The resurrected Commodore International has today begun legal action against the Italian firm Commodore Industries to protect "legitimate and exclusive trademark rights associated with the original 1958 Commodore brand".
The move comes after what Commodore International says has been "months of good-faith efforts" initiated on its own behalf to "resolve the matter amicably and to offer a pathway for legitimate collaboration."
The new Commodore International came into being in July of this year, when a team led by YouTuber Christian "Peri Fractic" Simpson purchased Commodore Corporation B.V. and "100% of the original and official trademarks that defined the Commodore name since 1983."
However, Commodore Industries – which was founded in 2017 by Luigi Simonetti – recently took action to prevent Commodore International from using the famous name.
CIC's Legal Counsel, John Errico, has issued the following statement:
“Commodore International Corporation has a responsibility to protect its legacy and preserve the community’s trust in the original Commodore name. We have a deep commitment to safeguarding the brand against unlicensed and unapproved products, and protecting the Commodore trademarks from unlicensed use is paramount. Our decision to pursue this legal action is not taken lightly, and comes only after all other reasonable methods to resolve this matter have been exhausted. Our focus is on preventing the Commodore name from being used in ways that could confuse the community or the marketplace. We recognize and deeply value the passion and dedication of the Commodore community, who have kept the spirit of the brand alive for decades. Our goal is to protect that legacy and to foster a positive, creative environment for all who love Commodore—past, present, and future.”
Commodore International claims that the trademark registrations of Commodore Industries S.r.l. were "improperly granted and are invalid as a matter of law" back in 2017. The company adds that it will not be commenting further now that legal proceedings are underway, but it did add that "parties interested in creating officially licensed Commodore products and experiences will be able to begin the conversation with CIC in the coming weeks, when an official Licensing Pipeline tool launches."
Commodore was first established in 1976 by Jack Tramiel and Irving Gould, and would become famous thanks to its personal computer series, which included the PET, C64 and Amiga. The company was declared bankrupt in 1994, but its IP has been carved up over the years, hence the rather confused nature of proceedings in 2025.
Commodore International is in the process of shipping the C64 Ultimate to those who pre-ordered the FPGA system earlier this year.