New York Times Sues Over 'Worldle': Similar Word Game Sparks Legal Battle

Seattle, Washington, USA United States of America
Google receives most of the money Worldle makes due to the use of Google Street View images.
The New York Times issued DMCA takedown notices in March 2024, leading to unauthorized 'Wordle' games using their trademark and copyrighted gameplay.
The New York Times is suing Kory McDonald over the game 'Worldle', a geography-based spinoff of their popular word game Wordle.
The New York Times purchased Wordle for a seven-figure sum in 2022 and claims that Worldle creates consumer confusion.
Worldle presents users with a silhouette image of a country and allows six guesses to identify it, containing ads and most revenue going to Google due to Google Street View images.
New York Times Sues Over 'Worldle': Similar Word Game Sparks Legal Battle

The New York Times, the owner of the popular word game Wordle, is taking legal action against a geography-based spinoff called Worldle. The newspaper giant purchased Wordle for a seven-figure sum in 2022 and claims that software developer Kory McDonald's game is deliberately creating confusion among consumers.

Worldle, which has around 100,000 monthly players, presents users with a silhouette image of a country and allows them six guesses to identify it. The game contains ads and most of the money McDonald earns goes to Google due to the use of Google Street View images.

The New York Times argues that Worldle is nearly identical in appearance, sound, meaning, and imparts the same commercial impression as Wordle. However, McDonald disagrees and points out that there are numerous other games with similar titles in the industry.

In March 2024, The New York Times issued DMCA takedown notices to developers of Wordle-inspired games and around 1900 versions were taken down. This led to a wave of knock-off 'Wordle' games that used the Times' trademark and copyrighted gameplay without authorization or permission.

Google receives most of the money Worldle makes due to the use of Google Street View images. The creator chooses a new country every day for a new game, making it an exciting challenge for players.

The New York Times' legal action against Worldle is not the first time it has resorted to courts to protect its prize game. In March 2024, a Shetland dialect version of Wordle was forced to shut down following a copyright challenge from the publishing group.

Prof David Levine, a copyright expert at Elon University School of Law, suggested that the one-letter difference between the two names might be problematic and there are other aspects of potential consumer confusion. However, McDonald remains optimistic and is determined to fight the lawsuit.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • Could other similar games in the industry also be considered confusing?
  • Is there enough evidence to prove consumer confusion between Wordle and Worldle?

Sources

83%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Wordle locked in legal row with geography spinoff, Worldle

BBC News Site: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68702081, About Us URL: https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/ Zoe Kleinman Friday, 31 May 2024 13:12
  • Unique Points
    • The New York Times is legally challenging a geography-based spinoff of Wordle named Worldle.
    • Wordle was purchased by The New York Times for a seven figure sum in 2022.
    • Worldle's creator, Kory McDonald, is based in Seattle and has around 100,000 monthly players.
    • Google receives most of the money Worldle makes due to the use of Google Street View images.
  • Accuracy
    • ,
    • Around 100,000 people play Worldle every month.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article does not explicitly deceive readers by omitting facts or presenting false information. However, it uses sensationalist language to present the conflict between the New York Times and Kory McDonald as a legal battle over trademarks. This creates an impression of a more significant dispute than is necessarily the case.
    • The owner of the hit online game Wordle is legally challenging a geography-based spinoff called Worldle.
    • The New York Times disagrees. Worldle is ¡nearly identical in appearance, sound, meaning, and imparts the same commercial impression to Wordle,¡ it says in its legal document.
    • ...the New York Times, which purchased Wordle for a seven figure sum in 2022, accuses its near-namesake of "creating confusion" and attempting to capitalise on "the enormous goodwill💗💛 associated with its own brand.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Wordle owner New York Times suing one-man country-guessing game Worldle

Eurogamer News Site Analysis Report: Comprehensive Coverage of the Gaming Industry with Transparency in Reporting Practices, Fairness in Coverage, and Minimal Conflicts of Interest or Deceptiveness. (2023 Update). Tom Phillips Friday, 31 May 2024 09:56
  • Unique Points
    • The New York Times had previously issued a takedown notice to Reactle, a Wordle clone and code repository, which led to around 1900 other versions of the game being taken down in March.
    • Kory McDonald responded to the lawsuit by stating that he was surprised by it and that there is an entire industry of games with similar names. He believes they will be okay, possibly changing the name as a worst-case scenario.
  • Accuracy
    • The New York Times owns the popular word guessing game Wordle, which was purchased from its original creator, British designer Josh Wardle, in 2022 for a seven-figure sum.
    • A one-man project named Worldle, which is a geography-guessing game alternative to Wordle, is operated by Seattle-based Kory McDonald and has around 100,000 players each month.
    • The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against McDonald, accusing him of creating confusion and taking advantage of the enormous goodwill associated with Wordle for his own project.
    • Worldle is nearly identical in appearance, sound, meaning, and imparts the same commercial impression to Wordle.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

