EA Sues Zynga For Copying Sims Game

[wraggster]

Social game developer Zynga has been on the receiving end of complaints (http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/26/0259231/zynga-accused-of-cloning-hit-indie-iphone-game-tiny-tower) in the past for releasing games that look a bit too much like games from indie (https://s3.amazonaws.com/nbpromo/dearzynga.jpg) developers (http://bingo-assets.buffalo-ggn.net/common/BingoBlitzCongratulations.jpg), and for other shady business practices (http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/10/237229/zynga-to-employees-surrender-pre-ipo-shares-or-youre-fired). Now, they've run afoul of somebody with sharper teeth. Today Electronic Arts and Maxis filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Zynga (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/175362/EA_sues_Zynga_claims_The_Ville_is_a_copy_of_The_Si ms_Social.php) claiming that The Ville is "blatant mimicry" ofThe Sims Social (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/08/maxis-and-electronic-arts-sue-zynga-over-the-ville/)."'This is a case of principle,' says EA Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw (http://www.ea.com/news/eamaxis-sue-zynga-for-copyright-infringement). 'Maxis isn't the first studio to claim that Zynga copied its creative product. But we are the studio that has the financial and corporate resources to stand up and do something about it. Infringing a developer's copyright is not an acceptable practice in game development.' In its complaint, EA argues that Zynga willfully and intentionally copied ideas from The Sims Social, the Facebook edition of the EA/Maxis franchise that released in August 2011. When Zynga released The Ville last June, consumers and the press immediately pointed out that the title resembled The Sims more than a little."

http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/08/03/2134201/ea-sues-zynga-for-copying-sims-game