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An American film production company has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Sony and Shift Up, the developer behind the popular PS5 action-adventure title Stellar Blade. The legal dispute centers around the use of the name “Stellar Blade” and its similarity to the company’s registered trademark “Stellarblade.”
Trademark Conflict: Stellar Blade vs. Stellarblade
Shift Up and Sony are currently facing a legal challenge from a Louisiana-based film production company named Stellarblade. The lawsuit was filed in a Louisiana court earlier this month, with the plaintiff alleging that the game developers have infringed on their trademark rights by naming the game Stellar Blade.
Griffith Chambers Mehaffey, owner of the film company Stellarblade, claims that the release and popularity of Stellar Blade have negatively impacted his business. He argues that the similar name has led to confusion online, making it harder for customers searching for the film company to find relevant information due to the overwhelming presence of Stellar Blade-related search results.
Mehaffey is seeking monetary compensation, attorney fees, and a court injunction to prevent Shift Up and Sony from using the “Stellar Blade” trademark or any variation thereof. Additionally, he requested that all materials bearing the “Stellar Blade” name be transferred to him for destruction.
The “Stellarblade” trademark was officially registered by Mehaffey in June 2023. A cease-and-desist letter followed shortly after, sent to Shift Up in July of the same year. According to the lawsuit, Mehaffey has owned the domain stellarblade.com since 2006 and has used the brand in connection with his film production services since 2011.
In a statement to IGN, Mehaffey’s legal representative argued that it would be “difficult to imagine that Shift Up and Sony were unaware of Mr. Mehaffey's established rights before adopting their identical mark.” This comes despite Stellar Blade being initially announced under the working title “Project Eve” in 2019 and later rebranded as “Stellar Blade” in 2022. Shift Up filed its trademark for “Stellar Blade” in early 2023, with Mehaffey following months later in June.
“Mr. Mehaffey registered the stellarblade.com domain in 2006 and has used the STELLARBLADE name for his business for nearly 15 years,” Mehaffey’s lawyer stated. “We believe in fair competition, but when larger companies disregard the established rights of smaller businesses, it's our responsibility to stand up and protect our brand.”
The lawyer further claimed that the defendants’ significant resources have essentially dominated online search results for “Stellarblade,” pushing Mehaffey’s long-standing business into digital obscurity and threatening his livelihood. Additionally, Mehaffey pointed out visual similarities between the logos—particularly the stylized “S”—arguing that they are “confusingly similar.”
It’s important to note that trademark protections can often apply retroactively. This means that even if a trademark was officially filed at a later date, prior usage and branding efforts may still qualify for legal protection under certain conditions.
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