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"The makers behind the popular mobile game Candy Crush Saga have received a sweet treat from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. \nAlmost a year after King.com Limited initially filed a trademark claim for the word \"candy,\" the filing was approved by the USPTO Wednesday. \nSee also: The 15 Best Free iPad Games\nNow, app developers with games on the market that include the word in the title are reportedly receiving emails from Apple asking them to remove their apps from the App Store. \nThese emails are in line with Apple's protocol as the company automatically sends out emails asking the two parties to connect when a claim is filed. Such emails therefore don't necessarily mean the tech giant is working alongside King; it's simply the protocol that takes place when a user files a claim against another developer. \nThe trademark includes games and software, educational services, and, oddly enough, clothing. \nGaming blog Gamezebo says that King Limited is indeed asking other developers to remove their games. King did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment, and an Apple spokesperson declined to comment. \n\nCandy Crush Saga was the most downloaded free game for iPhones and iPads in 2013. Image: AppleLaying claim to a word as common as candy is ruffling some feathers in the world of gaming developers, many of whom may not have the financial resources necessary to fight a trademark claim against a more established developer like King. Benny Hsu, the developer behind All Candy Casino Slots \u2014 Jewels Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land, told Gamezebo that he doesn't have the money to fight back. \"I plan on changing the name if that is what I must do,\" he said. \nKing claims that users play more than 30 billion games per month, and its top game, Candy Crush Saga, was the most-downloaded free game on iPhones and iPads in 2013. \nUPDATE: January 21, 2014, 7:10 p.m. ET \u2014 A King.com spokesperson provided a statement to Mashable on Tuesday.\n\n\"We have trademarked the word 'CANDY' in the EU, as our IP is constantly being infringed and we have to enforce our rights and to protect our players from confusion. We don't enforce against all uses of CANDY \u2013 some are legitimate and of course, we would not ask App developers who use the term legitimately to stop doing so. \nThe particular App in this instance was called 'Candy Casino Slots \u2013 Jewels Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land', but its icon in the App Store just says 'Candy Slots', focussing heavily on our trademark. As well as infringing our and other developer's IP, use of keywords like this as an App name is also a clear breach of Apple's terms of use.  We believe this App name was a a calculated attempt to use other companies\u2019 IP to enhance its own games, through means such as search rankings.\" \n\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/01/20/candy-crush-trademarked-candy/>