Hello, my name is Noobcrew.

In September of 2011, I devoted countless hours and an enormous amount of effort to creating a prominent and globally recognized game on Minecraft called Skyblock.

However, for the past four years, my rights as a creator have been unjustly undermined by unethical and profiteering companies on the Minecraft Marketplace that claim "Skyblock" is now considered a generic word used to describe any type of virtual game that features a "block in the sky" or "floating island" environment.

These companies include: Microsoft, Razzleberries AB, Sapphire Studios LLC, Aurrora Limited, Easy Games, Inc., Jigarbov Productions Inc., King Cube LTD, Ziax Ltd, ReWrite Media, Inc., Mineplex LLC, Hydreon Corporation, and Spark Squared GmbH.

The intentions of these companies are to remove my interference and invalidate my intellectual property rights to Skyblock so that they can continue to profit off their own Skyblock named content published on the Minecraft Marketplace.

They have exploited the Skyblock name and concept to sell products under its likeness, without my consent since 2019. These products are deliberately branded as "Skyblock," without any alternative meaning, and falsely marketed as "original." These so-called "original" Skyblock worlds have generated substantial profits, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, with Microsoft claiming a significant portion of the revenue.

This is a direct exploitation of the success of the original Skyblock worlds, which have accumulated over 12+ million downloads since I first offered its four variations for free in 2011. 

For over a decade, I have provided a safe platform for users to download this content along with its respective community forums and multiplayer servers. I have built a brand as much as any other Minecraft-related company or content creator.

I deserve the right to safeguard the Skyblock name within Minecraft in a fair and appropriate way, while also having the freedom to explore ventures beyond the game if I choose. My ultimate dream is to one day develop Skyblock into its own standalone game. However, without securing the trademark and intellectual property rights to the name, I am unable to expand or realize Skyblock's full potential.

My concerns regarding their content and how it infringes on what I created have been made clear numerous times in the past. My proposals for compromise on finding a common ground on both sides were consistently met with rejection.

Minecraft is a platform that encourages user-generated content (UGC), and I have always supported the creativity of those who were inspired by Skyblock to develop their own worlds, mods, plugins, and multiplayer servers, even when they use the "Skyblock" name on its platform. This was always conducted appropriately, freely, and remained within the Minecraft ecosystem. 

However, the introduction of the Minecraft Marketplace—eight years after Minecraft's launch and six years after the creation of Skyblock—has shifted many of the original principles the game once upheld. 

I attempted to trademark Skyblock in late 2019 in order to combat those that were directly selling what I created for profit within the Minecraft Marketplace. I would like to make clear that because I had zero issues with how Skyblock was shared on Minecraft previously, I had no reason on establishing a trademark prior.

The companies infringing on my intellectual property rights are exploiting Minecraft's open nature, primarily before the inception of the Minecraft Marketplace, to falsely argue that "Skyblock" has become a generic term. This allows them to justify their continued exploitation of the Skyblock name for their own profitable ventures.

This pattern of content being replicated and sold without the permission of their original creators has occurred before, with projects like The Aether and The Faithful Texture Pack, and it will undoubtedly happen again.

I believe that despite widespread concerns across YouTube, Reddit, and other platforms where users can voice their opinions of these instances. The underlying issue goes largely ignored by Microsoft and after the initial uproar, the topic will eventually fade from public attention.

The point of this petition is not only for myself to protect what I rightfully created but to call on the relevant authorities such as Microsoft or Mojang to uphold the principles of intellectual property rights and fair practices that are common in the gaming industry and to align Minecraft and the Minecraft Marketplace to fit standards common with other UGC platforms.

In regards to Skyblock, this includes recognizing my continued use of the Skyblock name, removing or re-naming content on the Minecraft Marketplace that I feel infringes on what I created, and supporting the establishment of my trademark rights.

In regards to other Minecraft affiliated content, creators deserve the right to reach out to Microsoft or Mojang and to explain how their content or unique name/brand should be shared on the Minecraft Marketplace if it was replicated and sold without permission. Whether the creator allows or disallows it. Microsoft or Mojang should do their own due diligence in confirming any such requests and the authenticity of such claims.

In my own regard, my concerns were instantly dismissed. And my content was labeled as generic and disregarded, simply because it was popular and shared across the Minecraft platform years before content was sold on the Minecraft Marketplace.

While this petition is largely regarding Skyblock, it should also serve as an example of consistent injustices that occur within the Minecraft space and to help drive much-needed change on the Minecraft Marketplace—a platform the community has raised concerns about and highlighted its flaws for years.

I will not back down whatsoever and I will see this legal case to the very end. I will provide updates of the result when that time occurs. I believe as being a prominent creator within the Minecraft space for over a decade, that it is my responsibility to fight back. This is for the individual and small creators that do not have a voice against Microsoft and the large Minecraft affiliated partners/companies.

Your signature can make a profound difference in ensuring a fair, equitable, and nurturing environment for creators on Minecraft.

Thank you.

If you wish to read more about this, please view the official statement here: https://skyblock.net/threads/skyblock-and-the-minecraft-marketplace-a-legal-battle.145369