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Well, actually I am insane, but not about this.
Q: "My father is a lawyer and he told me that he read that Magic was going to have to change its name? Could this possibly be true?" -- Larry Wu, Pepper Pike, OH
A: From Joanne Dewey, Wizards Chief Legal Counsel:
"Larry,
"Your father was correct but the situation is not as dire as it might first appear. During Magic: the Gathering's first year in existence, there was a trademark challenge by the Orlando MagicTM of the National Basketball Association. During the last ten years, Wizards of the Coast and the Orlando Magic have been in and out of court trying to clarify the issue. Last week, Wizards of the Coast lost the final appeal. By the ruling, starting today, the first of April, Wizards of the Coast is no longer legally allowed to use the name Magic.
"This does not mean that the game is going to change its name. It merely means that Wizards of the Coast is forced to find an alternative spelling. Many of the popular spellings are also copyrighted (including Magik by the Marvel Enterntainment Group, Magick by the Hallmark Corporation and Majic and Majick by Microsoft). Luckily, using inspiration from one of our own expansions, Mercadian Masques, we have decided to change the name to Magique: the Gathering. According to our editing department, this will have a tiny change in pronunciation. Instead of /MA jik/, the name will now be pronounced [ma JEEK/ with accent on the second syllable.
"The biggest ramification of this change though will be the Magique: the Gathering card back. I've been told that production has been itching for years to update the card back and with this mandated change, we will for the first time ever do so. This does create the problem of mixing different card backs for casual and tournament play. To solve this problem, Wizards of the Coast has decided to run a limited print run of each previously published Magique: the Gathering expansion with the new card back. These new expansions will be printed once a month until all the old sets have been duplicated. This should take just under four years. New expansions of Magique: the Gathering will still be produced on the same schedule.
"I understand that this news might come as a shock, but be assured that Wizards the Coast is doing everything it can to guarantee that Magique: the Gathering remains the premier trading card game. Stay tuned to magiquethegathering.com for continuing information."
Q: "My father is a lawyer and he told me that he read that Magic was going to have to change its name? Could this possibly be true?" -- Larry Wu, Pepper Pike, OH
A: From Joanne Dewey, Wizards Chief Legal Counsel:
"Larry,
"Your father was correct but the situation is not as dire as it might first appear. During Magic: the Gathering's first year in existence, there was a trademark challenge by the Orlando MagicTM of the National Basketball Association. During the last ten years, Wizards of the Coast and the Orlando Magic have been in and out of court trying to clarify the issue. Last week, Wizards of the Coast lost the final appeal. By the ruling, starting today, the first of April, Wizards of the Coast is no longer legally allowed to use the name Magic.
"This does not mean that the game is going to change its name. It merely means that Wizards of the Coast is forced to find an alternative spelling. Many of the popular spellings are also copyrighted (including Magik by the Marvel Enterntainment Group, Magick by the Hallmark Corporation and Majic and Majick by Microsoft). Luckily, using inspiration from one of our own expansions, Mercadian Masques, we have decided to change the name to Magique: the Gathering. According to our editing department, this will have a tiny change in pronunciation. Instead of /MA jik/, the name will now be pronounced [ma JEEK/ with accent on the second syllable.
"The biggest ramification of this change though will be the Magique: the Gathering card back. I've been told that production has been itching for years to update the card back and with this mandated change, we will for the first time ever do so. This does create the problem of mixing different card backs for casual and tournament play. To solve this problem, Wizards of the Coast has decided to run a limited print run of each previously published Magique: the Gathering expansion with the new card back. These new expansions will be printed once a month until all the old sets have been duplicated. This should take just under four years. New expansions of Magique: the Gathering will still be produced on the same schedule.
"I understand that this news might come as a shock, but be assured that Wizards the Coast is doing everything it can to guarantee that Magique: the Gathering remains the premier trading card game. Stay tuned to magiquethegathering.com for continuing information."
But it's more believable than the other April Fool jokes that are up right now.
ACK!
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