3 ms·

I don't like Zynga either. My understanding is that games can't be copyrighted, though: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html http://www.copyright.gov/fls/f

I don't like Zynga either. My understanding is that games can't be copyrighted, though: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html

msbarnett 14y ago
Basic mechanics, no. Text and look and feel are another story, though. In this case EA is alleging that The Ville is a derivative work not because it borrows mechanics but because it meets the 'substantially similar' test by meticulously cloning the look of The Sims Social, right down to copying the exact RGB colors of specific elements.
- A1kmm 14y ago
  Although it seems most of their argument (http://www.scribd.com/doc/101954002/EA-v-Zynga-Complaint-Final http://www.scribd.com/doc/101954002/EA-v-Zynga-Complaint-Fin...) except for the RGB values relate to game mechanics. As someone who doesn't play Facebook games, looking at the images, they certainly look like two different ways of expressing the same game. Some icons are similar - e.g. the 'heart break' icons, but they don't seem to be that novel for what they are depicting.
gamble 14y ago
Yeah, my understanding is that the case law was pretty well established with board games. You can steal pretty much the entire mechanics of a game, but not the specific artistic expression. Of course, that doesn't mean a company with deep pockets can't bludgeon anyone they like with the legal system. A good example in board games is a game called "Anti-Monopoly". (http://antimonopoly.com http://antimonopoly.com) It's pretty much a direct take-off on Parker Bros. Monopoly. Parker Bros. sued the creator and dragged the case through the courts for ten years, but the creator won in the end. Ironically, PB Monopoly was itself a rip-off of earlier versions of Monopoly.
- sehugg 14y ago
  It's still an evolving area, as evidenced by the recent Tetris vs. Xio lawsuit: http://www.sunsteinlaw.com/publications-news/news-letters/2012/06/Schecter_201206.html http://www.sunsteinlaw.com/publications-news/news-letters/20...
  - Dylan16807 14y ago
    Oh, wow. If I'm reading this right they decided that the pieces being made of four squares is protectable.

I don't like Zynga either. My understanding is that games can't be copyrighted, though: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html

msbarnett 14y ago

Basic mechanics, no. Text and look and feel are another story, though. In this case EA is alleging that The Ville is a derivative work not because it borrows mechanics but because it meets the 'substantially similar' test by meticulously cloning the look of The Sims Social, right down to copying the exact RGB colors of specific elements.

A1kmm 14y ago
Although it seems most of their argument (http://www.scribd.com/doc/101954002/EA-v-Zynga-Complaint-Final http://www.scribd.com/doc/101954002/EA-v-Zynga-Complaint-Fin...) except for the RGB values relate to game mechanics. As someone who doesn't play Facebook games, looking at the images, they certainly look like two different ways of expressing the same game. Some icons are similar - e.g. the 'heart break' icons, but they don't seem to be that novel for what they are depicting.

gamble 14y ago

Yeah, my understanding is that the case law was pretty well established with board games. You can steal pretty much the entire mechanics of a game, but not the specific artistic expression. Of course, that doesn't mean a company with deep pockets can't bludgeon anyone they like with the legal system. A good example in board games is a game called "Anti-Monopoly". (http://antimonopoly.com http://antimonopoly.com) It's pretty much a direct take-off on Parker Bros. Monopoly. Parker Bros. sued the creator and dragged the case through the courts for ten years, but the creator won in the end. Ironically, PB Monopoly was itself a rip-off of earlier versions of Monopoly.

sehugg 14y ago
It's still an evolving area, as evidenced by the recent Tetris vs. Xio lawsuit: http://www.sunsteinlaw.com/publications-news/news-letters/2012/06/Schecter_201206.html http://www.sunsteinlaw.com/publications-news/news-letters/20...
- Dylan16807 14y ago
  Oh, wow. If I'm reading this right they decided that the pieces being made of four squares is protectable.