79%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Wordle in legal row with geography spinoff, Worldle

AOL News Zoe Kleinman Friday, 31 May 2024 13:16
  • Unique Points
    • Most of the money made from Worldle goes to Google because it uses Google Street View images.
    • The creator of Worldle chooses a different one himself every evening for a new game the following day.
  • Accuracy
    • The New York Times is legally challenging a geography-based spinoff of Wordle named Worldle.
    • Around 100,000 people play Worldle every month.
    • Most of the money made from Worldle goes to Google because it uses Google Street View images that players have to identify.
  • Deception (35%)
    The article does not clearly state that the New York Times is attempting to capitalize on the goodwill of Wordle by accusing Worldle of creating confusion. This is an assumption made by the author. Additionally, the article quotes a copyright expert who provides their opinion on why they believe Worldle may face similar issues, but this is not a direct quote from the New York Times or disclosed as an opinion rather than fact.
    • The New York Times disagrees. Worldle is “nearly identical in appearance, sound, meaning, and imparts the same commercial impression to… Wordle,” it says in its legal document.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains a few informal fallacies and an example of inflammatory rhetoric. It also uses a quote that implies the New York Times' stance without clarifying it as the author's own opinion, which could lead to a dichotomous depiction.
    • The New York Times disagrees.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

92%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

War of the Wordle: New York Times in legal row with geography spinoff

The Independent Lydia Spencer-Elliott Friday, 31 May 2024 10:52
  • Unique Points
    • The New York Times is taking legal action against an app called Worldle, which it claims is too similar to their hit online game Wordle.
    • The newspaper giant purchased Wordle in 2022 and claims that software developer Kory McDonald’s geography-based game Worldle is deliberately creating confusion among consumers.
  • Accuracy
    • ]The New York Times is taking legal action against an app called Worldle[
    • The New York Times purchased Wordle in 2022 and claims that software developer Kory McDonald’s geography-based game Worldle is deliberately creating confusion among consumers.
    • Around 100,000 people play Worldle every month.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

79%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Wordle vs Worldle: NYT files case against geography spinoff game

NewsBytes Akash Pandey Friday, 31 May 2024 13:18
  • Unique Points
    • Most of McDonald’s earnings from the game are paid to Google for using their Street View images in gameplay.
  • Accuracy
    • The New York Times is legally challenging a geography-based spinoff of Wordle named Worldle.
    • NYT purchased Wordle for a seven-figure sum in 2022.
    • Worldle has approximately 100,000 monthly players and is only accessible via a web browser.
  • Deception (30%)
    The author makes selective reporting by only mentioning the differences between Wordle and Worldle that support his position, while omitting the fact that Wordle is a word guessing game and Worldle is a geography guessing game. This creates a false impression that the games are more similar than they actually are.
    • The New York Times refutes this argument in its legal document, stating that Worldle is ‘nearly identical in appearance, sound, meaning, and imparts the same commercial impression to... Wordle.’
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The author makes an appeal to ignorance when stating 'There’s a whole industry of [...]LE games.' This is a fallacy because the existence of other similar games does not prove that there is no confusion between Wordle and Worldle. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating 'creating confusion' and 'attempting to profit from the enormous goodwill associated with the Wordle brand.' These statements are not backed up with any evidence.
    • 'There’s a whole industry of [...]LE games.'
    • 'creating confusion'
    • 'attempting to profit from the enormous goodwill associated with the Wordle brand'
  • Bias (95%)
    The author, Akash Pandey, demonstrates a clear bias towards the underdog in this story by repeatedly emphasizing the small size and limited popularity of Worldle compared to Wordle. He also uses language that depicts NYT as attempting to bully or intimidate a smaller entity with their legal action. For example, he writes 'despite legal challenge from The New York Times' and 'remains determined to defend his creation'. These statements create an unfair and biased portrayal of the situation.
    • Despite the legal challenge from The New York Times
      • he remains determined to defend his creation
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication