EA files lawsuit againt Zynga, claims 'The Ville' copied 'The Sims Social'

Shawn Knight

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Electronic Arts have filed a lawsuit against social gaming company Zynga citing copyright infringement. EA claims that Zynga’s The Ville “copied the original and distinctive expressive elements” found in The Sims Social, according to a blog post from Lucy Bradshaw, general manager of EA’s Maxis label. The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California earlier today.

As the name suggests, The Sims Social is EA’s rendition of the popular franchise designed specifically for Facebook. The title launched in August 2011 and currently enjoys several million active players while Zynga’s The Ville was introduced two months ago.

Bradshaw notes in her blog post that similarities between the two games go well beyond any superficial resemblance. She specifically highlights Zynga’s design choices, animations, visual arrangements and character motions as elements that have been borrowed from EA’s game.

The EA rep further points out that Maxis isn’t the first studio to claim that Zynga has copied one of their games but they have the financial and corporate resources to “stand up and do something about it.”

Zynga replied to the accusations earlier today through a statement sent to CNET. In it, general counsel Reggie David said it was unfortunate that EA thought this was the appropriate reaction to their game and suggests they lack an understanding of basic copyright principles. The Zynga official goes on to point the finger at EA’s SimCity Social, claiming it bears an uncanny resemblance to their CityVille game.

The social media gaming company plans to defend their rights to the fullest extent possible.

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Leaving my principles aside, I would really like to see AE smashing this one, also Farmville just because they can :)
 
Zynga copies a bunch of games, but not as bad as Gameloft. How are they not in court with every game released?
 
Not a fan of both companies (Zynga is probably the most I dislike), however I applaud EA for going head on against Zynga, it's about time someone stood up and bring Zynga down..
 
A good exemplar of an ethical issue. I used to be addicted with The Sims Social, but neither with Zynga titles.
 
LOL...what psycros said. Both need to FAIL. I'm not a regular FB user - pop in once every 4-5 days. But many of my co-workers are neck deep into some of the Zynga games. And from what I've seen, they are total rip-offs of many other games going back literally decades. I'm not surprised anyone is going after them. But EA? With all their financial and legal horsepower behind them? Well, I just wouldn't be buying Zynga stock anytime soon. ;)
 
It has been stated that there is nothing new or original that hasnt been ripped off. Im more of the against both then I am with either. I cant stand EA. They are one of the worst corporate pirates out there next to Microsoft. They buy and gut software companies to the point that many decent projects get scraped because EA has purchased them. Zynga is one of the worst moble device game developers in the Android Market. Thier software is so pervasive that it can be incredibly hard to remove. I propose that both company reps meet in the middle of the desert.........and get hit by a meteorite!!
 
These are 2 stupid games so who cares! I don't pay games on Facebook, Android or iOS and If I do game on my Android tablet it is by using my OnLive account and wireless controller playing games like Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third, DiRT 3, L.A. Noire and lots of other real video games.
 
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