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White House pulls Tetris-style 'Build The Wall' game after copyright concern

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Why This Matters

The White House quietly removed a Tetris-style 'Build The Wall' game from its website after The Tetris Company publicly said it wasn't involved and takes copyright infringement seriously. It's a reminder that government messaging teams face the same IP rules as anyone else, and that rights holders will push back on political uses of their brands. Tetris has previously won settlements over clones that copied its look and feel.

Key Takeaways
Worth a Look

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The White House has taken down a Tetris-style game on its website called "Build The Wall", days after The Tetris Company raised concerns over its use of the game's likeness.

The game, which saw players stack blocks to build a wall to "protect the border" is one of five arcade games which have appeared on the White House website.

On 4 September the official Tetris account on X posted, external the firm was "not involved in the creation" of the game and it took "copyright infringement very seriously".

The White House has not responded to requests for comment from the BBC or given an official reason for the takedown.

"At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and building people together, not dividing them," the firm said in its initial response to the game.

"To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we're grateful to have you in our community."

The Tetris Company has had previous success in suing firms for infringing on its copyright - settling for an undisclosed fee with the makers of the iPhone game Mino in 2012, which it claimed stole the look and feel of the block-builder.

Four other arcade games still remain on the mini-game section of the White House website.

"Flappy Bill", a clone of the 2013 viral hit Flappy Bird sees players fly a bald eagle and dodging monuments from the National Mall.

Meanwhile in Rio Run, players must "patrol the line along the river", with gameplay reminiscent of the classic phone game Snake.