FingerGaming

Despite its innocent isometric looks, Mobigame’s Edge ($4.99) has been one of the most controversial iPhone games to be released this year. Now, after a long, bewildering battle of copyright issues and multiple removals from the App Store, Edge is once again available for purchase in all regions.

Our story so far:

1) Mobigames releases Edge. I give it five out of five stars. Apple likes it too.

2) Edge is voluntarily removed from the App Store over what is later discovered to be a trademark dispute. The short version: Edge Games CEO and International Game Developers Association (IGDA) board member Tim Langdell claimed to own the worldwide trademark for the word “Edge” and related phrases, and requested that Mobigame either license the name or remove the app.

3) Edge returns to the App Store amid further controversy.

4) Langdell contacts Apple to have Edge removed from the App Store again. Apple informs Mobigame that the game will not be restored until all trademark disputes have been settled.

Though Edge has not been available for purchase since July, Tim Langdell has been the subject of much discussion in the months since.

Responding to claims that Langdell used his trademark to bully small-time developers, his peers at the IGDA planned a meeting to discuss his removal from the organization’s board of directors. Before a vote could be called, Langdell resigned.

Langdell was dealt another blow last month when EA DICE, developer of the console title Mirror’s Edge, filed a complaint to have Langdell’s “Edge” trademark nullified in all regions.

Though no action has been taken in EA DICE’s suit, Langdell’s dispute with Mobigame appears to have been settled, and Apple has restored the game to the App Store under the new title Edge by Mobigame. A free Lite version is also available.

Tags: Action, edge, mobigame, Puzzle, Removed Game