# Twilight Zone Pinball Advances in the Trademark Process

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-06-28  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/twilight-zone-pinball-advances-in-the-trademark-process

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## Analysis

CBS Broadcasting filed a highly specific trademark for Twilight Zone pinball in February 2024, and the application has advanced to the opposition stage in the U.S. Trademark Office process. The author of Knapp Arcade, who monitors pinball-related trademark filings, interprets this as strong evidence that a Twilight Zone pinball remake is likely in development, despite skepticism from some in the community about the feasibility of remaking the original 1993 Bally widebody game.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] CBS Broadcasting filed a specific trademark for Twilight Zone in pinball games in February 2024 — _Author of Knapp Arcade article; states personal observation of trademark filing data_
- [HIGH] The trademark filing is unusually specific, listing only pinball-related uses rather than blanket categories — _Author directly examined the filing and compared it to typical IP trademark patterns_
- [HIGH] The trademark application advanced to opposition stage as of the article publication date — _Author states 'Yesterday the trademark process advanced for this filing when the U.S. Trademark Office filed Twilight Zone pinball for opposition'_
- [HIGH] Opposition stage can take several months to complete — _Author's statement and included USPTO definition explaining the process_
- [MEDIUM] A Twilight Zone pinball remake would have very high bill of materials due to widebody construction — _Author acknowledges community concerns: 'the Bill of Materials for this game would be crazy high in today's world'_

### Notable Quotes

> "When looking at that sort of data one usually goes for long stretches, months even, without a single interesting trademark filing. So I was absolutely stunned back in February of this year when I saw that CBS Broadcasting had filed a VERY specific trademark for the use of the Twilight Zone in "Pinball games; pinball-type games; pinball machines.""
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Establishes the rarity and significance of this particular trademark filing, emphasizing its specificity to pinball_

> "Most trademarks for intellectual property like this are blanket statements with the word pinball buried in amongst a million other things like lunchboxes, underwear, kites, etc. This trademark filing had one very specific purpose, to approve Twilight Zone for use in a pinball machine."
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Explains why this filing is unusual and signals intentional pinball development rather than accidental inclusion_

> "To me a specific filing like this means it is very likely that we will see Twilight Zone pinball at some point in the future."
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Author's interpretation of the trademark filing as strong evidence of a planned remake_

> "there's so much smoke here and elsewhere that I personally would be very surprised if a Twilight Zone remake didn't happen"
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Author indicates additional undisclosed evidence supporting the remake hypothesis_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| CBS Broadcasting | company | Filed specific trademark for Twilight Zone in pinball games in February 2024 |
| Twilight Zone | game | Original 1993 Bally widebody pinball machine; subject of trademark filing for remake |
| Bally | company | Original manufacturer of Twilight Zone pinball in 1993 |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Source of article; monitors pinball-related trademark filings and provides analysis |
| U.S. Trademark Office | organization | Administers trademark registration process; filed Twilight Zone pinball application for opposition |
| Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) | organization | Legal body that handles opposition proceedings during trademark registration |

### Signals

- **[licensing_signal]** CBS Broadcasting filed highly specific trademark for Twilight Zone pinball, indicating active licensing negotiations or preparation for pinball machine development (confidence: high) — Specific trademark filing in February 2024 listing only pinball uses, advancing to opposition stage
- **[machine_intel]** Strong indicator that a Twilight Zone pinball remake is in active development or planned (confidence: high) — Specific trademark filing by IP holder (CBS) with pinball-only scope, multiple independent signals referenced by author
- **[product_strategy]** Potential Twilight Zone remake would require widebody cabinet construction, raising manufacturing complexity and cost (confidence: medium) — Author notes original is widebody and Bill of Materials would be high; widebody games rarely manufactured in modern era
- **[rumor_hype]** Community members expressing doubt about Twilight Zone remake feasibility due to widebody complexity, existing used inventory, and cost barriers (confidence: medium) — Author states 'I've seen a number of people pushing back against the idea that Twilight Zone pinball is happening lately'
- **[announcement]** Twilight Zone pinball trademark advanced to opposition stage in USPTO process, moving closer to full registration (confidence: high) — U.S. Trademark Office filed opposition stage notification; opposition period can last several months

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## Transcript

I watch trademark applications for anything related to pinball like a hawk. When looking at that sort of data one usually goes for long stretches, months even, without a single interesting trademark filing. So I was absolutely stunned back in February of this year when I saw that CBS Broadcasting had filed a VERY specific trademark for the use of the Twilight Zone in "Pinball games; pinball-type games; pinball machines." That's it. Most trademarks for intellectual property like this are blanket statements with the word pinball buried in amongst a million other things like lunchboxes, underwear, kites, etc. This trademark filing had one very specific purpose, to approve Twilight Zone for use in a pinball machine.

Yesterday the trademark process advanced for this filing when the U.S. Trademark Office filed Twilight Zone pinball for opposition. I have included a description of what that means below, but in short it's one more step in the process of trademarking something. This part of the process can take several months.

I've seen a number of people pushing back against the idea that Twilight Zone pinball is happening lately. I completely get it. There's a lot of Twilight Zones were made and there's a number of used ones out there for sale. It's a widebody and you don't see too many of those manufactured these days. And the Bill of Materials for this game would be crazy high in today's world. Still, If any of those folks want to bet me a beer on the subject, I'm game :). To me a specific filing like this means it is very likely that we will see Twilight Zone pinball at some point in the future. Could the development of a remake of this iconic 1993 Bally game run into roadblocks? Absolutely. Still, there's so much smoke here and elsewhere that I personally would be very surprised if a Twilight Zone remake didn't happen. We'll see. In the meantime, it's super fun to talk and speculate about.

"Approval for publication

After your trademark is approved for publication, your trademark is published in our weekly online Trademark Official Gazette. Your trademark hasn’t yet registered. Publication begins a 30-day period during which any member of the public who thinks they’ll be harmed by the registration of your trademark may oppose it. They may file a Notice of Opposition, which starts a legal proceeding with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) about your trademark.

If no one opposes your trademark during the publication period, your application proceeds to the next stage of the registration process. It still hasn’t registered. It can take three to four months from the time your trademark publishes to when you receive official notification that your trademark has either registered or moved to the next stage.

If your application is based on use in commerce, then your trademark will register.

If your application is based on an intent to use the trademark in commerce, your trademark will not register yet. Instead, we will issue you a Notice of Allowance, which means you must submit a Statement of Use (SOU) by the deadline. An SOU must include a specimen showing how you use your trademark in commerce. Once you submit an acceptable SOU, your trademark will register. Learn more about filing a SOU and extension requests."

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: fc0f7ca0-73d3-46a6-96fe-8010110d887d*