Zynga wins in copyright suit against Mattel over Scramble with Friends
Zynga has emerged victorious from a round of battle in the High Court after Mattel claimed Zynga's Scramble With Friends app infringed on the toy maker's trademark for Scrabble. Mattel argued that the app's name was too similar to their classic boardgame, Scrabble, which is known as one of the best ways to turn the action of forming of words into a passive-aggressive, violent affair.
Although the judge ruled in favor of Zynga concerning the name dispute, he did side with Mattel concerning the app's logo, stating that it "gives the impression that the word is Scrabble when one looks at it quickly."
Mattel spokesperson Alan Hilowitz said the company is "disappointed that the court did not rule that Zynga should cease using the Scramble name, which Mattel intends to appeal."
The ruling follows the departure of several Zynga executives, including co-founder Justin Waldron. The company also recently shut down four of its games and the website for Draw Something creator OMGPOP.