L. Lynn Smith wrote on Thu, Dec 18, 2003 06:47 AM UTC:
Paranto may have the right to request a name change only if his
registration predates the first publication of this game. But the term
'spiderball' has been used in other games, such as RPGs and Video. The
argument could be made that it is a commonly used word and therefore not
subject to exclusion.
Paranto would have to prove an attempt to specifically undermine his
product, such as duplication. But that is not his claim, only the demand
of exclusive use of the word 'spiderball'.
We could inform some of the prior users of this word that Paranto means
to
claim exclusive use. They might be interested in challenging.