Ubisoft has filed a petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office fighting what it says is a fraudulent request to abandon its trademark on the upcoming game Watch Dogs.

The issue started this weekend, when the USPTO received and filed a "request for Express Abandonment" on one of six Watch Dogs trademarks assigned to Ubisoft. The request covered "Game software and electronic game programs" as well as related items. That request was soon picked up by some gaming message boards, leading some to speculate that the company was changing the game's name or canceling it outright. And that wasn't out of the question, especially considering that the game is already in the midst of a months-long delay announced in November.

But it seems that speculation was premature, as Ubisoft is now arguing to the USPTO that the abandonment application was a fake. "The Request for Express Abandonment purports to be signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft Entertainment, Yves Guillemot," the petition reads. "Mr. Guillemot, however, did not sign the Request for Express Abandonment, nor did Ubisoft Entertainment file the Request for Express Abandonment. The Request for Express Abandonment is fraudulent and was not filed by Ubisoft Entertainment or its representative."

"We are working directly with the US [patent and trademark office] on reinstating the trademark for Watch Dogs, and it will be active again in the coming days,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told VentureBeat. "The matter has no impact on the Watch Dogs development."

The Watch Dogs trademark case follows closely on the heels of controversy over Candy Crush Saga maker King's attempts to trademark the word "candy" for a wide range of uses. King is also going after the makers of recent indie hit The Banner Saga, saying the title is "potentially misleading."