CD Projekt has moved to explain its Cyberpunk trademark after it had caused a bit of a fuss online this week.

CD Projekt is working on a game called Cyberpunk 2077, which is set in the universe created by American role-playing, board and video game designer Mike Pondsmith.

Some had questioned the Polish company's ownership of the trademark for the word cyberpunk, given it doubles as a genre of science fiction.

In response, CD Projekt tweeted a detailed explanation of what it had done, explained why it had done it and suggested developers who wanted to use the word simply drop them a line to discuss.

Information about Cyberpunk trademark. pic.twitter.com/4mufRCp9Gf — CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) April 6, 2017

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CD Projekt called the trademark a "self-defense measure only".

"Life knows quite a few examples of companies registering marks similar to well-known marks, and then trying to sell them for big money," the company said.

"Should we ever decide to create a sequel, there's a possibility of someone telling us we can't name it, say, Cyberpunk 2078 or Cyberpunk 2.

"Moreover, if someone else registered this trademark in the future, they could prohibit CD Projekt from making any expansions to the game, any additional titles under the name Cyberpunk. The reason for our registration is to protect us from unlawful actions of unfair competitors."

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CD Projekt's ownership of the Cyberpunk trademark does not give it any exclusivity to set a game in a certain environment, or in a certain genre, such as the cyberpunk genre. But what if a developer is working on a game that includes the word cyberpunk in its title?

CD Projekt said it would only block this if it could confuse customers.

"If someone names their game John Smith: Adventures in a Cyberpunk Dystopian Society, or 20 Short Video Games set in Cyberpunk Worlds, none of them should be treated as an infringement on our rights," CD Projekt said.

So there you have it. CD Projekt continuing to do good work with the open communication with the community policy that has served it so well over the years.

As for Cyberpunk 2077 itself, don't hold your breath. CD Projekt has said it won't be out until 2018 at the earliest.