[Source: the UK Intellectual Property Office's website - posted May 5, 2026]
For those still interested in the Gallo'way business shenanigans, this is the current status of the Galloway Spirits word trademark application to His Majesty's Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
And this is, in a nutshell, the official timeline of the case:
A preliminary procedure, the Notice of Threatened Opposition, has been launched by the, as of yet, unofficially designated Opponent on March 9, 2026, just a bit over a month after the publication of the application in the UK Trade Marks Journal:
The above publication, on February 6, 2026, opened a two months legal delay for the preliminary opposition document (the TM7a form) to be sent, extending the delay for sending the formal opposition document by one extra month. Which is to say, until May 6, 2026.
One day before this extended delay expired, on May 5, 2026 (yesterday), the application was opposed by way of a TM7G form, stating various grounds for opposition, such as homonymy, earlier rights or earlier mark conflict, etc.
Now, where did we already see this happening, before?
Oh, that's right:
[Source: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/811712190640013312/first-they-laugh-then-they-copy?source=share - posted March 21, 2026]
I could be wrong, but I would be very surprised to be so, in assuming this new opposition to the trademark registration on the UK market was filed by the same old, same old nemesis: E&J Gallo Winery.
What is next?
Depending on what the opponent requested, there might be a seven to sixteen months cooling period granted, for the two parties to settle this out of court (which, in this case, is also HM's IPO). Failure to do so and if no cooling period is decided upon, both parties must submit their own arguments for the case to either be heard or decided upon (based on the papers submitted) by the IPO, acting as a Tribunal.
Pretty much standard, pretty much tedious, costly and risky.
Oh, the irony of this news hitting our screens the very next day after the pompous and inexplicable launch of the 'Nach Spirits - Special Edition, in Germany.
I am still scratching my head as to how they did it, and while the intent is obvious (slash the Sasse contentious letters), I couldn't for the life of me find another application for that pesky 'Nach, at the EUIPO.
But again, I could be wrong and stand corrected.
PS: with many thanks to my informer. You know who you are.
If you thought President Donald Trump's attempts to rename various airports and train stations after himself was only because of his maligna
Emily Singer at Daily Kos:
If you thought President Donald Trump's attempts to rename various airports and train stations after himself was only because of his malignant narcissism, you'd be wrong.
He also sees it as yet another avenue to grift off of the American people.
According to The Associated Press, the Trump Organization filed to trademark the names President Donald J. Trump International Airport, Donald J. Trump International Airport, and DJT to use on airports and “dozens of related things found there, from buses shuttling passengers to umbrellas and travel bags to flight suits."
The trademark filings come as Florida Republicans prepare to pass a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport—located near Trump’s tacky Mar-a-Lago club—after Dear Leader.
The Trump Organization claimed that it wouldn't use the trademarks for financial gain, saying in a statement, "To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming."
But if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
Trump has proven time and again that he will do anything to make a buck—including stealing from taxpayers. He's currently seeking a $10 billion taxpayer payout from the Internal Revenue Service for releasing his tax returns, which proved that he's a tax cheat.
The real reason why Donald Trump wants to put his name on everything, especially airports: to profit from financial gain by grifting means, just like his other ventures.
Applications filed by the Trump Organization with the federal trademark office are seeking exclusive rights to use the president's name on airports and dozens of related things found there, from buses shuttling passengers to umbrellas and travel bags to flight suits.
"While presidents and public officials have had landmarks named in their honor, a sitting president's private company has never in the history of the United States sought trademark rights in advance of such naming," Gerben wrote on his blog. "These are trademark filings that are completely unprecedented."
Clearly I must be in the mood to talk about indie horror games, because I have another one for you. Disclaimer: I do not care for Poppy Playtime. Which, probably surprises people. I love indie mascot horror, I love dolls and toys, it sounds like this would be a perfect fit for me on paper right? Yeah no, it is not my vibe. Poppy Playtime feels extremely corporate compared to other indie games, and that combined with the way it exploits children, a story that doesn't feel rewarding, and an art style/toy designs that just don't do it for me, it's not my cup of tea. I only remain aware of it because I have friends that are into it, and I check in to understand what they're talking about/in hopes that it'll get better. So far I have yet to be convinced of that, but I'm open to the possibility of that changing.
