Unused but reserved names? Yeah, they're gone.

[Hyde]

Neither of the toon names I really wanted were available because someone reserved them before me.

So I asked Funcom when, if ever, these names would be made available. I thought it was fairly reasonable to think that at some point they would release them.

Nope ... response to my inquiry came a couple days ago. If they never get used, they are gone forever.

Derp.

[Kilajan]

I feel you hyde.

I had two, three letter names that i wanted to reserve. You had to use four letters when you reserved a name. But now you can create characters that only got three letter names. Very annoying indeed. And yes. They are now already taken.

[Chrisax]

It's because people actually bought reservations and nothing in the contract introduced limitations: someone at the legal department forgot to put a line stating that "a reserved name must be actually used to create a character with this name in the game within a delay of one year (which implies that the said character must at least enter the Kingsmouth zone); if no character with the reserved name is created within this delay, the reservation will be voided and the name will be available to anyone again".

Now, when it comes to trademarks, you have in most countries the possibility to ask a Court of Justice to void the registration of a trademark if this trademark has not been really used in a reasonable delay (ie to prevent people from just "blocking" names). Too bad that doesn't apply to video games characters.

Sorry guys.

[Malosar]

Yeah as soon as they introduced real money into the equation, they really screwed it all up for everyone. Now someone who reserved a name, plays it for a month and never again, will have that name forever. Crazy not to put time limits as Chrisax mentioned.

[Calen]

That happened in AO too, after you reach a certain point even years of inactivity keeps that name forever. I remember looking at a name I wanted for years and they never changed level and were just the level you needed.

Oh and I am still around, just been working crazy hours to add to my real life funds for a new house.

[Hyde]

The difference was in AO at least they bothered to have an actual character on that toon name. And in AO they did wipe some lowb toons at least once if not twice.

I'm hoping they eventually do it in TSW ... but ... I am not really playing atm anyway so it isn't such a big concern