IEMA Standardized PC Game Boxes

[PoV]

Some neat stuff that some people may care about. There's been talk mentioned regarding standardizing PC game boxes in North America. Now there's an example, and assets available. This doesn't cover ESRB ratings, just a standardized look for off the shelf PC games, in DVD style cases.

Terms and Sample: http://www.iema.org/disc_logo.html

Assets: http://www.iema.org/IEMA-style-guide.pdf
Icon Assets: http://www.iema.org/media/PC_Rom.pdf

Might be interesting to some people, or not at all. I didn't see anything about payment like the ESRB, just a signed agreement, and few copies for their records. And I know DVD cases for retail games isn't anything new for those outside North America.

Thoughts?

[Bachus]

Apparently there are no Mac-only games in the world.

Standardized logos are a good first step, but they really need to dump all boxes and stick to DVD cases. Most of the problem with selling in stores is limited shelf space, and big and bulky boxes aren't helping things. At least most PC publishers switched to those smaller boxes a couple years ago.

[Ricardo C]

I've always hated the IEMA PC-CD logo, and yes, it does cost money. Switching to DVD cases is enough standardization for me, no need to pay someone else to use a logo.

[Adrian Lopez]

IEMA doesn't charge directly for use of the logos, but they do require that you send three copies of your game to them. Frankly, I detest the idea of a trademarked PC-CDROM logo, even if it costs as little as three copies of your game. Here's what I wrote for my blog back in 2005:

Did you know those "PC CD-ROM" icons you see on PC game boxes are trademarked by the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association? The terms PC and CD-ROM are both in common use, yet for some reason turning them into an icon is worthy of trademark protection.

IEMA will grant permission to use the icon at no cost to publishers, but the fact they can claim trademark rights over the icon is rather disturbing. What if IEMA had decided to charge publishers for use of the icon? How would publishers use the words "PC CD-ROM" in an icon that has the same dimensions as the ESRB's rating symbols -- just as IEMA has done -- without infringing upon IEMA's trademark?

We're entering into an age where everything is owned by somebody, somewhere. It's the concept of private property taken to ridiculous extremes. Isn't it about time we grew up?

If I were to publish a PC game I'd use a DVD case with the words "PC CD-ROM" on top but without IEMA's trademarked PC CD-ROM logo (similar to what you see on Playstation and Xbox titles). No trademark, no need to ask for permission, no need to give away copies of your game.