[casual_games] RE: Copycats -- What Can Be Done?

[Jamie Carlson]

At 02:44 PM 7/19/2006, you wrote:
> >Heck, Popcap is certainly more than capable of discerning themselves
> >which Zuma-clones they feel they have grounds to sue over (see first
> >paragraph of the review of Magnetica:
> >http://gba.gamespy.com/nintendo-ds/puzzeloop/711555p1.html), so mine
> >is just another opinion from the "Peanut Gallery". It's the beauty of
> >the Internet, everyone has a platform, do they not?  :)
>
>Notably it's PopCap that had allegendly been sued for cloning Puzzle
>Loop with Zuma not the other way around.
>(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuma_(game) &
>http://www.insertcredit.com/features/hitofude/)


Yup, saw that InsertCredit interview right after having posted my 
last email. Thanks for getting it straight, my mistake...  ;)

If anything, PopCap proves that a full thematic change and gameplay 
polishing makes a more than worthwhile purchase (the latter portion, 
"gameplay polishing", being the factor which most influences our 
decision to buy). I prefer Dynomite over Bust-a-Move/Puzzle_Bobble 
and that's because of the fun powerups, the game's pacing, and the 
overall presentation.

So see, I'm more than willing to play devil's advocate and admit when 
an evolution of an original concept is worthwhile.  :)

- Jamie

P.S. I'm glad PopCap won that suit, that guy from Mitchell is 
definitely out of line with this comment:


CHZ: I remember that in 2004 you intended to file a lawsuit against 
Popcap for IP infringement with their game Zuma, a clone of Puzz Loop 
which can be played on PC and Xbox 360 (via the "Live Arcade" 
service). I haven't heard anything about this story since then. Was 
any solution or arrangement reached?

OZA: My lawyers in Japan are supposed to be on this. Progress is slow 
because if we do court battle in US, we would be at a disadvantage. 
You know the Americans and their mentality. We will be up against 
American jurors. You know how biased they are towards Oriental 
companies. Popcap games' lawyer replied my mail and the one from my 
lawywers' office. In essence, they don't give a sh!t. I think they 
knew what they were doing from the start and they are bad 
businessmen. You know that to think of a game and to actually make it 
takes a lot of energy and money. Ripping off someone else's idea is 
bad; they don't belong in the game business. In a few months, you 
will see what I am doing. I am not a lawyer so we will do battle in a 
different court. Did you know that Popcap also has a ripoff of Puzzle Bubble?


Really... and what "mentality" would that be, exactly? What a jerk...