Tiny Hawk Plagiarized as Tiny Skater on App Store
April 24, 2011 12:00 PM | timw
I'm not really sure why Apple keeps accepting App submissions from Domi Games (also known as EdisonGame and Yan Zhenhua), famously known for ripping off Halfbot's The Blocks Cometh wholesale and having the nerves to sell it on the App Store as one of their own products. Now you might say that developers can't stop others from copying elements in their games, but when the tutorial levels and instructions are exactly the same as Pekka Kujansuu's Flash game then that's basically them profiting from another developer's work without any care or remorse.
Pekuja isn't happy about the whole matter of course, and he's already asked everyone not to purchase the game. Tiny Skater (right inset) has been out since April 19th, and since the original developer doesn't have a similar product for iOS devices he's having a hard time convincing Apple to remove the game from the App Store. Pekka himself isn't working on an iPhone version of Tiny Hawk, but he's expressed interest in porting it if there's demand for the game on portable devices. Until then, you can play the Flash version of Tiny Hawk here.
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22 Comments
I sometimes just don't get the App Store regulations, they don't allow things that show more than an inch of skin or could be slightly offensive to someone but things that are just plain morally wrong (like the Lugaru "port" from a while back) are accepted without problem......
MrWout | April 24, 2011 1:36 PM
posts like these should be tagged with "two minutes hate" :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Minutes_Hate
ortoslon | April 24, 2011 1:44 PM
@MrWout, it's simple. Apple is all about profits. Ethics and morals will be observed only if they won't profit as much otherwise. In this case, they profit from the sales of the evil clone, so it's a-ok in their book.
Anonymous | April 24, 2011 1:51 PM
Always makes me sad to see things like this. I hope it gets taken down soon, or even just plain taken down. Makes you wonder what apple is actually doing in the approval period... I would have though making sure it's not plagiarized was a top priority.
Terra | April 24, 2011 1:59 PM
Although what we´re seeing here is a particularly extreme case, my opinion is that a big chunk of the indie dev community is way too overprotective. There are many considerations to make before the finger-pointing begins, particularly that most of the indie games aren´t exactly very original, and that tiny hawk could have also been ported to iOS.
Anonymous | April 24, 2011 2:07 PM
There's nothing wrong with getting inspiration from other games, but this is plagiarism. And you can't "just release" a game for iOS, that requires a Mac, an iOS device, an Apple developer account, their approval, and the willingness to support arguably one of the most evil companies in computing.
Anonymous | April 24, 2011 2:26 PM
Tiny Skater, such a lame name...
uxtull | April 24, 2011 2:46 PM
I thought I'd mention, I'm not sure if the game not being removed yet is because I don't have a similar game on the iOS Store, but I will say Apple is being pretty slow in doing anything about it. I am told they have contacted Zhenhua, but that's all I've heard from them so far.
Pekuja | April 24, 2011 7:03 PM
I sure hope apple has any sense left in them for the proper response.
Anonymous | April 24, 2011 7:03 PM
Oh no, the people crying foul on this are the same ones cursing the Tetris Company for suing every jerk who copied them.
To be fair though, they copied the audio, the graphics, and the level designs. Unlike with the crybaby who whined about Tiny Birds copying his unoriginal idea (sin(Surfing) did it first), I'm with Pekuja on this one.
Yakatori | April 24, 2011 8:22 PM
Why would anyone blame Apple? They're a large company. You guys sound like Viacom trying to get YouTube to take down all the copyrighted videos. Just remember there's a shit ton of stuff going on not everything will be immediate.
Jesse Maddox | April 24, 2011 8:39 PM
Jesse, I don't think you realize just *how often* this occurs on the Appstore. With the same plagiarists over and over again.
Apple *never* responds to anybody on this particular issue and they *are* legally responsible/liable. It's been ongoing for a few years with nary a sign. We don't expect them to be awesome or even vigilant on this matter, but this is ridiculous as it stands.
Right now, Apple refuses to even acknowledge the problem exists and it has cost a lot of indie devs several tens of thousands of dollars combined in lost sales they can't recover.
Yeah that's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. But on a personal level, that's a lot of missed meals for indie devs trying to make it on their own.
I don't expect Apple to give a shit, but I do expect them to follow the letter of the law. They have so far failed on that front and it's disgraceful. I'd like to see a class-action of some kind, but I doubt it'll happen considering the victims.
So there's that.
