A legal fight may be building up in the video game world, but I'm not talking about EA and Activision sparring over Infinity Ward. Casual game maker Zynga is taking legal issue with other game companies using the "Ville" suffix with their facebook games.
Zynga has created six popular Facebook games -- CityVille, FarmVille, FishVille, FrontierVille, PetVille, and YoVille -- that have a few things in common. First, they seem carefully crafted to suck both your time and your money away incrementally, and two, they all end in "Ville." So Zynga seems to feel that other companies' "Ville" games are infringing on their trademark, or, as the kids might say, "cold bitin' they steez." (I apologize.)
Their first target: Blingville. Zynga has threatened to sue the company behind it, Overtime Apps. Here's how Overtime Apps responded:
"Zynga does not own and has not registered or applied for any trademark registrations at the USPTO for any trademark rights in the word 'Blingville' or any word marks similar thereto...Blingville's use of the trademark 'Blingville' in its social networking game constitutes a fair use of the trademark."
This might not be as high profile as the Infinity Ward case going on, but the money behind the Villes must be vast, so we'll keep an eye on how this plays out.
Source: Gamasutra
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mr.revanche21
One of the worst time comsuming lawsuits I've ever heard of!
GoldenHedgy
Wow...
next stop, sue the dictionary for containing the word "ville".
osamaismyhomeboy
Zynga has certainly earned full rights to the name InfanticideVille.
JuicyBubble
This is sad. I think the "casual success" that Zynga has is getting to their heads. I can't believe they're even part of the Game Industry.
Prax150
Zynga = no class.
azura20
they're fighting over who gets to maintain and/or display a severe lack of creativity and effort in naming their IP's?
FuzzofPekinopolis
My name is Mr. Ville McVilleVille and I will sue all these punks. The McVilleVille family name has been around for centuries and I claim my families right to it. So these companies can go Ville themselves in the VilleVille if they want a fight.
Wozman23
I think the city of Louisville and creators of Smallville should sue Zynga.
zaphira
Some of the lawsuits today seriously put me in disbelief and now this...zynga is seriously suing a company over the ending of a word???
Companies like this shouldn't even be allowed to make games until they realise that they are about the players, not all for the money.
hardwire
well this is what ive been talking about
we are about to see the next crash of video gaming all becuse the people making them dont give a damn about the game they only want to fill there pockets
video gaming is an art form and if you dont treat it is such it will wither and die.
Newt7
This argument is pretty lame!
tarc
What's next game companies are gonna fight over character names?
Displaying 1–12 of 12