Actually, that is another debate. We were notified by Apple that another company trademarked Tower Defense and that we could not use it to describe Trenches or Stenches...
Thanks for Lima Sky. I have a game contains the word 'doodle' and submitted it to Apple. The status is 'in review' for a long time. Apple sent an email to me saying that there is a delay in reviewing. I don't know when will Apple approve it.......
According to http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Lima+Sky+news/news.asp?c=26650: '[Brian] Duke's application for "Doodle" was made on April 30, 2010. Lima Sky application for "Doodle" was made on July 8, 2010.' Well, I can see only one solution, which is not to buy any doodle games, because they all look like ****. Which, funnily enough, is a solution I have been using even before the first trademark for "Doodle". Because, to reiterate, doodle games look like ****. And because if you wait a couple of months, someone will come along with the same game but in a non-doodle format and hence you have what is in effect the same game but which no longer looks like ****. The end.
I love doodle art style actually, but definitely don't like doodle "like" ****. I'm going to make a doodle "the one" game very soon for to prove that.
OK it looks like Lima have backed off the 'Doodle' mark bit then - great! For us this whole issue is/was more problematic in that given we have been porting 'Doodlebug' (Amiga/ST circa 1992) to iDevices for some time now, that last thing we actually wanted to end up with was it sitting in a holding pattern in review for weeks/months at Apple because of some legal issue with the world 'Doodle'. Anyway 'Doodlebug' lives on and will be released on iPad/iPhone/WP7 in due course. Hey we don't even care if you call yours Doodlebugs, Doodlemug or Doodlecup as long as you don't call it 'Doodlebug' btw it's a cute 2D platformer as can seen from the original '92 version here... http://hol.abime.net/389 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doodlebug Cheers, www.mobileamusements.com
What seriously makes absolutely no sense to me about all this is why did it take so much pressure for Lima Sky to come to this conclusion? We had this massive thread, a complete uprising on Twitter, and posts on both PocketGamer and 148apps where they didn't make a peep aside from basically saying "Sorry dudes, we own Doodle." PocketGamer: "As for Lima Sky, we spoke to founder Igor Pusenjak late last night, who briefly commented, "We are required by USPTO [US Patent and Trademark Office] to monitor and police our trade marks. If we don't, we lose them." 148apps: "We got a standard form letter back from the lawyers representing Lima Sky confirming that Lima Sky is seeking to have apps with Doodle in the title change their names as they are claiming a trademark on the word Doodle. " I posted a story on it this morning and suddenly they're like "Whoa whoa whoa... you guys have got it all wrong!!!" then they start back peddling. Seems odd to say the least.
I think they've somehow managed to drop the hammer on themselves with all this one way or another really.
I still don't buy their "explanation". I don't know, who this Duke guy is, but looking at his website, his games are not soooo exciting and he doesn't look "powerful" enough by any means. It is a lame excuse for Lima Sky to tell, that they were afraid of him, so they had to start this. They simply back off trying to keep face, after their little stunt didn't work out well. It is still lame, no matter if it was their decision or if they were advised by a lawyer. Honestly, if I had a game like Doodle Jump, I would crap on all other small devs, who try to copy me, because I were rich and they weren't. Who cares about copycats when I am in the top 10 and they all are somewhere at the last places.
it does not matter now, what kind of excuses or explanation Lima sky are going to bring. - hey, please don't visit us anymore. - but why?! - well, yesterday after your visit we could not find the wallet. - but it was not me, i have not taken it! - yep, we know, we have found it later, but aftertaste has left.
meanwhile DJ sits cozily far up the charts at #7 on All Paid. 98% of the audience will never know about any of this, only the small community that will be upset about it for a short time and then forget about it when the next news hits.. no matter what happens, Lima Sky win in the end. __________________ twitter - HeadcaseGames.com Puzzling has Evolved - Get 180! FreeAppTracker.com Win ANY app you want, daily!
Agreed +1000! crazygambit and others have got it right when they say Lima Sky are now backpedalling because it all blew up in their face. They thought they could squash a few small people unnoticed and carry on with business, and no-one would know what's happened. Buy you know what, it's too late. The damage to their reputation has been done and I reckon it's irreparable.
Ha ha! Frickin' awesome! But wait, you'd better take that picture down quick! Did you get permission from Lima Sky to use their Doodler character? Oops, sorry, I mean their Doodle character? Otherwise they're gonna ask their lawyers for advice on what to do (by which I mean they will release the hounds and come after you without even asking the advice of their lawyers first)!
The pic is amazing. I am no expert, but as far as I know you can portray well known persons and characters in the media, without permission. Otherwise Obama and other politicians could sue every newspaper every time. The copyright is not on the character at this time, but on the drawing itself.
@hodapp I guess they got very afraid when the mighty @hodapp posted the news on the biggest iDevices gaming web sites, they must have tremble in fear They should have come up much more quickly to the community and explain thing, but even now their explanation try to portray Bryan Duke as the big meanie in the story and forgot to explain why Bryan Duke react like this. But I guess due to lawyer being involved, they probably had to consult lawyer first before saying anything as their words could be use against them later on (I learn it the hard way while being on the received hand of a C&D letter in the later 90' for the name of my previous startup company... Moebius Technologies inc. I let you guess from whom I got trouble).
