Sony's attempt to trademark 'Let's Play' denied by US patent office

The applied-for trademark, which is a term for a popular genre of gaming videos, was denied for being too similar to an existing one

It's not clear what ambitions Sony had for the popular gaming term (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

Sony has been denied a trademark on the phrase 'Let's Play', a term widely used in a popular genre of YouTube gaming videos.

However, the North American branch of Sony Computer Entertainment wasn't denied the trademark because it's so common in the gaming community, but because it could cause confusion with an existing trademark.

Accoding to a document released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the patent for 'Let's Play' was not granted because it is too similar to the trademark 'LP Let's Play', the text of the logo used by Let'z Play of America, which operates a video games arcade in the city of Marietta, Georgia.

The USPTO concluded that because the trademarks are almost the same and each company offers similar services, confusion amongst consumers would be likely.

If Sony did succeed in trademarking 'Let's Play', however, it's possible they would have faced a backlash from gamers, since 'Let's Play' is a term commonly used by the online gaming community in the titles of game videos, which show the creator playing a game and usually commentating on the action over the top.

Searching for 'Let's Play' on YouTube reals millions of these kinds of videos, and one of the most popular, made by millionaire Swedish YouTube star PewDiePie, has been viewed over 20 million times.

Most games studios embrace Let's Play videos, as they essentially provide free advertising for their latest titles and are increasingly becoming a large part of games marketing strategies.

Others, like Nintendo, claim there are copyright issues with YouTubers posting videos of their content online, and have created complex revenue-sharing schemes to ensure they claim a portion of the YouTube advertising money.

It's not currently known what Sony's ambitions were for the trademark, but the company still has until 29 June to appeal the USPTO's decision.