Run to the hills, Iron Maiden's litigious!

The legendary heavy metal band's holding company is suing video game publisher 3D Realms over a first-person shooter game called “Ion Maiden.” The suit claims the game title and other plot and packaging elements amount to “an effort to confuse consumers into believing Defendant's products and services are somehow affiliated with or approved by Iron Maiden,” reports gaming site Kotaku.

The lawsuit argues that not only the name of the game but its logo also infringes on the band's trademark. Additionally, The Guardian reports, the band claims the name of the game's protagonist, Shelley Harrison, is a riff on Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris.

According to the filing, there are already several examples of fans being confused by the band's relationship to the game, including “commenting that they were misled into believing that the Ion Maiden game was an Iron Maiden game,” “reading an article about the Ion Maiden video game waiting for an explained connection to Iron Maiden,” and “expressing genuine excitement for an Iron Maiden video game.”

3D Realms responded on Twitter to the claims, stating, “We at 3D Realms, our co-publishers 1C Entertainment, and developer Voidpoint will review our options once we receive official notice of the lawsuit and will make any necessary decisions at the appropriate time.”

Iron Maiden is seeking $2 million in statutory damages, as well as injunctions prohibiting the use or the registration of the existing logo and trademark. The suit is also asking for the game's web site to be taken down or to have the ownership transferred.

Neither the band's lawyer nor a spokesperson for 3D Realms responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Formed in 1975, Iron Maiden is presently on its Legacy of the Beast tour. “Legacy of the Beast” is also the name of the band's own mobile game, featuring its music and its skeletal mascot, Eddie.