Filed under: Gaming, App Store
StoneLoops! pulled from App Store
StoneLoops! of Jurassica is one of those iPhone gems that everyone needed to try. It was a beautiful port of an existing desktop game and one of the cases where the iPhone version blew its desktop sibling out of the water regarding graphics and playability.That's why, with a genuine cry of dismay, I read the very sad news from Maciej Biedrzycki, co-founder of Codeminion Development Studios, that StoneLoops! was pulled from the App Store today thanks to complaints from MumboJumbo, creators of rival game Luxor. Charges levied against Codeminion include copyright infringement, "confusing customers," stealing the look and feel of Luxor and their source code.
One of the most ironic facts? Codeminion offered StoneLoops! to MumboJumbo initially. The company declined to pick up the game and did not cite any sort of copyright infringement then.
In addition, the original StoneLoops! desktop game was released three years after the first Luxor game to little fanfare. However, when it came to the iPhone port, StoneLoops! was several months ahead of Luxor. It was enjoying immense popularity when Luxor finally debuted in the App Store in late August. It was only then that MumboJumbo launched its complaint against Codeminion.
Yes, both StoneLoops! and Luxor have similar formats, bonuses and goals, but so does Zuma from PopCap Games. One imagines what would happen to time-management games if PlayFirst decided to go after every Diner Dash clone, for example. There is room for both games on the App Store, and I hope Apple reconsiders its decision. If not, PopCap better gear up for a battle against MumboJumbo should it decide to port Zuma to the iPhone.
Thanks for the tip, dubbs!
[Via AppAdvice]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
coolwubla said 4:51PM on 10-23-2009
It no Tank Rush itms://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=331794762&mt=8&s=143441
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IMHO said 4:15PM on 10-23-2009
I've been waiting for something like this to happen. Basically, Apple's interjected itself here as the defacto arbiter of an intellectual property case. So what legal recourse does Codeminion have? Can they sue MumboJumbo when it's Apples action? Can they sue Apple? Apple's just going to point to MumboJumbo. Any closet lawyers in the house that want to explain?
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Charli said 12:03AM on 10-24-2009
hardly. if Apple doesn't pull the app until the matter is settled then they are just as guilty. so basically they have no choice in the matter.
JL842 said 5:19PM on 10-23-2009
Well yes and no. It sounds similar to a DMCA takedown notice. If MumboJumbo sends Apple notice that Apple is hosting copyright infringing material on the app store and Apple wants to protect itself legally from being sued for hosting/distributing/profiting from the copyright infringement, Apple would have to take it down.
(Overly simplified. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Copyright_Infringement_Liability_Limitation_Act)
Of course, Codeminion Studios can file a putback notice that it was mistakenly taken down... and yada yada yada... some lawyers make a bunch of money.
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pumpkinheadzero said 4:36PM on 10-23-2009
This is really ridiculous. They can sit next to each on a store shelf but not in the app store? Apple made a bad decision to let MumboJumbo decide if Codeminiums response was acceptable.
"Several weeks have passed since our response and we started thinking that Apple has ruled in favor of our explanations. Unfortunately to our great surprise today we have learned that StoneLoops! had been removed from the AppStore. It was also quite a shock to learn that the final decision was actually made by MumboJumbo as apparently Apple asked them if our response was satisfactory. Of course MumboJumbo replied that they still want StoneLoops! removed."
Apple should have stepped in to be the mediator. And what about all of the (bad) Bejeweled clones?
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mmmm said 5:19PM on 10-23-2009
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http://usc.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_56V4ScqwN9KTHzS&SVID=Prod
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muddybulldog said 4:41PM on 10-23-2009
If this were a shrink wrapped product MumboJumbo would be forced to file a lawsuit and get an injunction to get StoneLoops! removed from store shelves. The injunction would only be granted if evidence was strong enough to suggest that MumboJumbo would likely prevail in the ensuing civil suit. This is a simple civil law case.
If this is not what occurred here and in fact Apple did remove this merely based on a complaint from MJ then Apple has made a big mistake (though one likely with no ramifications for Apple). Yes, it's Apple's store, but being as it's a monopoly they need to, in my opinion, be more responsible in their decision making processes than others.
I'm a Mac fanboy through and through and accept that a certain amount of abuse from Apple itself is part of the ride. This is one I'm having a really hard time with.
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Jack said 4:57PM on 10-23-2009
This is like saying someone owns the rights to tic-tac-toe. Absolutely ridiculous.
I'm glad I got this game before it was pulled. It is much better than Luxor.
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Seth said 5:26PM on 10-23-2009
Hey, why not? Because of the way Apple transparently services DMCA complaints, there is pretty much zero risk and tons to gain by sending a fraudulent cease and desist.
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tim said 5:55PM on 10-23-2009
I love both games. But honestly? Codeminion Development Studios DID rip off MumboJumbo in almost every aspect of the game. My wife, who played it on the iPhone, said "Isn't this the same game you have on the XBox 360? It look the same, plays the same..."
While I don't like Apple's move here, there is zero doubt that there was abject theft here.
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Saul Good said 10:03PM on 10-23-2009
What about the million and one Tower Defense based games? Should we pull them all down? Who gets priority? Who gets the final say? This way Blizzard gets final say because all TD games are based on Warcraft II maps.
Fred said 6:47PM on 10-23-2009
Huh, what a shame. What if ID had sued every FPS maker after it did Wolfenstein 3-D? Oh well. I have both games anyway so, whatever.
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Tim said 9:37PM on 10-23-2009
There's a difference between making a game in a certain genera, and one that copies another game almost pixel for pixel
paperless said 7:40PM on 10-23-2009
Can't say i didn't see that coming...
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Saul Good said 9:54PM on 10-23-2009
I call bullshit, Apple! Let the consumer decide which is best! Enough of your anti-competitiveness.
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robogobo said 10:11PM on 10-23-2009
Megan, what's your last link pointing to? I know it's supercool to add hyperlinks to your story, but it's usually cooler to have them link to something.
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Kerrick said 2:00AM on 10-24-2009
I already have it on my iPod Touch - will it stay there?
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Ethan said 7:10AM on 10-24-2009
Yes. I've got an app that got pulled a year ago on my iPhone. It's getting a bit cranky against the OS updates though.
Isomorphic said 1:02PM on 10-24-2009
I had StoneLoops!, then got Luxor so promptly deleted StoneLoops! Therefore, I am a fan of both..
Anyway this is entirely unfair as StoneLoops! came first, so can't CodeMinion just say that Luxor copies StoneLoops! functionality?
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matthew lowery said 5:24AM on 10-25-2009
Bulldozer. Just put it back up. They can't do that, they stole nothing.
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