Lawsuit Filed Against White Wolf
A disagreement between White Wolf Game Studios and the World of Darkness fan club "The Camarilla" has reached the courts. Specific issues include ownership of the trademark "The Camarilla"; the legal status and organization of the club; the ownership of membership lists and other data developed by the club; and the company's degree of control over club affairs.
The word "Camarilla" is an archaic term meaning "scheming group" or "cabal." It was used in Vampire: The Masquerade as the name of the largest vampire organization but never trademarked by White Wolf. The fan club currently using the name "The Camarilla" applied to register the name as a trademark in 1998 and received that registration in 2000; White Wolf was aware of the registration and filed no objection. The circumstances surrounding White Wolf's failure to file any legal objection are also in dispute.
The club and White Wolf have been for some time negotiating a contract that would settle these and other issues, but recently negotiations broke down. On Jan. 14, White Wolf's President, Mike Tinney, sent e-mail to Camarilla members in which he stated that "effective immediately, White Wolf will manage the club directly as we look for volunteers to help us lead the organization . . ."
In response, on January 16, The Camarilla filed suit against White Wolf. According to club president Shea Porr, ". . . the day after our legal counsel received the letter stating that White . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: January 26, 2002
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