The legal dispute surrounding the Unofficial amiibo Handbook Kickstarter has been settled

The Unofficial Amiibo Handbook
The Unofficial Amiibo Handbook (Image credit: Paul Murphy / Ninty Media / Kickstarter)

What you need to know

  • A Kickstarter project for an Unofficial amiibo Handbook met its goal.
  • Nintendo initially had an issue with the use of copyrighted material and forced the project to go on pause.
  • The author seems to have resolved the issue and the book is said to release on time.

The webpage for the Kickstarter project led by Paul Murphy and Ninty Media that was previously entangled in a legal dispute with Nintendo has finally been reinstated. Murphy sent an e-mail to backers of the project, explaining that Nintendo had taken issue with the use of copyrighted materials. While there was some uncertainty about whether the project which had raised over £36,000 GBP would see the light of day, Murphy had reassured backers that they would be refunded if he was forced to halt the project completely.

It seems as though fans no longer need to worry, as changes have been made to the project, with the name of the book being transformed into "The Unofficial amiibook", so as to prevent potential readers from confusing the fan project with official Nintendo merchandise. Though Murphy stated that he could not go into the specifics of the legal dispute, he confirmed that it was a copyright strike focused on "the use of a design too close to a trademark owned and registered by Nintendo."

Over 1,500 fans backed the project, including some of the staff at iMore, so it's a big relief to hear that things have been resolved. The book claims to be a "guide dedicated to all of the amiibo released since 2014, complete with facts and pricing for collectors of Nintendo's figurine range." Murphy has also promised to include information about Nintendo's amiibo cards, as well as the Zelda and Loftwing amiibo which was most recently announced to release alongside The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

Nadine Dornieden
Contributor

Nadine is a freelance writer for iMore with a specialty in all things Nintendo, often working on news, guides, reviews, and editorials. She's been a huge Nintendo fan ever since she got to pet her very own Nintendog, and enjoys looking at Nintendo's place in the video game industry. Writing is her passion, but she mostly does it so that she can pay off her ever-growing debt to Tom Nook. Her favorite genres are simulation games, rhythm games, visual novels, and platformers. You can find her at @stopthenadness on Twitter, where she'll more than likely be reposting cute Animal Crossing content.