"Unethical" Langdell booted from IGDA

By Robert Purchese Published 15 October, 2010

Edge Games meets the edge.

Infamous litigator Timothy Langdell has been booted from the International Game Developer Association for "lack of integrity" and "unethical behaviour".

Langdell resigned from the IGDA board of directors last August, having only secured his seat months earlier in March.

"The Board of Directors today voted to remove Tim Langdell from IGDA membership pursuant to our by laws Article III. Section 6 (b), which states that any member may be removed from membership if the member has demonstrated a lack of integrity or unethical behaviour, as determined by the Board of Directors," wrote IGDA chair Brian Robbins on the official blog.

Langdell's removal from the IGDA coincides with his courtroom loss to EA, which resulted in his cherished "edge" trademarks being stripped from him.

Timothy Langdell and his company Edge Games are best known for bringing about legal action on anyone using the word "edge" in relation to videogames. Future Publishing was targeted for the title of well-regarded magazine Edge; but the turning point was Langdell's pursuit of mobigame's Edge iPhone game and EA's Mirror's Edge.

Mobigame began an internet crusade against Langdell and publicised his questionable correspondence, and EA went on to bring the house down - turning the tables from courtroom prey to courtroom predator.

Eurogamer blew the Langdell saga wide open with Simon Parkin's thorough investigation of Langdell versus Mobigame last year.

A US court gave Langdell until today to phone companies he had previously harassed to tell them he no longer holds the edge trademark. What the repercussions will be, we do not know.

Incidentally, Eurogamer continues to reach out to Timothy Langdell for comment. But I have a feeling we might not hear back this time.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (40) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • photoboy #1 2 years ago

    Ha ha.

  • RedPanda #2 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • cianchristopher #3 2 years ago

    Edge - Masters of the Game™ since 1979...

  • FreakyZoid #4 2 years ago

    Better late than never, eh IGDA? How long have your members been calling for this to happen?

  • Kami #5 2 years ago

    His world is crumbling around him... and it is glorious to behold!

    Should have stayed on The Edge of the courtrooms on this occassion really, but no accounting for greed I suppose...

  • richarddavies #6 2 years ago

    He sounds like a bellend

  • Gromit #7 2 years ago

    What a plonker.

  • arcam #8 2 years ago

    I would love to know the thinking behind making this guy a director of the International Game Developer Association in the first place.

  • dirtysteve #9 2 years ago

    Ode to Joy should be playing to a montage of these events.

  • captain_Carl #10 2 years ago

    Ha, tosser

  • Bealsy #11 2 years ago

    what goes around comes around

  • andijames #12 2 years ago

    He's completely brought this on himself and i have not one ounce of sympathy for him at all. If you continue to poke bee-hives with a big stick you're bound to get your arse stung at some point! I just hope no one takes up his mantle with this and trys anything like this in the near future!

  • kongzi #13 2 years ago

    somehow I picture this guy looking a whole lot like jesus in the big lebowski.. this is the scene where Walter goes: "mobile games, dude.."

  • tomjoadsghost #14 2 years ago

    The guy lived for thirty years off the royalties on a common four letter word he didn't even invent.

    He pissed me off as much as he did anybody who wasn't *actually* involved but i think some grudging respect is probably due.

    Wonder if this is going to be eventually regurgitated as a book/tv-show/movie?

  • psychokitten #15 2 years ago

    "Better late than never, eh IGDA? How long have your members been calling for this to happen?"

    Exactly, I don't think they could have possibly waited longer to do anything about this.

  • Kami #16 2 years ago

    Oh dear god, the weekend spam has started and in a Tim Langdell comments section!

    This can only end very badly...

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #17 2 years ago

    Not very well targeted is it, with its .us site address and its prices in dollars.

    Maybe Timmy has given up trademark trolling and decided to try and be the next Boo.com.

  • wiper #18 2 years ago

    "Eurogamer blew the Langdell saga wide open with Simon Parkin's thorough investigation..." of what the Chaos Engine had already collected and reported, yeah?

  • Sar #19 2 years ago

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    In your Trolling face Langdell, you utter fucking cunt!

    :D
    Edited by Sar at 15/10/10 @ 14:19

  • Kaminari #20 2 years ago

    Long gone are the days of Fairlight...

  • geeza2020 #21 2 years ago

    I agree with the above posters. What the fuck took the IGDA so long to realise how much of a complete twat this guy is???

