2019.05.24; Apple removed my game from the app store because some company in China made a clone, trademarked the name we were already using, and then asked Apple to take down my game. : gamedev

Published by DB, May 24th, 2019

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Apple removed my game from the app store because some company in China made a clone, trademarked the name we were already using, and then asked Apple to take down my game.

The game is Clicker Heroes. We are currently losing $200-300/day because our game had to be taken down worldwide instead of just China.

This company, Shenzhen Lingyou Technology Co., Ltd., received a trademark for "点击英雄" in 2015 in China even though it was already being used in our game BEFORE they trademarked it.

In 2014 on an asian web portal (see the date on the page - 日期：2014-11-23), my game was already using "点击英雄":

http://www.4399.com/flash/147709.htm

Here is the 3rd party's trademark application: http://wsjs.saic.gov.cn/txnDetail.do?locale=zh_CN&request%3Aindex=2&request%3Atid=TID201502076251925784E278A62D728FFA0567ABB3A41&y7bRbP=KGDocqcp9RDp9RDp9KeG_7HvvYHkWX6jkClTZU5j1HWqqxl - which has a date of application of February 13, 2015. (They didn't wait long to steal it - less than 3 months!)

But despite explaining this as clear as I could to Apple and the 3rd party, Apple sided with the cloners and took my game down. We don't have the resources to fight a legal trademark battle in China so I guess that's the end of our game there.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/bs6n3l/apple_removed_my_game_from_the_app_store_because/