Gate of Doom

Trademark infringement

In 1994, Data East accused the developers of the Doom game, id Software, of trademark infringement, alleging that their game Dark Seal had been localized and released as Gate of Doom, which they believed was too similar to their own title. To address the dispute, Jay Wilbur, a representative from id Software, traveled to Japan to meet with Data East.

According to John Romero, one of the co-founders of id Software, the negotiations between the two parties were surprisingly brief, lasting only five minutes. During this time, Data East initially demanded a settlement amount of $1 million as compensation for the alleged trademark infringement.

However, after some discussion and back-and-forth, both parties were able to reach a resolution. Ultimately, id Software agreed to pay Data East $500,000 to settle the conflict and put an end to the trademark infringement claim.