam pages shut down right before the Steam Winter Sale?

@snuffysam @RunDaltonRun @MarcDWyz @Sirlin More reasonably, if a name is determined to be infringing on a trademark, that product should be renamed to be noninfringing.

@failratePrime @RunDaltonRun @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Yes, for example, these games should be removed from Steam immediately:

@RunDaltonRun @MarcDWyz @Sirlin I agree with this statement. For example, it is "Tower of Doom", not "Doom Tower".

@failratePrime @KlaessCulptures @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Oh no... Supergiant, hurry! You're gonna lose ALL future revenue for your upcoming sequel!!!

@KlaessCulptures @MarcDWyz @Sirlin So, think of your favorite developer. Now imagine that they are going to lose all future revenue for a game, because they failed to perform a legally necessary procedure. Is that somehow more moral? Like, is not eating enough moral while eating enough is immoral?

@failratePrime @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz To my knowledge, you can't register a trademark unless you are currently using that mark in commerce. They even ask when you first started selling with that mark. Y.O.M.I. Hustle is totally free.

@snuffysam @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz It is unclear to me if those changes would be significant enough. Fortunately, I am not the arbiter of that in the US. That arbiter is the US Patent Office. If a product developer filed to register either of those trademarks, a clerk would respond to them letting them know.

@failratePrime @AlienRopeBurn @MarcDWyz @Sirlin If this is the only correct answer once an infringer enters the market, why did he wait two years after Yomi Alliance and Yomi Domini entered the market to remove them from Steam? He must have lost so much money by waiting...

@AlienRopeBurn @MarcDWyz @Sirlin In this particular case, the legal process is the only correct action once an infringer has entered the market. It is incumbent upon someone developing a new product to perform a (completely free, BTW) search for the relevant trademarks, copyrights, and patents.

@failratePrime @KaizoTakeuchi @panthavma @MarcDWyz Oh so problem solved, rename them to Hustle Yomi and Domini Yomi. Weird how I didn't need to threaten to sue either developer to come up with those solutions, nor did I have to wait two years for a Steam Winter Sale...

@KaizoTakeuchi @snuffysam @panthavma @MarcDWyz Primarily because it is not "Yomi Trek" or "Yomi Labyrinth". In fact, that latter title is actually "Undernauts: Labyrinth to Yomi", so they are clearly using "Undernauts" as their mark.

@failratePrime @panthavma @WWNihilism @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Or maybe trademark law isn't as broad as you think. Would the issue be sidestepped by naming the game YomiDomini? Or Yomi's Domini? If a game was named "YOMI 2", sure, that's a problem, but nobody would confuse "Yomi Domini" with "YOMI" (all caps). Sorry, you just lost 10 points.

@snuffysam @panthavma @WWNihilism @MarcDWyz @Sirlin "Yomis" is not "Yomi", and "YomiFamily" is not "Yomis Family", so while I think this is a borderline case that should not have been granted, I can still see why they felt the marks were distinct enough.

@failratePrime @panthavma @WWNihilism @MarcDWyz @Sirlin Two different companies, two different trademark holders, both officially registered by USPTO and currently listed as live trademarks. Having four letters in common isn't similar enough to be considered brand confusion even when both companies sell baking supplies.

@snuffysam @panthavma @WWNihilism @MarcDWyz @Sirlin That is my understanding of the relevant law. It is reasonable to believe that people may purchase the "Yomi Family" brand toaster believing it to be a product from "Yomi" brand. The point of trademark law: to prevent reasonable confusion between products in the same category.