  • Hendo #22 2 years ago

    It's not over yet, he's recently applied for another EDGE trademark.

  • BoffBoff #23 2 years ago

    He'll be going after U2 next...

  • ravnaz #24 2 years ago

    +1 for wiper.

    Eurogamer did not "blow this case wideopen" ... Chaos Engine amongst others had done all the work...

    http://chaosedge.wordpress.com/
    Edited by ravnaz at 15/10/10 @ 14:46

  • Spency #25 2 years ago

    I was thinking of trademarking the word 'War'. That way I can take various game developers to court for trying to steal my trademark. 'War' was clearly my idea and such games as 'Gears of War', 'God of War' and ummmmm 'Prince of Persia - War-rior Within' are clearly just attempting to benefit off my good name.

    On a serious note it is completely unbelievable that this has been going on for this long. To think of the amount of money wasted on this farce breaks my heart. I hope he has to pay damages to all the companies he has attacked in the past.

  • Randomlampy #26 2 years ago

    \o/

    Will the comeuppance never end?

    /hopes not

  • nickthegun #27 2 years ago

    Yay, lets all laugh at a man being stripped of his livlihood. You people make me sick

  • Sunyavadin #28 2 years ago

    Edge - Masters of the Game™ since 1979...

    Bastard.

    I hadn't lost the game all week, until I saw this.

  • paulf #29 2 years ago

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmUTBDuUG...

  • Xeopuppy #30 2 years ago

    Thank god he was stopped before he went after U2's guitarist The Edge...

  • beastmaster #31 2 years ago

    "Yay, lets all laugh at a man being stripped of his livlihood. You people make me sick"

    You certainly won't see me (or most EG folk) laughing at what Activision have done with Raven and the makers of TH: Shred. Or any other projects or dev teams that get canned.

    However, this dude made it his mission in his life to strip other people of their livlihood. That makes me sick!

  • Snuffb0t #32 2 years ago

    wiper

    "Eurogamer blew the Langdell saga wide open with Simon Parkin's thorough investigation..." of what the Chaos Engine had already collected and reported, yeah

    Hear, hear! Kind of pisses me off that EG are taking the credit for a lot of other people's hard work.

  • bad09 #33 2 years ago

    "Yay, lets all laugh at a man being stripped of his livlihood"

    Please, the cock tried to earn his dough by chasing a bloody word in litigation. Deserved to lose his livlihood and his manhood. Complete scumbag who should be pushed over a very high up EDGE!

  • PlugMonkey #34 2 years ago

    ""The Board of Directors today voted to remove Tim Langdell from IGDA membership pursuant to our by laws Article III. Section 6 (b), which states that any member may be removed from membership if the member has demonstrated a lack of integrity or unethical behaviour, as determined by the Board of Directors," wrote IGDA chair Brian Robbins on the official blog. "

    Because he wasn't displaying a lack of integrity or unethical behaviour before EA stood up to him in court? Spineless twats.

    re: nickthegun
    I think a few of you may be in danger of falling into the sarchasm.

  • moriss #35 2 years ago

    i'd assume nick the gun is attempting humour, as there's simply no way a reasonable human being would feel sorry for that twat langdell.

    also why is eurogamer taking credit for all that research? simon parkin just collated all the efforts of chaos engine's forumites. they must think theyre soething special coz the bbc quotes them these days.
    Edited by moriss at 16/10/10 @ 08:38

  • Redeye #36 2 years ago

    Oh, Langdell, you're such a card. Unfortunately, that card just happens to be the Jack of Fuckwits.

  • Lycanthroat #37 2 years ago

    Good. Utter skank who deserves everything he gets.

    Cross Edge DLC back up, please (yep, he went after a little known JRPG as well)?

  • Razorus #38 2 years ago

    So this guy tried to trademark the word "edge"? What a strange thing to do.
    I'm going to trademark the word "and". I'll make a fortune.

  • Jamiesan #39 2 years ago

    Am I the only person who tried to release a game called "Langdell is a knob jockey" and use it to trademark his name, then send him vaguely threatening letters every so often?

    It fell through because someone already owns the word "knob" :)

  • Phishfood #40 2 years ago

    Never even heard of this IGDA, does it mean anything to be on the board of directors? How did Langdell even get on it?

    Clearly its the equivalent to a treehouse for a child's secret base. Members only, that means no girls allowed.