Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EA and Zynga settle The Ville lawsuits]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/ea-and-zynga-settle-the-ville-lawsuits/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/ea-and-zynga-settle-the-ville-lawsuits/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/ea-and-zynga-settle-the-ville-lawsuits/#comments Highlights from EA's lawsuit against ZyngaElectronic Arts and Zynga have settled their legal kerfuffle, which began when the former sued the social games giant for what it called a "clear violation" of copyright laws over similarities between games. Details on the settlement are lacking, but InsideSocialGames has a statement from Zynga that it has resolved its respective claims with EA and "reached a settlement" in the Northern District of California.

The legal drama kicked off last August when EA sued Zynga over the similarities between Zynga's recently released The Ville and EA's The Sims Social. The evidence against Zynga was stacked pretty high. This was the first time a giant like EA had stepped into the ring to take on the culture of cloning, which Zynga had been accused of in the past.

A month later, Zynga filed a counterclaim against EA over the similarities between CityVille and SimCity Social. We'll update with settlement terms when he receive them.

JoystiqEA and Zynga settle The Ville lawsuits originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaelectronic-artslawsuitpcthe-simsthe-sims-3the-villezyngaFri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Zynga files counterclaim against EA, EA calls it 'predictable subterfuge']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/15/zynga-files-counterclaim-against-ea-ea-calls-it-predictable-su/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/15/zynga-files-counterclaim-against-ea-ea-calls-it-predictable-su/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/15/zynga-files-counterclaim-against-ea-ea-calls-it-predictable-su/#comments Zynga officially responds to EA lawsuit, alleges antitrust violationsZynga has officially responded to EA's recent lawsuit over its claims of a "clear violation" of copyright regarding The Ville. General Counsel for Zynga Reggie Davis issued the following statement:

"Today we responded to EA's claims which we believe have no merit. We also filed a counterclaim which addresses actions by EA we believe to be anticompetitive and unlawful business practices, including legal threats and demands for no-hire agreements. We look forward to getting back to focusing all our efforts on delighting our players."

Reached for comment, EA spokesman John Reseburg told Joystiq, "This is a predictable subterfuge aimed at diverting attention from Zynga's persistent plagiarism of other artists and studios. Zynga would be better served trying to hold onto the shrinking number of employees they've got, rather than suing to acquire more."

Continue reading Zynga files counterclaim against EA, EA calls it 'predictable subterfuge'

JoystiqZynga files counterclaim against EA, EA calls it 'predictable subterfuge' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-trustcopyrightEAElectronic-Artslawsuitpcthe-villeZyngaSat, 15 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Highlights from EA's lawsuit against Zynga]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/03/highlights-from-eas-lawsuit-against-zynga/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/03/highlights-from-eas-lawsuit-against-zynga/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/03/highlights-from-eas-lawsuit-against-zynga/#comments Highlights from EA's lawsuit against ZyngaEarlier today, EA announced it had filed a lawsuit against Zynga over The Ville for what it deemed a "clear violation" of copyright laws. Having reviewed the court documents, here are some of the highlights from EA's claims:
  • "As The Sims Social increased in popularity and visibility, Zynga turned to its well- known competitive playbook: "Steal someone else's game. Change its name,"1 then cross- promote the Zynga clone to its extensive user base."
  • "Zynga's The Ville, released on June 26, 2012, is an unmistakable copy of EA's The Sims Social. Not only does The Ville blatantly mimic the entire framework and style of gameplay in The Sims Social, but it so closely copies the original, creative expression and unique elements of The Sims Social - i.e., the animation sequences, visual arrangements, characters' motions and actions, and other unique audio-visual elements - that the two games are nearly indistinguishable."
EA v Zynga Complaint Final

Continue reading Highlights from EA's lawsuit against Zynga

JoystiqHighlights from EA's lawsuit against Zynga originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaelectronic-artslawsuitpcthe-villezyngaFri, 03 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA sues Zynga over 'The 'Ville' [update: Zynga responds]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/03/ea-sues-zynga-over-the-ville/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/03/ea-sues-zynga-over-the-ville/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/03/ea-sues-zynga-over-the-ville/#comments
EA has filed a lawsuit against Zynga over The Ville, alleging that the social games giant is "in clear violation" of copyright laws.

"The legal reasons are solid. But for creative teams who feel that their hard work and imaginations have been ripped off, there's obviously an emotional element too," wrote Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw. "As outlined in our complaint, when The Ville was introduced in June 2012, the infringement of The Sims Social was unmistakable to those of us at Maxis as well as to players and the industry at large."

"This is a case of principle. 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. By calling Zynga out on this illegal practice, we hope to have a secondary effect of protecting the rights of other creative studios who don't have the resources to protect themselves."

Update 2: You can now read the complaint in full.

Update: Zynga's full statement after the break.

Continue reading EA sues Zynga over 'The 'Ville' [update: Zynga responds]

JoystiqEA sues Zynga over 'The 'Ville' [update: Zynga responds] originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaElectronic-Artslawsuitthe-villeZyngaFri, 03 Aug 2012 13:20:00 EST<![CDATA[The Ville is latest from Zynga, spiritual successor to YoVille]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-ville-is-latest-from-zynga-spiritual-successor-to-yoville/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-ville-is-latest-from-zynga-spiritual-successor-to-yoville/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-ville-is-latest-from-zynga-spiritual-successor-to-yoville/#comments
Zynga's newest addition to the 'ville' family is The Ville. The company describes it as the "culmination of years of experience developing social games while delivering on innovation" in FarmVille, FrontierVille, CityVille, CastleVille, and YoVille.

The premise of The Ville is to build the home of your dreams and decorate it, preferably by spending real money on virtual goods. The game is also taking on the globe and will be available in 15 languages: English, Danish, Dutch, German, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and traditional Chinese.

"With The Ville, we're taking social to a whole new level," said Mark Skaggs, senior VP of product development at Zynga. "Your friends are active participants on your game board, and the interactions, relationships and choices you make together create a truly unique game experience."

Or just think of it as a browser-based multiplayer version of The Sims.

Gallery: The Ville

Continue reading The Ville is latest from Zynga, spiritual successor to YoVille

JoystiqThe Ville is latest from Zynga, spiritual successor to YoVille originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>the-villezyngaTue, 26 Jun 2012 14:55:00 EST