Here's the "arcade" page at whitehouse.gov and, clicking through, here is the "Build the Wall" game that is, basically, Tetris.
September 5, 2026
"The Tetris Company, the company that owns the rights to the classic video game, denounced a clone of the game produced by the Trump administration that has the player block space aliens and zombies from crossing the U.S.-Mexican border."
I'm reading "Tetris Owner Denounces Trump White House Clone of Game/Responding to Build the Wall, an apparent copy of the retro video game, the Tetris Company said 'we take copyright infringement very seriously'" (NYT gift link).
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23 comments:
It’s just a game, FGS! More TDS silliness.
If the company wants to keep its ip they have to defend it. They have to complain about the game.
I had no idea we had a national arcade #Streisand effect
>If the company wants to keep its ip they have to defend it.
You're thinking trademarks, not copyrights.
If Tetris is still Russian, maybe this Russian interference is something the NYT and Adam Schiff should look into.
I understand that the White House is trying to flood the media with junk so that the media will be too busy to go on the attack, but it's still junk. People may start wondering if there's really a pony underneath all the manure.
FFS, go to the Apple Apps store to see numerous "rip-offs" of Tetris.
They ‘denounced’? Ohhhh Trump’s in trouble now!!! Walls closing in…well, blocks falling down- but still!!!!
Publicity garnered, I suspect The White House will pull the game if a claim is made irrespective of the merits of the case. I don't see an obvious Trademark case, but a colorable copyright may be there. I don't know Tetris enough to make a comparison.
Video game design is partially copyrightable; copyright protects the specific creative expressions like art, code, and music, but it does not protect abstract ideas, concepts, or core game mechanics. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, legal protection depends entirely on the idea-expression divide.
What Is Protected by Copyright
1) Source Code: The underlying software and algorithms that make the game run.
2) Visual Assets: Character designs, environment artwork, animations, and textures.
3) Audio: Original music tracks, voice acting, and sound effects.
4) Narrative and Text: Scripts, dialogue, storyline descriptions, and written lore.
What Is NOT Protected by Copyright
1) Game Mechanics and Rules: Functional rules, loops, and core ways a game plays cannot be copyrighted. Anyone can create a clone with similar rules as long as they do not reuse actual copyrighted assets or code.
2) Abstract Concepts and Genres: A broad concept—such as "a matching puzzle game" or "a zombie survival shooter"—is free for anyone to use.
3) Titles and Names: Individual game titles are generally not protected by copyright, though they can often be protected instead via trademarks.
While mechanics cannot be copyrighted, truly novel technical systems are sometimes protected through utility patents, such as Warner Bros. patenting the "Nemesis System".
>If the company wants to keep its ip they have to defend it.
Yes, you are right, In U.S. law, the owner does not have to complain immediately just to preserve copyright in a software program.
If there actually is infringement, delay can still matter. Waiting too long may affect damages, evidence, or equitable remedies, and the statute of limitations generally limits recovery for older infringements. But copyright is not normally lost simply because the owner saw a competitor copying something and failed to object.
How fun!
A joke about changing a lightbulb has become an official plank in the Democratic Party
This is so tiresome. We know you hate Trump.
Hopefully White House version is American made!
Is Tetris?
Maybe Putin use Tetris Portal send messages to Trump?
the rights management and licensing are handled today by The Tetris Company—which is based in Nevada—the game's cultural identity and original design are firmly rooted in Soviet history. [1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris), [2] (https://retrofreakreviews.com/2017/06/24/tetris-retrospective/), [3] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tetris_Company), [4] (https://tetris.com/news/the-history-of-tetris)
Wouldn't the WH be protected by the parody exception as well?
Plus, outside the four corners of the courtroom, lefties must want to preserve their ability to make political 80s-style video games, so maybe someone will get to Tetris et al and tell them to calm down. CC, JSM
I tried dropping a bunch of tetrominoes on top of invaders hoping for massive carnage but that was a fail.
"It’s just a game, FGS! More TDS silliness."
In all fairness, most artists and creators get pissed off if ANYONE uses their stuff without permission.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republic influencers? National Socialists? Maoists, perhaps.
Is there a hidden QR code embedded in the wall? A message to facilitate immigration reform.
IIRC to ‘win’ at Tetris, you have to blow up walls, not build them.
Win-win for both parties. More people know about the Trump parody, and more people know about Tetris (or remember that it exists).
Misión imposible. This message will self-destruct in 86 secs.
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