The Clone Wars: Zynga bites back, says EA doesn’t understand copyright

Zynga has quickly fired back after EA filed legal action against it for copying one of its games.

The social games giant says the games publisher’s move is ‘ironic’ and ‘demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic copyright principles’.

EA today filed a suit against Zynga saying its new The Ville game was too similar to The Sims Social, and that it was using its financial might to take the firm to task for the controversial method of cloning rival games.

EA says Zynga has "wilfully and intentionally copied and misappropriated the original and distinctive expressive elements of The Sims Social in a violation of U.S. copyright laws."

But Zynga says its The Ville comes from a long line of pre-existing games.

"We are committed to creating the most fun, innovative, social and engaging games in every major genre that our players enjoy," a statement said.

"The Ville is the newest game in our ‘ville’ franchise – it builds on every major innovation from our existing invest-and-express games dating back to YoVille and continuing through CityVille and CastleVille, and introduces a number of new social features and game mechanics not seen in social games today.

"It’s unfortunate that EA thought that this was an appropriate response to our game, and clearly demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic copyright principles."

To add insult, Zynga has claimed EA is just as guilty of releasing games similar to a rival’s.

"It’s also ironic that EA brings this suit shortly after launching SimCity Social which bears an uncanny resemblance to Zynga’s CityVille game. Nonetheless, we plan to defend our rights to the fullest extent possible and intend to win with players."