BREAKING NEWS: EA Files for New Wing Commander Trademark

BluesNews is reporting that Electronic Arts has filed a new trademark registration for Wing Commander (as well as Populous, Theme Park and Road Rash). You can find the filing status/information here.

EA already holds the copyright to the Wing Commander IP, which gives the company long-term ownership of the series as a whole. Unlike copyrights, trademarks specifically guarantee the right to sell a product under a particular name. Trademarks must be reregistered regularly alongside proof that they are in active use.

The "Wing Commander" trademark was first registered by Electronic Arts in 1992, following their acquisition of Origin Systems. They renewed the trademark as required in 2002 -- which would ordinarily maintain it through 2012, indicating that today's application is of an irregular nature. In short, it's not proof that a Wing Commander relaunch is in the works... but it is a very positive sign.

Jetlag has put together a fascinating collection of scans of the original trademark filing and updates, which is available here (5 MB). (This does not include the new request.)