The War Z has had its trademark suspended since Nov. 15, 2012 because its name is too similar to World War Z, a novel and soon-to-be film distributed by Paramount Pictures, according to a letter published on the United States Patent and Trademark Office's website.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War was published in 2006 and a film of the same name (sans subheading) is planned for release by Paramount in June 2013. According to the trademark filing, Paramount also intends on creating a video game based on the IP.

The trademark suspension means that it is likely that The War Z will have to change its name and, if the trademark attorney believes the two names are too similar, Paramount may be able to take steps to forbid the use of the name The War Z altogether.

The trademark suspension comes after The War Z's tumultuous week where the game was pulled from Steam after players complained that the game itself contained few of the features that were promised at the time of buying. The game's developer, Hammerpoint Interactive, also gave an interview on the zombie survival MMO where it tried to defend itself against critics.