Editing Star Control (section)

=== Intellectual property split ===
{{main|Stardock Systems, Inc. v. Reiche#Separation of rights}}
By the early 2000s, the ''Star Control'' trademark was held by [[Atari SA|Infogrames Entertainment]].<ref name=":2" /> ''Star Control'' publisher Accolade had sold their company to Infogrames in 1999,<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 20, 1999|title=Company News; Accolade is Bought by Infogrames Entertainment |work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/20/business/company-news-accolade-is-bought-by-infogrames-entertainment.html|access-date=October 21, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> who merged with [[Atari]] and re-branded under the Atari name in 2003.<ref name="Haywald"/> In September 2007, Atari released an online [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] game with the name ''Star Control'', created by [[independent game developer]] Iocaine Studios. Atari ordered the game to be delivered in just four days, which Iocaine produced in two days.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-05-11|title=Iocaine Studios Blog » Blog Archive » Life After Hyperbol|url=http://blogs.iocainestudios.com/?p=6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511045235/http://blogs.iocainestudios.com/?p=6|archive-date=2008-05-11|access-date=2020-10-20}}</ref> Also in September, Atari applied to renew the ''Star Control'' trademark with the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]], citing images of Iocaine's flash game to demonstrate their [[Allegation of use|declaration of use in commerce]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Atari, Inc.|date=September 18, 2007|title=Combined Declaration of Use In Commerce & Application For Renewal of Registration of A Mark Under Sections 8 & 9 - Star Control|url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn75095591&docId=S8920070919144047#docIndex=9&page=1|access-date=December 2, 2020|website=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]}}</ref>

Atari declared [[Bankruptcy in the United States|bankruptcy]] in 2013, and their assets were [[Liquidation|listed for auction]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=World of Tanks Dev Bids on Auctioned Atari Assets {{!}} The Escapist|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126181-World-of-Tanks-Dev-Bids-on-Auctioned-Atari-Assets|access-date=2020-11-15|website=v1.escapistmagazine.com|language=en|archive-date=2020-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925015102/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126181-World-of-Tanks-Dev-Bids-on-Auctioned-Atari-Assets|url-status=dead}}</ref> When [[Stardock]] became the top bidder for Atari's ''Star Control'' assets, Paul Reiche indicated that he still owned the copyrighted materials from the first two ''Star Control'' games, which implied that Stardock must have purchased the ''Star Control'' trademark and the copyright in any original elements of ''Star Control 3''. Stardock confirmed this [[intellectual property]] split soon after.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Vazquez|first=Suriel|title=Star Control: Origins Removed From GoG, Steam Amidst Legal Battle Between Stardock And Series Creators|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/01/05/star-control-origins-removed-from-gog-steam-amidst-legal-battle-between-stardock-and|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816035130/https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/01/05/star-control-origins-removed-from-gog-steam-amidst-legal-battle-between-stardock-and|url-status=live|archive-date=August 16, 2019|access-date=2021-03-08|magazine=Game Informer|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-07-23|title=Open source Star Control 2 team express doubts over Atari IP sale|url=https://www.pcinvasion.com/open-source-star-control-2-team-express-doubts-over-atari-ip-sale/|access-date=2020-11-15|website=PC Invasion}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=There's a new Star Control coming!|url=https://www.criticalhit.net/gaming/theres-a-new-star-control-coming/|access-date=2020-11-16|website=Critical Hit|date=24 July 2013|language=en-GB}}</ref> As Stardock began developing their [[Star Control: Origins|new ''Star Control'' game]], they re-iterated that they did not acquire the copyright to the first two games, and that they would need a license from Reiche and Ford to use their content and lore.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Bradley Wardell|date=September 3, 2015|title=Star Control: September 2015 update|url=http://forums.starcontrol.com/471109/page/3|access-date=January 2, 2019|website=Stardock|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826230848/http://forums.starcontrol.com/471109/page/3|archive-date=2016-08-26|quote=... my position is that Stardock doesn't have the legal rights to the original lore either.  Or, if we did, we have long since refuted those rights.  The ''Star Control'' classic lore are the copyright of Paul Reiche and Fred Ford.}}</ref> Reiche and Ford echoed this understanding in their 2015 [[Game Developers Conference]] interview, stating that Stardock's game would use the ''Star Control'' trademark only.<ref name="GDC2015" /> After a lawsuit, the parties agreed on the same separation of rights, with Stardock using the ''Star Control'' name, and Reiche and Ford announcing a sequel to ''The Ur-Quan Masters'' after a [[Non-compete clause|mandated quiet period]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hutchinson|first=Lee|date=2019-06-11|title=Stardock and Star Control creators settle lawsuits—with mead and honey|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/06/stardock-and-star-control-creators-settle-lawsuits-with-mead-and-honey/|access-date=2021-03-08|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Oxford |first=Nadia |date=October 24, 2022 |editor-last=Parish |editor-first=Jeremy |title=Retronauts Episode 489: Inside Star Control with Pistol Shrimp |url=https://retronauts.com/article/1955/retronauts-episode-489-inside-star-control-with-pistol-shrimp |website=Retronauts}}</ref>