Yesterday, we posted about an issue that had recently gained quite a bit of attention in the App Store world. On Monday, developer Robots Vs. Wizards started a topic in our forums announcing that they had received word from Apple that they would need to change the name of their game Doodle Monster, at the insistence of Doodle Jump creators LimaSky, as it could potentially infringe on a trademark held by them. Assuming that they were in the wrong, Robots Vs. Wizards was ready to change the name of their game so as not to see it pulled off the App Store.

Other developers started chiming into the thread, however, and stated that they had received similar warnings about their own "Doodle" games. Bryan Duke of Acceleroto detailed some additional information pertaining to his own personal situation dealing with the term "Doodle" and how it pertained to LimaSky.

Since Monday this story has quickly created quite a stir on the internet, with a groundswell of support for the independent App Store developers and a whole heaping load of ire towards LimaSky. This was a bit unfair, though not totally unprecedented for the internet, as LimaSky had yet to even comment with their side of the story, and in just a couple of days the lynch mob mentality was in full swing. Last night, Igor Pusenjak of LimaSky released an official statement about the whole debacle over at PocketGamer.biz.

First, and foremost, Pusenjak reports that he has instructed his lawyer to withdraw the complaint notices from Apple. He claims the reason behind the infringement notices were, in fact, defensive.

That notice was sent out largely to protect our Doodle Jump trademark from threats of being canceled by Bryan Duke's big-house law firm. One of their arguments for threatening to cancel our registered Doodle Jump trademark was that we did not prevent other games from using the word 'Doodle'.

Pusenjak further says that they didn't intend to have those games removed from the App Store, but to specifically address potential infringements rather than removal of the games, themselves.

And we have made this clear to every developer who has contacted us � you don't need to take your game down, but you need to change the infringing elements.

Pusenjak also points out that Bryan Duke was the first to file for the "Doodle" trademark, and that Lima Sky's own "Doodle" registration was to avoid having the trademark used against them. So, it seems some of the legal escalation that occurred was due to misunderstandings and/or mistrust between the two parties. Duke admitted to filing for the "Doodle" trademark first, but he claims it to have been defensive as well:

Just like my lawyer told me, there was no way anyone (except for possibly the very original "Doodle" game) could possibly get awarded the trademark for the word doodle. My lawyer told me the only way to have proof of that was to file for a trademark for the word doodle. To get that proof and the protection from potential opposition from Lima Sky, I did that.

Lima Sky's full statement can be read on PocketGamer.biz. While the merits of each side are still being discussed in our forums, it seems there has been a surprisingly swift and amicable conclusion to this ordeal.

After watching this video, you will know just as much as we do regarding Gameloft's latest title. It is a cool video though, so if you've got 44 seconds to spare, be sure to mash the play button below:

Some educated guesses we can make on this: There's no doubt that Gameloft's schtick is cloning games, this clearly is a fantasy-based game, but without any real gameplay shown it's hard to say what type of fantasy-based game this will be. It looks like a third person action oriented RPG judging by what we can see, and I'm thinking the App Store badly needs something similar to a Zelda game. People on our forums agree.

I'm not going to lie, I'd totally play Gameloft's take on Zelda like nobody's business. We're going to be following this one closely.

It's not unusual to see a mechanic from a popular game used in a newer game from a different studio. Games inform each other. This is how the medium evolves and how we get better games. Unfortunately, it's not unusual to see a game on the App Store � or even on the PC or consoles � that takes way too much from another, much more popular or influential game.�But what makes this case of App Store wholesale "borrowing" special are the parties involved, the extent of the copycatting, and the role reversal. For those of you playing at home, this is a story about�an indie and a big developer, and it's the big developer slotted into the role of villian.

Earlier this month, Capcom Mobile released a title called MaXplosion [$.99] on the App Store, a game that bears several striking similarities to indie developer Twisted Pixel's Splosion Man, an original Xbox Live Arcade title released in 2009. From level design, to title, to mechanics, to even character design, MaXplosion appears to take a lot � too much for Twisted Pixel to be cool or comfortable with it.

MaXplosion

Splosion Man

"I think we feel more incentive now to make a mobile game than we did before," Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford told me via e-mail. "We don't have anything specific to announce just yet, but I think it's safe to say that we're going to do something."

"We're not really in a position to bring any kind of action against Capcom, nor would we want to since we've got games to make, but what we can do is make a better game than they can. Unfortunately for Capcom, it seems that most gamers are savvy enough to know when shit's being ripped off. "

One important note to make here is this little wrinkle: Twisted Pixel pitched Splosion Man to Capcom US before its eventual release on XBLA. Capcom passed on it and then years later we get MaXplosion.

Like Wilford told me, Twisted Pixel isn't going to pursue legal action here because (a) it's too small to fight the man and (b) yo, Mega Man was pretty damn good. "We're definitely not going to pursue legal action," Wilford re-iterated to Joystiq. "While I think the similarities are pretty nauseating, we're too small to take on a company like Capcom. That, and we owe them one for inventing Mega Man, so we'll let them slide." Instead, Twisted Pixel would like to fire back with it's own iOS release, which is a radical response to the matter, I think.

Capcom Mobile is apparently crafting a statement that might be released as early as later today, according to that Joystiq post. We've contacted the studio as well and do hope to hear back about all of this… borrowing going on.

Friend of TouchArcade and IGN Wireless writer Levi Buchanan recently published an awesome interview with Gameloft CEO Michel Guillemot. Chances are that you've already seen a couple of the quotes floating around on the Internet, as they're irresistible to bloggers. Guillemot, surprisingly, doesn't address topics of conversation with the usual stoneface, marketing-conjured replies we've become accustomed to when listening to corporate types.

