Zynga Sues EA For 'Anti-competitive' Practices

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Zynga Sues EA For 'Anti-competitive' Practices

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday September 15, 2012 @04:37AM from the fight-fight-fight dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In early August, Electronic Arts sued Zynga for allegedly copying EA's Sims Social game. Zynga has now launched a counterattack, suing EA for 'anticompetitive and unlawful business practices, including legal threats and demands for no-hire agreements.' The company also accuses EA of copying a Zynga game called YoVille. Zynga has also demanded a jury trial to settle EA's claims."

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Zynga hahahahah by TheRecklessWanderer · 2012-09-15 04:39 · Score: 4, Funny

We are using you for being mad at us for copying your product. Take that good company!

--
Mean what you say...say what you mean.
1. Re:Zynga hahahahah by hairyfeet · 2012-09-15 06:54 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  You gotta give Zynga credit though, it takes some VERY large brass balls to basically say "We stole your product and now we are gonna sue you....because you won't let us steal more of your products."
  Which is why I can't see how ANYBODY can defend Zynga in this case. Is EA run by douchebags? Yes it is, and thanks to their douchebaggy ways EA is now up for sale, showing that refusing to buy from companies that treat you like shit works, even if it takes awhile.
  But with Zynga the ONLY reason you haven't heard of this before is they were stealing from the little devs that couldn't fight back. Look up any of their games, going back to the very first ones like Farmville and you'll find an indie dev that had put out the EXACT SAME GAME one to two years before, and I mean the EXACT same game, Zynga doesn't bother to change shit but the name!
  We don't let ANY other artform do this, I can't put out my own version of "Lord Of The Rings" with every character and word of dialog and simply rename it "Lord Of The Bracelets" and not get my ass sued off, I can't hire studio musicians to knock off the songs on the top 10 and simply change the title and put out my own top ten mega mix albums, so why in the fuck should Zynga be allowed to steal every damned thing, from the characters to the art style to the fricking UIs, slap a new name on it and then sell it?
  If you can't see how this is seriously bad for indies then you are blind. if Zynga gets away with this why should I buy "Plants VS Zombies" when some corp will hire a bunch of Chinese coders and I can have "Shrubs VS The Undead" next week for free on FB? Why buy Minecraft when I can have MineBuilder for free? One of the great things that has come along is the way the Internet allows small artists to compete and sell their wares no different than the big guys, but if this kind of shit isn't stopped when it comes to games they won't have a prayer, either they work for the megacorps who have enough money to sue, or everything they do will be taken from them. That is frankly a shitty choice and as much as I don't care for EA they are 100% in the right on this one and I hope they crush Zynga like the bugs that they are, go EA!
  
  --
  ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
2. Re:Zynga hahahahah by phantomfive · 2012-09-15 07:51 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  It's one of those situations where you wish BOTH could lose.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
3. Re:Zynga hahahahah by AK+Marc · 2012-09-15 07:54 · Score: 1
  
  A case of "the enemy of my enemy is an even larger enemy."
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
4. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Ambvai · 2012-09-15 08:47 · Score: 1
  
  Maxim 29: The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less.
5. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:57 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Gameplay mechanics can not be copyrighted.
6. Re:Zynga hahahahah by viperidaenz · 2012-09-15 09:19 · Score: 1
  
  Zynga didn't steal YoVille, they bought it off someone else.
7. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Bob9113 · 2012-09-15 09:35 · Score: 1
  
  If you can't see how this is seriously bad for indies then you are blind. if Zynga gets away with this why should I buy "Plants VS Zombies" when some corp will hire a bunch of Chinese coders and I can have "Shrubs VS The Undead" next week for free on FB? Why buy Minecraft when I can have MineBuilder for free? One of the great things that has come along is the way the Internet allows small artists to compete and sell their wares no different than the big guys, but if this kind of shit isn't stopped when it comes to games they won't have a prayer, either they work for the megacorps who have enough money to sue, or everything they do will be taken from them. That is frankly a shitty choice and as much as I don't care for EA they are 100% in the right on this one and I hope they crush Zynga like the bugs that they are, go EA!
  How much space does EA own around each game? What you are saying is very valid, but not absolute -- it is a matter of degrees. Does the hypothetical "Shrubs v. The Undead" infringe "Plants V. Zombies"? What about another lane-based tower defense game? What about non-linear path tower defense? What about free-roaming tower defense? How close were Zynga's copies, and how close is wrong? How much space does EA own around each game?
  I agree that instant and indistinguishable duplication of an entire game is harmful to our society, and I tend to think that Zynga went over the line with premeditated, malicious intent. But beware of the "steal their product" position as a generalization -- it can easily turn into overbroad regulatory monopolies, like we are seeing in the mobile device lawsuits.
  
  --
  Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
8. Re:Zynga hahahahah by vux984 · 2012-09-15 09:59 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  How close were Zynga's copies
  Pretty close to adding a mustache to the mona lisa and calling it an original work of art.
9. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 10:23 · Score: 0
  
  Um, knock-off videos, song covers, song remixes, even entire tribute bands, are quite common actually. No license needed.
10. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 11:38 · Score: 0
  
  It takes some VERY large brass balls to basically say "We stole your product and now we are gonna sue you...
  Yes, but that doesn't mean the countersuit has no merit. If Zynga's allegations are defensible and they can show damage, then it becomes leverage for a settlement.
  
  Is EA run by douchebags?
  Yes. So far it's a battle between flavors of douchebaggery.
  
  We don't let ANY other artform do this...
  Yes 'we' do. "Jonny has raised the use of the web-for-profit to new levels of douchebaggery by depeding on ad revenues derived from citing other people's investigative reporting and using it as the basis for driving traffic to his 'social networking' site. Not only is this abuse of copyright egregious, it isn't even original."
  Business competition is based on copycatting, otherwise there'd be nothing in the corporate world bet a set of unique monopolies.
  -- People in glass houses shouldn't be so quick to post drones.
11. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 12:00 · Score: 0
  
  We don't let ANY other artform do this
  Yes we do. In fashion, you can copy wholesale from another label's style, changing just the logo. And in music, you can release the exact same song as another band without their permission, with a fixed licensing fee.
12. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 13:05 · Score: 0
  
  Try and copy Minecraft. I dare you.
13. Re:Zynga hahahahah by hairyfeet · 2012-09-15 13:16 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Dude, look up "Zynga rips off indie" in the search engine of your choice and be ready to shit brick, because as another poster put it "Its like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa and calling it an original artwork". Look up "The Farm" I believe it was called and compare it to farmville, hell pick ANY game they have and look up its name and "ripoff" and you'll find that some little indie had put out a game one to two years before and once it started gaining a few users? here comes Zynga and a pile of their Chinese coders to bold face rip it off!
  Hell look up the EA court papers man, they have in it side by side photos, they fucking stole EVERYTHING. The characters, their animations, the thought bubble, the UI, the sound, they might as well have just took EA's code and stuck their name on it, it's THAT blatant.
  Look, I got NO problem with taking a basic idea and making your own take, look at how we have a bazillion tower defense games, Good God half the FPS games out there are so generic war themed you could place them side by side and it looks like "Generic action movie #47" but that is NOT what we have here, they did NOT put out their own take, what they did is more like taking tracing paper and just ripping it off frame by frame!
  Please look it up for yourself Bob, I know how you feel. When I first heard of this I thought "So they both have Sims style games, so what?" but holy shit, they didn't even fricking pretend to have an original thought, it was a pixel to pixel copy. I'm not shitting you either, one of the EA guys actually took measurements and more than 3/4th of the artwork is even pixel by pixel sized so damned identically you could mix and match between the two games and nobody would notice! I'm sure after you see the pics, especially of the little indie guys that could afford to fight back, that Zynga deserves to die and EA deserves to win, this is just pure theft, no bones about it.
  
  --
  ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
14. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Internetuser1248 · 2012-09-15 13:23 · Score: 2
  
  And like last time there was a zynga vs EA story I will say it again: I hope they both bankrupt each other. I hate lawyers too but if they are going to be ripping someone off, please let it be both Zynga and EA at the same time. Burn baby burn.
15. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Internetuser1248 · 2012-09-15 13:28 · Score: 1
  
  More than dare, I encourage more mainstream game companies to copy those that are innovating. I already paid for minecraft and dwarf fortress is free but there is still a LOT of room in this genre for new players. Voxel engine, destructable terrain, procedurally generated worlds - if there was anything I could say or do to get both zynga and EA to get in on that I would go for it. I don't think either of those companies have enough creativity to even attempt something like that though. They can't see the world, the dollar signs are in the way.
16. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Bing+Tsher+E · 2012-09-15 14:48 · Score: 2
  
  That anybody, or any entity, anywhere paid anything for YoVille is kind of scary.
17. Re:Zynga hahahahah by EdIII · 2012-09-15 17:37 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Is it not an original work of art?
  That's kind of a bad example because art is all about perception and some sort of statement from the artist. Would you say Andy Warhol was infringing upon Campbell's IP?
  Just what exactly makes something original? I would actually claim that the work of art you propose is original because it is striking and thought provoking. It's the Mona Lisa, but why does she have a stache? Why are there 10 pictures in a row? Why does this one have a goatee?
  In Zynga's case so much was copied, most people would put in the high 90's as a percentage, it is hard to claim any kind of originality, or even attempt at originality in their work.
  However, just how many ways can you abstract a simulated environment in such cartoonish ways? While Zynga clearly needs to get bent over by the courts and a proper financial ass reaming, we should still be careful on just how broad of a protection we give works like this. Especially, when originality as far as art is concerned is so amazingly subjective.
18. Re:Zynga hahahahah by vux984 · 2012-09-15 18:01 · Score: 1
  
  Is it not an original work of art?
  The mustache might me. Maybe. But no, its a derivative work.
  Would you say Andy Warhol was infringing upon Campbell's IP?
  Yes. Absolutely. Without question. It was clearly a transformative but derivative work.
  But that's not really the important question. The important question is whether it was fair use. The mustachioed mona lisa was parody and defendable as fair use.
  The Warhol on the other hand... not so much... I expect Campbell's could have asserted trademark and copyright claims against warhol and won.
  But it sounds like they went the other way:
  http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/4843441474_f175f96718_b.jpg
  ie... they likely had rights, but chose not to assert them here. It was effectively an authorized work at that point.
19. Re:Zynga hahahahah by hairyfeet · 2012-09-15 22:51 · Score: 1
  
  Dude you can break out the ruler and their "creation' is pixel perfect, so much so that you could mix and match furniture between the two games and nobody would ever notice!
  And look at the characters, their look, their animations, there isn't a damned original ANYTHING! Not a single thing! Don't you think that that goes above and beyond a simple idea?
  Nobody is saying "you can't make a FPS" or "You can't make a tower defense game" but what I'm saying is you at LEAST have to do SOMETHING, anything, that isn't an exact copy of the other guy. Hell you could take guys from different FPS and put them in together and they wouldn't look out of place but they sure as hell wouldn't be exact clones, down to the shading on their pockets. Even the WWII games you could take screencaps of the different characters and there are SOME differences, if nothing else the particular shades they used for the various uniforms. Even Warhol used size, shading, and composition to change the default soup can to give his interpretation.
  so nobody is saying you can't use the gameplay mechanics and rough ideas, hell if they did there wouldn't be any FPS games since 90%+ of them is "Generic American Soldier in action movie" but you at least have to do your own take on the idea, put a teeny tiny bit of thought, what Zynga did was "Shrubs VS The Undead" with every single enemy and unit pixel perfect. Hell even the Mockbusters use different characters and storylines and those are MEANT to be ripoffs!
  
  --
  ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
20. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-16 02:23 · Score: 0
  
  I like how you plagiarize in thread about plagiarism...
21. Re:Zynga hahahahah by ganjadude · 2012-09-16 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  I worked for a company who was bought out by zynga (we made dopewars) It was a very very bad experience. They are the definition of a troll company with too much money and no brains.
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
22. Re:Zynga hahahahah by arose · 2012-09-16 11:06 · Score: 2
  
  So the tetris company was right all along?
  
  --
  Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
23. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-16 13:16 · Score: 0
  
  I can't put out my own version of "Lord Of The Rings" with every character and word of dialog and simply rename it "Lord Of The Bracelets" and not get my ass sued off, !
  Sure you can. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Shannara#Sword_and_The_Lord_of_the_Rings
24. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Kalriath · 2012-09-16 16:27 · Score: 2
  
  Song covers DO require a license, but that license (called a mechanical license) is one that can be attained from a clearing-house without authorisation from the copyright owner (it's a mandatory license defined in law). Tribute bands are the same, as they're essentially covers. The only ones that do not require a license are parodies (and Weird Al Yankovic actually does get permission from the original artists as a professional courtesy anyway, incidentally) and satire.
  
  --
  For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
25. Re:Zynga hahahahah by Saint+Fnordius · 2012-09-17 19:27 · Score: 1
  
  I would say the proper term is "plagiarised". What Zynga did was not (as one poster said) adding a moustache to the Mona Lisa and calling it an original, but rather selling copies of a famous painting that is alike except for the signature and the colour of the flowers in the far background. Alike enough to dupe careless buyers, and just different enough to pretend that it is an original work of art.
Awesome, I'm buying popcorn already. by SpzToid · 2012-09-15 04:43 · Score: 4, Funny

Patent wars are so passé. I am so ready for the anti-poach wars!

--
You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
1. Re:Awesome, I'm buying popcorn already. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:08 · Score: 0
  
  Antipoaching agreements are illegal in California and very bad for non-unionized labor. I'd like to see the State go after Silicon Valley companies more aggressively.
2. Re:Awesome, I'm buying popcorn already. by AK+Marc · 2012-09-15 07:58 · Score: 1
  
  When discussing legal things, one should endeavor to use correct legal terminology. It isn't "illegal." That would imply that a company demanding one is breaking some law, and just asking for a non-compete is against the law. That's false. They are not "illegal". They are "not legally binding" That is, someone could demand you sign it as a condition of employment (and are free to not hire you if you don't agree to sign), but when you leave, the contract is void, and you are free to do what you want without contractual consequences.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 04:44 · Score: 5, Funny

Who's side are we supposed to be on?
1. Re:EA vs Zynga by Makoska · 2012-09-15 04:48 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Who's side are we supposed to be on?
  Battle for Wesnoth's LOL
2. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 04:48 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Good question. Certainly neither party to the lawsuit, and most definitely not with the lawyers. I'd have to say hope for all three to lose?
3. Re:EA vs Zynga by i.am.delf · 2012-09-15 05:02 · Score: 2
  
  Sometimes you need to root for both sides to fight and both to lose. I can't remember the original quote but it was about America selling weapons to both sides of a conflict because the US wanted both sides to lose.
4. Re:EA vs Zynga by Baloroth · 2012-09-15 05:16 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Who's side are we supposed to be on?
  Well, EA did once produce some good games, so them I suppose. They still have some potential: Zynga never had any. Zynga are also pretty blatant about ripping off other games producers (indie game makers included), EA are usually not quite so bad in that area at least.
  
  --
  "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
5. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:28 · Score: 0
  
  Probably Iraq/Iran war
6. Re:EA vs Zynga by jamstar7 · 2012-09-15 05:44 · Score: 1
  
  Who cares? Pass the popcorn.
  
  --
  Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
7. Re:EA vs Zynga by jamstar7 · 2012-09-15 05:45 · Score: 1
  
  That was 'Lord of War' IIRC. Great movie, one of Cage's best.
  
  --
  Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
8. Re:EA vs Zynga by Tastecicles · 2012-09-15 05:47 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Because nobody ever went broke selling weapons. Look at my cousin Gaila. He went into weapons, I bought a bar. Now he owns his own moon, and I'm staring into the abyss, and my only hope for salvation is the Federation.
  
  --
  Operation Guillotine is in effect.
9. Re:EA vs Zynga by Greyfox · 2012-09-15 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  No matter who loses this battle, humanity wins!
  
  --
  I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
10. Re:EA vs Zynga by Tastecicles · 2012-09-15 05:59 · Score: 1
  
  I watched that yesterday. Agreed, fantastic movie.
  Opening lines:
  "There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?"
  I'm sure he was quoting someone else there...
  
  --
  Operation Guillotine is in effect.
11. Re:EA vs Zynga by gmuslera · 2012-09-15 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  No matter which side loses, even if both does, lawyers win.
12. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:47 · Score: 0
  
  No matter who loses this battle, humanity wins!
  Ah, but remember, when one of these two lose, the other will win this battle. I can't reliably say humanity would win in that case.
13. Re:EA vs Zynga by seandiggity · 2012-09-15 06:50 · Score: 2
  
  Who's side are we supposed to be on?
  Anything that hurts Zynga, hurts facebook, as they reminded us over and over in the IPO filing. So, depends what you think of the Zuckerborg.
  
  --
  Geeks like to think that they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave you alone.-rms
14. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:57 · Score: 0
  
  Finally! We can root for the lawyers!
15. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 07:02 · Score: 0
  
  What happens when 2 electrons actually touch?
  I'm hoping a blackhole or something. Or another big bang. Anything that destroys them is good.
16. Re:EA vs Zynga by Greyfox · 2012-09-15 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  Sometimes... the only way to win... is not to play the game!
  
  --
  I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
17. Re:EA vs Zynga by beowulfcluster · 2012-09-15 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  In this case, are not the lawyers for once the lesser of three evils?
18. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 07:27 · Score: 0
  
  It's like Hitler vs. Stalin. But in that case I still have to go with Stalin. (Mark Pincus is Hitler, of course).
  Yes, I went there. Godwin'ed!
19. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 07:33 · Score: 0
  
  He miscounted, he thought your average overweight American was a couple.
20. Re:EA vs Zynga by Blue+Stone · 2012-09-15 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  >Who's side are we supposed to be on?
  The third side: mutually assured destruction ...
  
  ...a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction
  
  --
  Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
21. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:01 · Score: 0
  
  Great movie, one of Cage's best.
  Paradox detected.
22. Re:EA vs Zynga by AK+Marc · 2012-09-15 08:05 · Score: 1
  
  EA rips themselves off. Madden [$year] and such. Zynga should be applauded for copying games. And punished for copying copyrighted images creatively designed for it. The idea of a game of farmville should not be protected. Othewise, nobody else can make a 2D scrolling shooter, as Contra did it years ago (and wasn't th first) and if it isn't a shooter, Mario did it before you (and Pitfall before them).
  
  I want Zynga to win because the idea that the concept of a game should be copyrightable is absurd. Armageddon should sue Deep Impact? But I want Zynga to lose because they don't just copy a game idea, but they have been caught copying original art created for other games.
  
  Oh, and EA sucks.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
23. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 09:10 · Score: 0
  
  Neither. Both companies are assholes and I hope they bankrupt each other this way.
24. Re:EA vs Zynga by Narnie · 2012-09-15 09:29 · Score: 1
  
  Well, if you mean to choose the winning side, then its the lawyers obviously.
  
  --
  greed@All_Evils:~#
25. Re:EA vs Zynga by Pinhedd · 2012-09-15 10:01 · Score: 1
  
  The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy and nothing more I'm on the lawyer's side
26. Re:EA vs Zynga by Tastecicles · 2012-09-15 11:15 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  if you're selling weapons the LAST thing you want is for either side to lose - which is why whatever you sell to one side, you sell to the other. This has several side effects, not least of which you get obscenely rich and you remain neutral (see: Switzerland during WWII, the US arms industry during the Iran-Iraq war and pretty much every other conflict since WWII...). The thing you want to keep in short supply, however, is ammunition.
  
  --
  Operation Guillotine is in effect.
27. Re:EA vs Zynga by EdIII · 2012-09-15 17:43 · Score: 1
  
  Now I am imagining all the executives of both companies being Ferengis. You know.... it just seems to fit perfectly.
  In fact, if anybody ever does a documentary about this legal battle (like Microsoft vs Apple) they should use Ferengis as the actors.
28. Re:EA vs Zynga by C0R1D4N · 2012-09-15 22:48 · Score: 1
  
  I feel like Ferengi law would not have copyrights or patents. Companies would rely on DRM and proprietary stuff to try to keep customers locked in. Meanwhile the competition would use reverse engineering and industrial espionage.
29. Re:EA vs Zynga by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-16 00:54 · Score: 0
  
  I hope they both win, like that Samsung vs. Apple suit, where both won.
  For Samsung vs. Apple both are not allowed to sell phones in Korea.
  For zynga and AE, both should stop producing/selling games.
30. Re:EA vs Zynga by stoatwblr · 2012-09-16 11:16 · Score: 2
  
  Actually, ammunition is the killer app. You sell weapons once. They need ammunition to function as such and they keep needing the stuff to continue functioning.
31. Re:EA vs Zynga by DiEx-15 · 2012-09-17 02:11 · Score: 1
  
  The one that isn't evil...
  
  ...Oh. Wait...
My choice by meerling · 2012-09-15 04:53 · Score: 4, Funny

I'm cheering for EA on this one. Oh god, I feel sick and dirty, I need to take a shower now. :(
1. Re:My choice by Mashiki · 2012-09-15 04:55 · Score: 2
  
  Shite vs Shit. Tough choice sometimes, but one stinks less.
  
  --
  Om, nomnomnom...
2. Re:My choice by Nemyst · 2012-09-15 05:01 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  This is one of the few times where I'll be cheering for the lawyers to suck as much money out of both of them as possible.
3. Re:My choice by Penguinisto · 2012-09-15 05:27 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Sorta like watching Stalin go after Hitler. You want Stalin to win, but not win by too much.
  Maybe, with little luck, Zynga can get stomped into oblivion (SCO-style would be nice), and EA loses so much money chasing it that they themselves are diminished to the point of leaving an opening for other companies.
  But then there's Ubisoft. Is there anyway we can get Ubisoft involved in this too? Then maybe we can pray that they all obliterate each other.
  
  --
  Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
4. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:43 · Score: 0
  
  Given the tens of millions of deaths caused by both leaders from the 1920s through the 1940s, I don't know why you would pick one over the other. They both led violent totalitarian regimes that would have executed you in a heartbeat.
5. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:50 · Score: 0
  
  This is EA we're talking about. What makes you think they'll pay their lawyers?
6. Re:My choice by jamstar7 · 2012-09-15 05:55 · Score: 1
  
  Seems to me, it's more like the feeling you get when you see a carful of lawyers go over a cliff. In your brand new tricked out SUV that you're still waiting for the insurance paperwork to come back on...
  
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7. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:08 · Score: 0
  
  AC, you're dumb. What do you want, the unlikely outcome of a tie? Or, may the best man win?
8. Re:My choice by mwvdlee · 2012-09-15 06:19 · Score: 2
  
  You mean the feeling that you could have had a few more passenger seats if you bought a more expensive SUV?
  
