Fri. Nov 22nd, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

The New York Times is fighting off Wordle “clones” with takedown notices, arguing that numerous games inspired by its mega-popular word-guessing game infringe on its copyright protections.

Hundreds of copycats have emerged since Wordle skyrocketed to internet fame less than three years ago.

Now the Times, which purchased the game in 2022, is sending takedown notices to people behind some of the look-alikes.

The Times has filed several Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, takedown notices to developers of Wordle-inspired games, which cited infringement on the Times’ ownership of the Wordle name, as well as its look and feel — such as the layout and colour scheme of green, grey and yellow tiles.

In a prepared statement, a New York Times Co. spokesperson said the company has no issue with people creating similar word games that do not infringe its Wordle “trademarks or copyrighted gameplay.”

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