But we're not here to talk about any of that (at least, not for a few paragraphs). We're here to talk about the Nightmare Critters. So teasers for Chapter 4 have just recently been released, and we have some newly revealed toys called the Nightmare Critters: an edgy, dark counterpart to the Smiling Critters we met in Chapter 3. I'm not opposed to their concept. It makes a lot of sense for a toy company to have a variant toy meant to appeal to an audience of middle schoolers and teens who think they're too old and "cool" for toys but still like toys. Like, what do you think Monster High was in the 2010s? XD Okay, that's oversimplifying MH, it wasn't made solely for that purpose, but you get what I'm saying right? It makes perfect sense to me for Playtime Co to be covering their bases in that way, they are a fictional company seeking fictional profit after all. That would be profitable in all likelihood! I'll even say I like the idea of having a poison dart frog as a plushie with Icky Licky (though the small tongue confuses me). I don't love the design, but I do love the idea of taking a less common animal for a plushie and trying it out, we need more good frogs to cuddle.
No, my criticism of the Nightmare Critters is that they do not feel like a natural progression of anything in this world with the story we've gotten so far. And there's many reasons I say that. Last chapter, there was a LOT of emphasis put on our Bigger Bodies Dogday being the last of the Smiling Critters. And that sequence was incredibly heart wrenching where he straight up gets eaten from the inside and his corpse is possessed. It feels like having a new group of critters diminishes that. Like, yes, they're a different brand, but they're still in the Smiling Critters style, and you expected them to be done with that after how much time they got in Chapter 3.
It leaves me wondering if the devs got the wrong message from Chapter 3. Because let me tell you, the Smiling Critters were not the thing that brought you success my dudes. They are a Care Bears parody that were designed for horror monsters first, cute toys second, and they fall into an uncanny place that makes me wonder why any kid would want this as a toy. Like, when you're twisting it into horror, it should be uncanny, but you gotta start out at least a little cuter to fake the audience out. The mouth design is very not to my taste, I might go as far as to call it ugly, but ugly is incredibly subjective.
But no, the things that made Chapter 3 stand out were in the shock value. Which, I still don't get why they literally spoiled one of their better scares in the marketing. Huggy coming out of the TV should have been a surprise, that was one of the most unnerving things they've done in its presentation. The speaking directly to the protagonist, the change in his demeanor, the way he's animated, it was SOLID, and they had to spoil it in the trailer AND on their Twitter. It annoys me so much, don't ruin the surprise of one of the scariest things you've done in this game. X'''D Who is responsible for that marketing, Mob? But that rant aside, Chapter 3 was shocking because it was NOTABLY darker and more complicated than what came before it. Getting into the orphanage, the gruesome death of Dogday on screen for us to watch, the TV scare, those were some of its best moments. This is when the game said 'we're not baby's first indie horror game'. Which, a lot of people are praising, but I took issue with it.
I have no problem with Poppy getting darker, that's perfectly fine, but I DO have a problem with them not having a clear age rating or content warnings on their game to accompany that, and then selling merchandise directly to children. Like, no, you do not exploit the children, Poppy merch should not be in the same aisle next to Mario and Pokemon, it should be in the collectibles aisle with the stuff for older toy enthusiasts. Toys are for everyone, but these are toys from a story about murdering children where murder is shown on screen. We should not be selling that to kids specifically. There should not be a "back to school" sale, there should not be things meant to be brought into an elementary school for these kids for a horror game that, in my opinion, you probably shouldn't play if you're under the age of 16. Steam as a service may be geared towards teenagers and older, but there are still plenty of neglectful parents that let their kids play anything on there. And while it isn't Mob's responsibility to parent these kids, it would be nice if they made an effort to give parents a clear warning that hey, this is probably not something little Johnny and Susie are ready for until they're a little older. There is no excuse for why Poppy Playtime doesn't have a T rating, ESPECIALLY after Chapter 3. Like, kids can handle horror, there is absolutely horror out there that isn't dumbed down that kids can partake in and be perfectly fine, but Poppy Playtime is not one of them. But that's not gonna happen, because the children are the audience members that keep this game profitable. It was likely built on appealing to them and getting their parents' money, and I don't like that. Maybe it's that I have a kid in my life and have seen the inappropriate things kids his age bring to school, because their parents aren't researching anything their kids are into, but it just bugs me something fierce.
