The Learning Company v. Zynga, Inc.

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Case No: 11-cv-10894; filed June 7, 2011

This case arose from a trademark dispute regarding The Learning Company’s (“TLC”) popular “Oregon Trail” computer game.  TLC claimed Zynga infringed upon their property by using the name “Oregon Trail” in its similarly themed game “Frontierville”.  While Oregon Trail does refer to TLC’s well-known game, it also refers to the 2,000 mile long wagon route connecting the area around the Missouri River to Oregon which was used when settlers began moving west in the 1800s.  On December 18, 2012, TLC and Zynga entered into an out-of-court settlement and the case was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice.