Nintendo has lost a lawsuit against Enterbrain in a Tokyo court, according to Japanese newspapers. Nintendo filed the suit last year against Enterbrain and Tirnanog, publisher and developer of the Playstation strategy RPG TearRing Saga, respectively, on the grounds that the title bore too much resemblance to Nintendo's own strategy RPG series, Fire Emblem, developed by Intelligent Systems. Not only were TearRing Saga's gameplay structure, design, and other things similar to that of Fire Emblem, but it was originally to be titled Emblem Saga as well. Some also believed it was a legitimate Fire Emblem title.Tokyo Regional Court judge Ryoichi Mimura ruled that 'Emblem' is not a recognized trademark of Nintendo and that no in-game characters were copied. Nintendo has already promised to appeal the ruling.
Fire Emblem's original creator, Shozo Kaga, left Intelligent Systems sometime after the fourth title, Genealogy of Holy War, and formed Tirnanog. TearRing Saga was released in Japan last year and has sold more than 300,000 copies.