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9. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:47 · Score: 0
  
  But one of them mostly killed his own people due to gross negligence and paranoia, the other tried to take over all of Europe and kill everyone else's people, it's different.
10. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:49 · Score: 0
  
  I hope you live to eat those words, you miserable sack of dog shit.
11. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 07:33 · Score: 0
  
  Atleast if you are not residing under either of the regimes. The choice would clearly be Stalin.
12. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:10 · Score: 0
  
  Hitler was more evil, but Stalin killed more people (mostly his own people). Just like WWII, no matter who won in the fight in Western Asia/Eastern Europe (USSR vs Gemany), there will be bad consequences no matter who wins in EA vs Zygna... though Germany winning would have been much worse for the world, this lawsuit no matter which of those 2 wins, many others will lose:
  for EA suing Zygna where EA sues Zygna for copying EA, EA winning could potentially open a flood-gate of "look-and-feel" of game that Indie developers are locked out. EA losing means more outfits like Zygna popping up.. though, I think a fair number of folks likely think that working for Zygna will guarantee you burn in hell .. and working there sucks too anyways.
  for Zygna suing EA for anti-competitive practices, I hope Zygna only wins if they prove that employer-employee bullying and intimidation happen. Non-compete clauses are a solid foundation for employer to employee abuse but on the other hand, a Zygna victory means money for Zygna so it can continue to be a leech to humanity.
  Btw, EA is not exactly a money bag company... video games as a business is not a big _PROFIT_ maker.. studios close all the freaking time, games are often too big (go ahead and checkout what Star Wars: The Old Republic cost to make)... the risks are insane... I'd hate to be an exec at a big publisher under the pressure that giving the green light on a game can carry such insane risks.
13. Re:My choice by blade8086 · 2012-09-15 09:07 · Score: 1
  
  Because Stalin didn't try to take over all of europe either?
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comintern
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cominform
14. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 09:21 · Score: 0
  
  I'm rooting for both to lose which is possible. If they spend all their resources fighting each other then it doesn't really matter who wins because there is nothing to pick up after a win.
15. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 10:20 · Score: 0
  
  >Maybe, with little luck, Zynga can get stomped into oblivion (SCO-style would be nice),
  Sure, get Bethesda into the picture.
16. Re:My choice by sg_oneill · 2012-09-15 17:34 · Score: 1
  
  Only if Ubisoft first sells off Assasins creed to another company. Ubisoft suck, but I frigging love assasins creed.
  
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17. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 19:49 · Score: 0
  
  That's a very interesting comparison. Germany could've been defeated without too much effort in the beginning but nobody lifted a finger because they thought Germany would go after the USSR much sooner than they did. Similarly, nobody went after Zynga when they were less threatening because they only invaded, I mean copied, weak companies. Now that they're causing problems to the big players they aren't so easy to stop anymore. Their lawyers couldn't expect a better outcome.
18. Re:My choice by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 21:41 · Score: 0
  
  As far as i know EA makes most of it's money from the big name sports games. They buy exclusive rights from real basketball/soccer/etc teams and build a game around that where sports fans can play their favorite teams. Games like NBA, FIFA, Need for Speed and the like don't cost a whole lot to develop because they recycle the previous incarnation of the game, and the fact that they have exclusivity means no other company can make a competing product so it's almost guaranteed to sell well. Sure other companies can make a soccer game like FIFA, but if they're not allowed to have the real teamnames and playernames in there then most sports fans will go for FIFA.
  Next to that, EA also swallows lots of other game studios (and then devours them according to most gamers), which means they don't need a whole lot of creativity themselves since the can just use the money from their sports games to buy up smaller studios who have a good idea already in the making.
Oh, you only have a Trace Buster Buster? by gubon13 · 2012-09-15 04:56 · Score: 1

EA is going to counter counter sue you, yo!
They're welcome to each other by stepdown · 2012-09-15 05:02 · Score: 1

Can't think of two companies I'd rather see hemorrhaging money in the courtrooms.
Furiously scribbling notes by ZackSchil · 2012-09-15 05:32 · Score: 1

Ripping off games: BAAAAAAD
Ripping off trade dress: GOOOOOOOOD... WELL NOOOOOTTT GOOOOOOOD BUUUUTT OOOOOKKKAAAAY WHHHAAATTTEEEVVVVVERR FUUUCKKK APPPPLEEE
Just taking down some notes here for the zombie slashdot poster bot I've been writing.
1. Re:Furiously scribbling notes by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:36 · Score: 0
  
  Retard
2. Re:Furiously scribbling notes by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:50 · Score: 0
  
  Is that a The Happening reference?
3. Re:Furiously scribbling notes by Travelsonic · 2012-09-15 10:03 · Score: 1
  
  I don't need to write anything down to see how retarded this post is.
  THERE IS NO HIVE MIND! \ LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE POSTING THEIR OPINIONS. ' To claim hypocrisy when you're taking different pinions, and making some hoopla about how /. is contradictory, when it is different people in these threads posting different individual opinions, well, there is no word to describe how dumb that is. Get off your high horse, read up on basic logic, basic lingual skills pertaining to debate.
  
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4. Re:Furiously scribbling notes by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 11:28 · Score: 0
  
  You're ignoring the fact that lately, every anti-Apple comment is modded up on every Apple story. There's not a hive mind, but there is a hugely popular sentiment, and you'd be an idiot to pretend it doesn't exist (and isn't extremely hypocritical or inconsistent most of the time).
5. Re:Furiously scribbling notes by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 16:47 · Score: 0
  
  If it's that popular, then its just a stereotype that people who want to read about technology are sick of hearing about Apple. Probably because Apple has never done anything...ever.
  WTF did Apple invent? Ipod? That isn't an invention, its an improvement on old tech.
One-word joke. by RyanFenton · 2012-09-15 05:34 · Score: 1

When I was at PAX Dev a couple of weeks ago, one good way to get a laugh would be to mention virtually any player-manipulative or too openly copying large sections of games, then just insert the word 'Zynga'.
The words 'E.A.' will also get some laughs connected to generic corporate thuggery, but after the whole 'Worst Company in America" stuff, it's a bit overplayed.
Ryan Fenton
1. Re:One-word joke. by History's+Coming+To · 2012-09-15 09:18 · Score: 2
  
  OK, I'll give it a go:
  
  I heard in the latest beat-em-up Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) is going to fight the A-Team's BA. Zynga.
  
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Of they they want a jury trial by Guru80 · 2012-09-15 05:40 · Score: 2

It comes down to personal perception more than the law. EA is the big bad guy on the block, Zynga is the family friendly buddy on facebook. There are no good guys here though, both are greedy thieves who would rob you blind in a moment if they could do so legally. Welcome to the business of studio game development/publishing. Thank god for indies.
Maybe EA can go down so we can get a NFL PC game by Joe_Dragon · 2012-09-15 05:47 · Score: 1

Maybe EA can go down so we can get a NFL PC game.
Go Zynga? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:48 · Score: 0

I want to hate zynga but EA is so much more evil.
They copy/steal just like zynga, but they do so much more then zynga.
$60 for a roster update in the sports games?
An exclusive licence to the NFL?
And how many good, interesting, profitable developers did EA buy, mismanage and ruin or shut down?
Also don't tell me if the developer was profitable EA wouldn't have shut it down, that is naive bullshit. Large companies like EA shut down successful things all the time for not hitting unrealistic profit goals
Since when did all games need to be the same as every other game?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/09/06/ea-turns-its-back-on-single-player-games-embraces-the-cloud/
http://www.destructoid.com/ea-wants-dead-space-3-to-appeal-to-a-broad-audience-229567.phtml
Not every game needs online multiplayer. Not each game needs to apply to every single gamer on the planet. If a game is a niche experience then it by definition will have limited sales and the financially cannot support arbitrary demands for multiplayer or other whims of the publisher. But to EA they view a niche product as a failed product.
Originally I was "cheering" for EA but Jim changed my mind or perhaps he just reminded me of bullshit ea has gotten away with.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/6220-EA-versus-Zynga-The-Lesser-of-Two-Evils
1. Re:Go Zynga? by mwvdlee · 2012-09-15 06:26 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is... on occasion EA has accidentally done the right thing.
  Zynga hasn't.
  
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2. Re:Go Zynga? by AK+Marc · 2012-09-15 08:10 · Score: 1
  
  Zynga is at least predictable and hasn't killed any games I've liked. EA buys successful games/studios, then puts them out of business. Zynga is easy for me to ignore. I can't recall ever seeing a Zynga game in a store to even try to ignore.
  