The Nightmare Critters, to me, feel like a marketing move first and a plot move...not second, no, this is like a solid fifth priority. The Nightmare Critters are there to sell a toy. They do not feel like a natural progression of antagonists or toys to focus on in this world, and it's frustrating to see Mob neglect all the other toys they've established. Like, okay, where is Catbee? Where is Boogie Bot? I would kill to interact with Boogie Bot for a chapter. Where is Candy Cat trying to eat us alive or holding victims captive in its body? Where is a living Bron in something other than those videos outside of the game? Why do we have the little wuggies but not a variant of smaller Mommy Longlegs and her two family members? Why is Boxyboo in your spinoff game with no trace of him in the main game? Where did the flower you replaced with Bunzo go? As much as I don't love it, where is the Freddy Fazbear on the toilet toy? You littered the shelves with background toys, and most of them have never been expanded upon. Like, you have made SO MANY toys in this world before this point, why are we making even more of them instead of utilizing what you already have? I love getting new characters, but it sucks that we don't get development on the old ones. And also, it's more expensive! Like I knew these Nightmare Critters were coming early because the trademarks for their names leaked. Trademarks get expensive, and when you're introducing so many new characters that are also being merchandised as real world toys, that stacks up in a hurry! That's real money.
We know over the course of the last year that several of the key people who worked on Poppy have left Mob to pursue other things. And the marketing for Chapter 4 makes that very obvious. The fact that there have been tweets showing someone from Mob saying on Discord that the teaser trailer was made using an early build of Chapter 4 and it'll look different in the future doesn't inspire confidence. Why are you releasing a trailer using outdated materials that doesn't reflect the current quality of your game? That sounds like you aren't really ready to be releasing a trailer. Why release a trailer or teasers now anyway? Because it's October? Because the holiday season is coming up and you want to sell toys? Because other major indie horror releases are doing a lot right now and you want a piece of the pie? (BATIM Chapter 3's seven year anniversary, Zoochosis releasing, I'm pretty sure FNAF has been doing a lot too following its own 10 year anniversary). Like, does this make sense to be doing right at this moment? Is there something else coming that made it so there was pressure to do teasers right now? The next chapter comes out in January of 2025, but it begs the question, how far ahead do you have to be to effectively market that? I don't know, I don't do marketing statistics, but I'm sure they have someone on board to who does that thinks this is a good move.
I'm just...disappointed. I want Poppy Playtime to be better than it is, but it continues to miss the mark. Once the shock value of Chapter 3 being darker wears off, you're going to have fans complaining again that it didn't go far enough, or even that it regressed. There will always be people who love it and hail it as the best indie mascot horror ever, good for them, I'm glad they're having fun. But this thing isn't as good as it could be by any stretch of the imagination. And I don't get why. The chapter based release thing also plays a part in it all. Now, I'm not hating on chapter based releases, I actually like them. They offer a very natural space for theorizing and combing through the details to predict what will come next, and it gives people more time with your characters to get attached to them. By all means, it's not a bad strategy. That said, the devs have talked about having a clear vision for the story all the way through, but the game throws so much disjointed stuff at us each chapter that it leads to some doubts on that. Like, I get it when Bendy had that happen. BATIM was very much an accident, they didn't intend to make a full game after the first chapter's demo was up on Gamejolt. They did it to capture the lightning in a bottle and made it up as they went, and I'm more lenient because I understand the circumstances (though Dark Revival I'm not so lenient on). But Poppy has no excuse. Their moves are very calculated and corporate, and it feels like it's here to sell merchandise first and tell a good story/be a compelling game fourth. And that's probably going to continue. It's a shame.
