Considering that addictive puzzle game Candy Crush Saga has been downloaded more than 500 million times, that doesn’t leave many of us behind who haven’t been tempted by the candy sensation. It’s creator, King, has experienced an explosion in popularity since launching on Facebook in 2011 with its saga games, where players move through a competitive landscape and pass their friends on the way. Candy Crush Saga was the top downloaded free app for 2013, and the year’s top revenue grossing app.

It has become such a success, that King has decided to protect its intellectual property by trademarking the word “candy” in Europe and is in the process of obtaining protection for “candy” in the U.S. The trademark will also apply to apparel and other categories because merchandising is big business. It is somewhat surprising that a company would attempt to claim ownership of a word as generic as “candy” but they have their reasons. King has claimed that their IP is constantly being infringed so they need to enforce their rights to protect their players from confusion. They don’t, however, intend to enforce against all uses of “candy” as some are legitimate.

The usage of “candy” is so generic that in many instances it will be hard for King to make a case in court. The company would have to prove that confused consumers think the products are related. So, for example, unless consumers are likely to confuse games with chocolate, it doesn’t seem that Mars needs to worry too much about its M&Ms chocolate candies getting crushed any day soon! Or does it?!