Shit.‘How so?’
I hear the rustle of papers down the line. ‘The trademarkBlack Diamondsand the whole game design were filed on Friday. Even some of the characters have been registered, Scarlett.’
‘It’s a replica?’
‘Hard to say. I’d like to question the creator, ah…’
‘Stuart Culliton.’ I cast cautious eyes to Gregory, who’s waiting for me before starting his lunch, leaning back against the leather with an inquisitive frown. ‘I’d want to make sure he hasn’t sold or licensed the game. That’s if it is definitely his game. By the looks of things, this is either a really great copy, or the actual original.’
‘Malcolm, why wasn’t it filed until today?’
‘We couldn’t get the information we needed from Stuart, Scarlett. It didn’t come through until Friday, then we had to prepare the applications.’
‘That’s interesting. Our lawyer in China had the same problem and now the same thing has happened. Okay, let me pick up with Stuart and I’ll see where we get to. In the meantime, what are our options?’
‘We could fight the true ownership. The fact that Stuart’s game is already on the market could help but if it turns litigious, the fact the game is making profit could also go against us if we lose.’
‘A claim for loss of opportunity?’
‘Right. And if we fight it, we’re talking money and locking the game up in litigation for a long time.’
‘That might just be our best card.’ My mind is jumping down ten different avenues all at once whilst Gregory’s eyes are still focused on me, now from his position in the window. ‘Constant Sources didn’t buy the game to keep it on the market; they bought it to take itoffthe market.’
‘It’s a possible tactic. Why don’t you reach out to Stuart and we can reconnect later today?’
‘Great, thanks, Malcolm.’
I hang up and tap the phone against my pursed lips as if the rhythm might help organise my thoughts. Somebody else is ripping offBlack Diamonds. That’s feasible. It was always the weakness and the risk I warned Gregory against. Someone could have reverse-engineered the game and got the code. But if you were trying to rip it off, why not come up with a similar concept? Why go for the exact same game and give it the same name, knowing it would lead to a fight?
I explain everything to Gregory and tell him, ‘That’s a question we might never know the answer to but what I don’t understand is why Stuart has held the information back. It’s like he’s purposefully stalled the registration.’
‘I don’t think that’s the case, Scarlett; he seems content here.’ Gregory dabs his fingers on a white linen napkin and rests back on the sofa.
I pick up a bowl of spiced seaweed salad and sit back to eat it with my chopsticks, my mind still wandering. ‘Do you think he’s angry about you buying the game at seven hundred and fifty thousand?’
‘I really don’t think so. He’s onto a good thing here.’
‘But if he thought that game was his millionaire ticket?’
‘Speak to him, see what you think, but I don’t get the impression he’s vindictive and I’m generally a good judge of character.’
I swallow and place the bowl back on the coffee table. ‘And what about the fact these registration problems have happened in the same order we’re trying to register?’
‘China then the US? Baby, that’s hardly a pattern. It’s electronic gaming; they’re obvious jurisdictions.’ He picks a piece of tuna sashimi with his chopsticks, dunks it in soy sauce then eats it in one mouthful.
‘Why aren’t you concerned about this, Gregory?’
He dabs the sides of his mouth with a napkin.
‘Should I be concerned?’
I sigh. ‘Maybe not yet. I guess I’m more irked than concerned at this stage. If I was here overseeing things, I don’t think we’d be in this situation.’
‘You’re entitled to a holiday, Scarlett.’ He stands, drops his used napkin on the coffee table and adjusts his cuffs beneath his blazer so the shirt hangs just slightly lower than his jacket, a Gregory-ism that makes me smile. ‘I trust you. You’ll sort this.’
‘I need to speak to Stuart.’
‘Not yet. I want to show you something.’ A delicious half-smile makes its way to his lips. I have to blink away libidinous thoughts. ‘Come.’