There is one upside though. The fandom has a way of making this world compelling and fun. Seriously, the fan content is great, mad props to all of you fan artists of all mediums for putting your heart and soul into it. I think this is why Mob thought making more critters was a good move, there are so many fun pieces of critter fan content. But like, that's because the Smiling Critters are super easy to make a fan character or AU out of. Like that is a template. There's just enough characterization and vagueness around them that you can make a lot of things work with them for a story and have it sound sensical to most of the fanbase. And there's a lot of fun interpretations to play with. Is it my cup of tea? Most of the time, not really, but I admire the effort and passion that goes into it. That's valuable!
In conclusion, I don't think the Nightmare Critters are bad or even a bad idea, but I don't think their execution was handled well. Had they been foreshadowed in the previous chapters or featured alongside their smiling counterparts, maybe I would be singing a different tune. But as it currently stands, they feel out of place/out of nowhere, they have a real associated cost with trademarks, they take away time that we could be using to explore other established toys, and it feels like they exist for marketing and merchandise rather than a natural progression of the world. Maybe I'll be wrong and they'll actually be a fun and creative addition to Chapter 4, I'm open to that possibility. But as it currently stands, they don't inspire confidence for me personally.
That said, I am mildly curious for what Simon Smokes is gonna be. Like, we know we're getting a mako shark and an alligator, but Simon Smokes could be many animals. So far I've heard either a skunk or a dragon, y'know to be a counterpart to Craftycorn. I'd actually like to see their take on a dragon, could be interesting.
Don't expect me to talk about Poppy Playtime often. I tend to keep my more negative thoughts to myself because I find that to be kinder, especially with indie games and productions. Like, who am I to yuck someone else's yum? My belief is that indie games come from a place of passion, a desire for freedom to create in ways you can't at a triple A company. It's about the art and making something that is meaningful on an individual level. Making an indie game is a real risk, it's vulnerable, it's scary, and I applaud anyone brave enough to put themselves out there and try. That's NOT easy! But Poppy Playtime, at this point in time, is handled by Mob, which, for all intents and purposes, operates as a company. They may be classified as an indie, but they don't appear to have the same heart as other indies. And that's part of what turns me off from them. You can make amazing art and be conscious of the bottom line/make profit, by all means, that's important and doable, you need that to survive. Just, sometimes it feels like this leans more in the direction of the profit than it does the art. And there's something about that that I don't vibe with. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they do have that heart and I'm just not seeing it, maybe I have it all wrong. I think, framing it as "this is how it appears to me" rather than "this is definitively what it is" is valuable.
I was chatting with my mom recently about leaving reviews on things, and her insight was really interesting. My mom reads a lot of books from independent authors, and she tends not to leave reviews, but she definitely doesn't leave negative reviews, even on the worst books with horrible grammar and no cohesive plot. She said she'd feel awful doing that, because that's messing with someone's livelihood, and you just don't do that. I see where she's coming from. I also don't want to mess with something that puts a roof over someone's head and keeps food on their table. It's tough to know where to draw the line between being constructively critical for the sake of being informative/educational about creating better art and doing something that will negatively affect someone else's life in ways beyond that critique. Like, I have the hardest time talking about Bendy critically because I don't want to hurt anyone, be that other fans or the people I know who have worked on it and put their all into that. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing by talking about all of this in a Tumblr post. I want to be thoughtful, I want to analyze media, really think about the "why" of it all. But there's got to be a way that does it that makes sense and respects all parties involved. Because regardless of how respectful those around me are, I want to be respectful. That's my standard for myself. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. How do we go about being critical while also being thoughtful?