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3. Re:Go Zynga? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:42 · Score: 0
  
  When has EA done the right thing? Even by accident?
  I assume you mean "right" as in some sort of moral choice system not just a business sense of release a product that I will enjoy/consume.
Quadrapassel by tepples · 2012-09-15 05:52 · Score: 1, Informative

Zynga are also pretty blatant about ripping off other games producers
Any more so than the free software community, with it's "Quadrapassel" and its "M-x tetris"?
Whoa, back it up a sec... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 05:53 · Score: 0

Did Zynga just hire SCO's old law firm or something recently? I mean, and this is as professional as I can be regarding this company, what the fuck are they thinking?
They are to gaming what cheap spandex is to 40 yr. old strippers on the outskirts of Vegas. Either that or utterly talentless, parasitic copycats. Not sure which.
Horse race journalism considered harmful by tepples · 2012-09-15 05:54 · Score: 4, Insightful

Neither. As in political reporting, the concept of "sides" is one way that journalists turn stories into BS because they have vested interests in the public not learning what's really going on.
when two pieces of shit fight by Osgeld · 2012-09-15 06:01 · Score: 2

does anyone give a crap? let them both sue each other into oblivion and the world will be a better place
1. Re:when two pieces of shit fight by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 06:54 · Score: 0
  
  If two pieces of shit fight, giving a crap is overkill.
2. Re:when two pieces of shit fight by krisamico · 2012-09-15 09:09 · Score: 1
  
  Sounds great, but they'll finance this B.S. by cutting their respective workforces!
3. Re:when two pieces of shit fight by Osgeld · 2012-09-15 12:16 · Score: 1
  
  and?
  if those people have any skills they will easily find another job, and if not, they will have time to make some decisions about their lives.
  I dont buy this feeling that no company can fail for the poor workers will starve to death in a gutter crap ... I was recently unemployed for a year and yet I am still alive, newley employed and doing better than I was at my last job. So let them cut jobs, again its better for everyone.
A comparison by TRRosen · 2012-09-15 07:13 · Score: 2

Well let's see.
Nether company creates there own games. EA buys them and Zynga steals them.
Both companies steal from their users it's just that EA does it $50 at a time while Zynga does it $.50 at a time.
Both companies treat gamers like crap.
EA abuses the hell out of professional developers while Zynga abuses the hell out of people that think they are developers.
(sorry Zynga workers but my dog writes better code)
EA uses huge expensive marketing campaigns of BS while Zynga just spams you until you give in.
EA often ruins good games after taking them over. Zynga often ruins good games after copying them and flooding the market with their version.
EA actions makes you hate them. Zynga's actions make you hate yourself.
All in all the world would be better off if neither existed. But the tie breaker goes to EA as we would actually miss their games.
Soon in the news... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:13 · Score: 1

With both Zynga and EA lying financially in shambles because of the lawsuit, their lawyers team up and buy both Zynga and EA to form ZEANGA.
Who to root for? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:22 · Score: 0

Everyone else is hoping they both loose. I am too, but the fight also creates precedent. If no hire agreements could get stopped I would say Zynga wining wouldn't be a terrible thing.
EA scammed the crap out of many of their customers by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-15 08:40 · Score: 0

With the underhanded way EA's scammed the crap out of many of their customers with BF3 (the premium thing tricking people into rebuying the whole product, and the way they force advertisements on you with their forcing people to use origin/battlelog to play) they deserve to get smacked around some. Go for it!
Redacted Counterclaims by flimflammer · 2012-09-15 10:28 · Score: 4, Informative

It amazes me how often lawyers try to redact information from the public by changing the foreground and background to black when we can just select the text to reveal it.
Their counterclaim is full of not-so-redacted text.
Zynga has a point by laffer1 · 2012-09-15 11:26 · Score: 1

I hate to say this, but Zynga has a point. Consider how many crappy b movies are made in Hollywood related to hits. It's particularly bad with children's movies, but it also happened to Jaws and Jurassic Park. I heard on NPR recently that they're making a big comeback since digital distribution has taken over. It's easier to get on Netflix or Amazon's service than in stores. How is it different to copy a game versus a movie?
My big problem with Zynga isn't that they copy games shamelessly from EA and others, it's that they have serious issues with privacy and they treat their employees like crap. EA's just pissed they didn't think of it first.

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Bottom Feeding Scum by kiriath · 2012-09-15 12:28 · Score: 1

Companies like Zynga that churn out these games to feed off the souls(and wallets) of those who have the time to devote to them make me sick. These companies create games that lead people to absolutely nowhere, working tirelessly at something seemingly insurmountable, only to have something new and even more insurmountable to take its place. Repetitive nonsense spewed forth with slightly different packaging to make it a little different the next go round.
I'm looking at you Blizzard *evileyes*
It's the sort of headline by Ukab+the+Great · 2012-09-15 16:36 · Score: 1

I'd expect to read on the Onion. Not CNET.
Another great time for that AvP meme by neminem · 2012-09-17 02:59 · Score: 1

You know, the tagline, "whoever wins... we lose"?
Also reminded of that joke that was so popular in elementary schools, "what would you rather be eaten by, a [any random carnivore], or a [random other carnivore]?" "I'd rather the [two carnivores from the previous sentence] eat each other."