Here are some notables from the convo and I think you'll get what I mean as you pour through:

• On the subject of Gameloft ripping off games on other platforms and then spitting out its own version on the App Store, Guillemot said, "The video game industry has always played around a limited number of themes. There is maybe one new idea a year." He also re-iterated that Gameloft simply recreates games that handheld gamers simply would never see without the developer.

• On the subject of the recent rash 99 cent sales and specifically EA's house-clearing one that drove tons of its apps to the top of the charts, Guillemot argued that the move was damaging. "There is a high uncertainty for the future anytime somebody can steal the market at Christmas," he said, adding that sales similar to EA's hurts indies and activates that "race to the bottom" we hear so much about.

• And on the subject of distribution, Guillemot talked briefly about Gameloft's plans to put their apps on TVs. "Playing on a TV without a box is weird today, not in ten years," he said. Gameloft is in a unique position to actually put its games on whatever, and it's certainly clawing to do that.

Check out the full interview for your needed dose of context � it's pretty important, especially in regards to the Gameloft copycatting issue that always seems to raise the collective gamer choler. You're not angry right now, right? Please calm down!

[via IGN Wireless]

We've been following this confusing development for a few days now which originally started on our forums where an increasing number of developers are receiving notice that they're violating Lima Sky's trademark on the word "Doodle" by having various titles on the App Store with "Doodle" in their names. Lima Sky is responsible for the wildly popular jumping game Doodle Jump [99�], and its success also likely spurred the (now incredibly cliche) barrage of similarly styled doodle games. Bryan Duke of Acceleroto posted a fantastic synopsis from a developer's perspective of what has been happening.

In a nutshell, Lima Sky has just barely enough legal ammo to lean on Apple to get similar games removed. From there, Apple sends out a letter to the developer of the game in question, and they have five days to respond or else their game gets yanked off the App Store. 148 Apps recently confirmed Lima Sky's intentions by receiving a form response back from their legal team explaining that they are in fact claiming a trademark on the word "doodle" and are looking to have any games with "doodle" in the title changed (or removed, from the looks of it).

Where things get interesting is that while Doodle Jump is a ton of fun, calling it an "original" game couldn't be more of a stretch. Its gameplay is based on PapiJump [Free], and developers have been releasing video games with a hand-drawn styled "doodle" art for years before Doodle Jump. It wasn't the first game with "doodle" in its title either, as Adrian Cummings of Mobile Amusements pointed out on our forums, they originally released Doodle Bug in 1992, and plan on bringing it to the App Store.

We're as tired of "doodle" games as everyone else, but any way you slice it this is a very depressing move from Lima Sky. We had Igor of Lima Sky on our podcast, and frankly, his tale of how his company began with him and his brothers making video games for fun was incredibly heartwarming. Having them turn on fellow indie developers a year later exercising trademarks which seem shaky at best is incredibly disappointing.

For more information on all this legal drama, and to follow along with developers under the legal hammer of Lima Sky as they deal with it on their end, stop by the thread on our forums.

The new game GeoSpin [99�] from Lazrhog Games takes its name quite literally. It's a fast-paced puzzle game where you must spin a geometric 3D shape while matching each of the flat panels that comprise the shape from a row that borders the game screen. It's hard to explain on paper, but easy to instantly pick up when playing. Lazrhog has nailed the controls, leaving only your speed and dexterity to determine how well you can perform. Graphics are basic but colorful, and pop on the Retina Display at a rock solid frame rate. GeoSpin is a simple idea executed beautifully, and is one of the more original games as of late and quite a bit of fun to boot.

In GeoSpin there are 11 increasingly complex shapes to tackle. Time Attack mode presents these linearly across 3 difficulty levels � easy, medium, and hard. You are timed on how long it takes you to place each panel into the shape, with a minimum time requirement to unlock the next level and additional time goals for earning bronze, silver, and gold medals for each one. In all, Time Attack has 33 levels to earn medals on. It's a decent challenge to earn golds on easy, but on medium and hard only the most nimble-fingered players will be able to achieve the qualifying times, let alone earn medals.

It's a fun kind of challenge though, one that keeps you coming back over and over to try and earn a better time. The real hook in GeoSpin is its excellent OpenFeint integration. There are leaderboards for every shape in every difficulty category, and it even updates your leaderboard position in real-time on the level select screen so you always know where you stand. I've found myself frantically retrying levels just to inch ahead of someone on my friend list, strictly for bragging rights, and it's a very satisfying feeling when I finally do surpass someone or place high globally.

The other half of GeoSpin is the Score Attack mode. Here you'll tackle each shape one after the other with a set countdown timer for each one. Your score is cumulative and based on how much time is left after completing each shape. There are time bonuses you can earn too, like matching certain shapes or colors in a row. The bonus requirements are displayed before each level and add tremendously to your score, and are practically required in the later levels in order to earn enough time to complete some of the more complex shapes. If you fail to solve a shape in the given time, the game ends. Score Attack is like GeoSpin's survival mode, and is a really fun diversion from the regular game.

I like GeoSpin because it just feels like an iPhone game, very well-suited to the platform. Spinning the shape feels perfect by default (but you can adjust the sensitivity if you choose) and dragging the shapes from the outer row is simple and painless. The UI and controls stay out of your way so you can just enjoy playing, though my biggest complaint is that the game doesn't currently support fast-app switching which can be annoying. The OpenFeint integration ensures a lot of replay value chasing high scores, and even if you're not into that sort of thing it will take a long time to earn gold medals throughout the game.

It may not blow you away with high end visuals, and the core gameplay is pretty simple and won't appeal to everybody, but GeoSpin is a catchy and original game that is executed very well. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying the title, and players in our forums have been enjoying it as well. If you're looking for something fun and unique, definitely give GeoSpin a try.