Skyblock vs. Microsoft: Final Legal Outcome | Skyblock

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Skyblock vs. Microsoft: Final Legal Outcome

Discussion in 'News & Announcements' started by Noobcrew, May 12, 2026 at 9:04 PM.

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Noobcrew<br>Server Owner<br>Server Owner<br>Administrator

Joined:<br>Sep 12, 2012

Messages:<br>1,771

IGN:<br>Noobcrew

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share some news on the Skyblock legal case.

Unfortunately, on May 11th, the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued its final decision in favor of Microsoft and the eleven Minecraft Marketplace companies opposing my Skyblock trademark application, which I originally filed in late 2019.

I'm going to say a lot here only to get my point across, but it feels pointless given how much I’ve already expressed over the years, much of which can be found here regarding the topic. You can also read the USPTO decision here, along with access to other publicly available legal filings.

The decision made by the U.S. Trademark Office was that "Skyblock” is merely descriptive of a type of Minecraft gameplay rather than identifying a single source. It found that the extensive amount of evidence I provided did not prove the term had acquired distinctiveness exclusively tied to me (Noobcrew) or my platform here.

In my view, the decision was inaccurate because user-generated content is still relatively new in the gaming industry, and the open, modding-focused culture surrounding a game like Minecraft was used to twist the narrative. This decision was based on the interpretation and opinion of a small group of individuals at the U.S Trademark Office, rather than a determination of what is true or false, or moral or immoral. The popularity of content, and the communities that share it in non-commercial and non-damaging ways, should not be used as justification to label a unique creation as generic or unprotectable, nor to give others the ability to commercially exploit it under misleading circumstances. This case was initiated because of the substantial revenue generated from companies replicating Skyblock along with the significant 63% share Microsoft receives from the Minecraft Marketplace platform. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The companies involved:

- Microsoft Corporation

- Razzleberries AB (Marketplace Partner)

- Sapphire Studios LLC (Marketplace Partner)

- Jigarbov Productions (Marketplace Partner)

- Mineplex LLC (Bedrock/Java Server)

- ReWrite Media, Inc. (aka. Pathway Studios)

- Spark Squared GmbH (Marketplace Partner)

- Aurrora Limited (Marketplace Partner)

- King Cube LTD (Marketplace Partner)

- Easy Games, Inc. (Roblox Studio)

- Ziax Ltd. (aka. CubeCraft)

- Hydreon Corporation (aka. Lifeboat)

Microsoft and the aforementioned companies persuaded the decision in their favor by relying heavily on examples such as the usage of "Skyblock" for multiplayer servers along with fan-created maps shared on platforms like Planet Minecraft as part of their defense. Much of the decision appeared to center around the usage of the name on Minecraft servers — an environment that even Microsoft and Mojang themselves can't control. As many players know, Multiplayer servers have long freely used names and concepts associated with major franchises and game modes such as Hunger Games, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and many others. Even companies like Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have consistently used legal pressure and have been unable to fully inhibit what occurs within Minecraft servers and community-created spaces, you can still find Minecraft servers with copyrighted Pokémon characters from mods and custom content. In fact, my lack of attempts to take action on Minecraft servers, which I fully support, was only used to show my abandonment. I've reiterated this before, but Microsoft and the Minecraft Marketplace Partners have used the culture of Minecraft and the non-damaging community aspects to their commercial advantage.

For years, Mojang and Microsoft have promoted the idea of creating unique content and the belief that, in some form, what you create belongs to you. Even the Minecraft EULA still reinforces that concept. However, I feel the outcome of this case demonstrates the opposite — that creators do not truly own what they create.

The final decision made in this case will only benefit the larger companies that capitalize on creations originally made by smaller creators, using them for profit within a controlled Marketplace that permits the sale of such content, while similar activity outside of that platform such as independently selling maps, worlds, and other Minecraft related content would violate the Minecraft EULA and Microsoft’s own guidelines.

The only companies truly capable of commercially selling Minecraft content through official channels are Minecraft Marketplace Partners. If you are not already an...