Aquin | April 24, 2011 8:47 PM
disgusting :P what a lame dev that has to rely on others ideas EXACTLY, i don't mind people getting inspired and making something similur but sheesh this is even the same sound effects lol
Anonymous | April 24, 2011 8:57 PM
I think it's time for the original developer to port it to the iPhone. There will be a lot of chatter about this.
AdamB | April 24, 2011 10:56 PM
I doubt its even possible for Apple to make sure every game submitted to the app store is not copied from an obscure indie game. But they should be doing a much better job responding to people who's work has been ripped off like this.
blinky the fish | April 24, 2011 11:51 PM
When this happened to us we were extremely pissed off. It took a media and public outcry along with contacting apple's legal dept to have The Blocks Cometh removed. It unfortunately takes apple about a week to get things sorted and get the game removed. The worst part is, these SAME assholes are still at it. Where is the justice? Makes me sick to my stomach. We really wish Tink Hawk is removed promptly. I feel for you guys.
Halfbot | April 25, 2011 5:40 AM
You don't lose sales this way jesus. If Product A comes out and sells 2000 it will rise and die into obscurity. Then when Product B comes out it will sell 2000 and it will die into obscurity. App sales are very timely. Not everyone fucking buys an app. If anything just pops it back up to the top of the charts a second time it will just be bought from a whole different crowd of people. "several tens of thousands of dollars" You're retarded.
Back to my point about Viacom and Youtube its the same shit. Why do you expect Apple to be able to just sit around all day and research every little aspect of it's hundreds of thousands of applications? It isn't their say that determines if something is cloned. You act like it's obvious to Apple that's it's cloned. The only people legally responsible for this would be the cloned apps developer.
Jesse Maddox | April 25, 2011 8:21 AM
@Halfbot: Tiny Hawk is my game. Tiny Skater is the copycat one. Thought I'd make that clear. :)
@Jesse: While I agree that Apple can't be expected to find all copyright violations before apps get released, I do think they should react to these faster and get blatantly offending developers out of the App Store. The ripoff of The Blocks Cometh was even more blatant and the developer's still allowed in the store?
Now, I will admit, I'm personally involved here, and I am not suggesting immediate bans for any small mistakes a developer might make, but I do think it's bad that a repeat offender doesn't get taken down quicker.
Pekuja | April 25, 2011 9:06 AM
Jesse, you're the idiot here. Given the developer will get no compensation from Apple, especially since they were ripped before and stole a very popular app. The small group, a group of independents, were stolen from and the popularity would give them a good profit...but they won't experience that, even with redemption.
Brandon McKinney | April 25, 2011 9:16 AM
I can imagine this whole ordeal causing a bunch of stress on you Pekuja, I'm just disappointed how fundamentally flawed everyone's arguments are. The fantasy of getting quick responses from the company people typically mock for it's poor customer service would be ridiculous.
"Jesse, you're the idiot here. Given the developer will get no compensation from Apple, especially since they were ripped before and stole a very popular app. The small group, a group of independents, were stolen from and the popularity would give them a good profit...but they won't experience that, even with redemption."
Go back through and read what you just read because none of it seems to apply to the above post. Popular app? It's a free flash game... Apple? If this supposed Domi Games company is making money from this app why would Apple pay? Domi Games are the ones benefiting. Sue them take their profits and those supposed loss in sales no longer matter. Now if anything Pekuji has this fancy new article showcasing his flash remake of his ludum dare game from like four years ago.
Jesse Maddox | April 25, 2011 1:39 PM
Having an app for sale in the App Store isn't free, you know. Apple takes a big cut. Also, people are unlikely to buy the same game twice, so any chance Pekuja had at a successful App Store launch is gone. Third, ad-supported flash games aren't free.
Anonymous | April 25, 2011 4:10 PM
What makes you think everyone who would buy his app already bought the clone? There's this huge market called, "people who haven't bought it". You know billions of people. If you can't get their attention that'd be your problem. Not the 200 sales of the clone. Koei seems to make a living off of clones. hurhurhur. I'm just trying to argue that people tend to exaggerate against Apple when things like this come up. This website is on a very isolated obscure part of the internet. You can't just walk up to a stranger and say OH HEY HAVE YOU PLAYED TINY HAWK? FUCK WHAt? YOU DONT' READ GAME BLODGS!?!gasP. SHIT.
Also taking a cut and not being free are different. 30% a pretty decent middle man price anyway.
Jesse Maddox | April 25, 2011 5:48 PM