Discussion

• @waxpancake Andy Baio on x

  This guy shamelessly cloned Wordle (name and all) as an F2P iOS game with in-app purchases and is bragging about how well it's doing and how he'll get away with it because Josh Wardle didn't trademark it. So gross. https://twitter.com/...

• @zachshakked Zach on x

  This is absurd. 450 trials at 1am last night, now at 950 and getting a new ones every minute. 12K downloads, rank #28 word game, and #4 result for “wordle” in the App Store. We're going to the fucking moon. https://twitter.com/...

• @zachshakked Zach on x

  Here were my calculations: a) Wordle is a ripoff of another game b) Wordle the word isn't trademarked and there's a bunch of other unrelated word apps named the same thing c) Wow, I'll hack together something on the weekend and see if I can make a buck

• @tha_rami Rami Ismail on x

  yes twitter, I am absolutely sure that I want to tell this morally bankrupt asshole who stole wordle and put it on app store without even the decency to change the name to absolutely fuck off https://twitter.com/...

• @rebeccaslatkin @rebeccaslatkin on x

  If anything positive comes out of Wordle-gate I hope the iOS community recognizes that we can come together and use our voice to get Apple to address predatory subscriptions, fake reviews, and other unethical practices polluting the App Store.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  This Ars Technica piece is a good summary of the legal implications found with this Wordle fiasco. There is A LOT of gray area. The name wasn't trademarked by the game's developer. The game was never an iOS app. It's not a novel idea. https://arstechnica.com/... via @charlesarthu…

• @zachshakked Zach on x

  I'm literally giddy right now - that's 5.4k downloads in 1 FUCKING HOUR. https://twitter.com/...

• @keleftheriou @keleftheriou on x

  @waxpancake Update: “Wordle - The App” is no longer available on the App Store: https://twitter.com/...

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  Apple following the exact same pattern as Facebook and Twitter and YouTube when it comes to content moderation: let other people repeatedly find the obvious problems for free since it's not like anyone can leave the platform https://www.theverge.com/...

• @harrymccracken Harry McCracken on x

  15 years after the iPhone was announced, the fact that the App Store is both a walled garden AND a wild west is one of the great disappointments of this whole era. https://t.co/9C56zlO5Ug

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  All that talk about needing control over the store to protect people from scams and Apple couldn't stop these jerks from stealing dude's game with the same name https://www.theverge.com/...

• @caleweissman @caleweissman on x

  crazy what seven months can do [juxtaposition of Wordle copycat author's tweet on how he despises copycats and the recent tweet crowing about his Wordle app]

• @cabel @cabel on x

  @zachshakked That's ironic because I'm now literally giddy to hopefully walk the creator of Wordle through the App Store takedown process

• @daphnehk Daphne Keller on x

  @mikarv ... Apple enforces all kinds of extra-legal app store rules. If this is one they consistently use, it doesn't seem so terrible, I think? (Maybe they're still mad about MS taking that “windows” UI and have expansionist IP preferences here...)

• @kyleorl Kyle Orland on x

  I looked into what legal recourse there might be for Wordle clones and the answer is, simply, not much... https://arstechnica.com/...

• @migueldeicaza @migueldeicaza on x

  @zachshakked you clearly were banking on the wordle popularity, so much that you copied the UI, and people flocked to you because of this confusion. So I think Apple was right in pulling it, as it tarnishes their reputation with your actions.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  @mike_enos now imagine if you had to make sure she went to the “right” app store.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  It's amazing to see people who one day argue Apple rules over the App Store too strictly then argue the next day that Apple should limit developers in terms of what and when they can charge consumers, and require developers to jump throw hoops to prove their app's worth.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  App Store detractors & critics don't realize that every time they point out problematic apps making their way into the App Store, they strengthen the case for heavy curation & moderation in digital app stores - items Apple uses for making the case against alternative app stores.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  I don't know anyone in the real world who thinks or talks like this. Is App Store derangement syndrome a thing? https://twitter.com/...

• @gruber John Gruber on x

  @zachshakked @powerlanguish Good luck finding a game called “Scrabble” in the App Store that isn't from Hasbro, you fucking idiot. New Scrabble-like games, sure, there are probably hundreds of them. Non-Hasbro games using the name “Scrabble”? Nope.

• @crulge @crulge on x

  then you get this techbro child who ripped the game off wholesale and was so surprised people yelled at him that he made a 13-tweet thread about how it's fine to make soulless commercial clones of nice things, a philosophy that has made the internet suck https://twitter.com/...

• @migueldeicaza @migueldeicaza on x

  Apple's actions are sending a signal with this removal: we do not want to be seen as complicit in this sort of behavior. Some of us hope that this is one step towards eliminating other bad practices as well.

• @mike_enos Mike Enos on x

  @neilcybart When I told my mother in law to try Wordle I had to be very careful to show her where to play; you can just go to the App Store or you risk getting scammed

• @migueldeicaza @migueldeicaza on x

  The thing is that your actions were indistinguishable from your run-of-the-mill opportunistic scam: people started criticizing Apple for your actions.

• @migueldeicaza @migueldeicaza on x

  I am sorry you got attacked harshly for this-can sympathize with the rush and excitement that a new opportunity opens. There is sadly no black and white here, and your public performance drew a lot of attention just weeks after the heartwarming NYTimes story.

• @snazzyq Quinn Nelson on x

  lol the Wordle drama today is expected but still hilarious. Apparently the 30% Apple takes isn't for making sure a bunch of shovelware knock-offs don't make it onto their store. https://twitter.com/...

• @danielpunkass Daniel Jalkut on x

  @zachshakked ... FWIW Zach I don't think you should lean so heavily on “isn't trademarked.” Trademark in the US is implicit and comes about by merely using a name. What you mean to say is it isn't a registered trademark. The fact you also so clearly imitated the look of Wordle ma…

• @gruber John Gruber on x

  @zachshakked a) Wordle is not a ripoff of another game. Making something new but clearly inspired by existing games like Lingo is not a ripoff. That's how creativity works. b) Unregistered trademarks are still trademarks.

• @artbymarek Marek Plichta on x

  Apple seemed to have taken down the blatant Wordle clones appearing on the App Store. Would be the first time they act on copycats? https://www.theverge.com/...

• @zachshakked Zach on x

  @gruber @powerlanguish Ok one bad example but look up “sudoku” “crosswords” etc and wtf is your problem? I'm literally a self made 25 year old entrepreneur who made 1 bad decision. You don't know shit about me, go read my other tweets and look at my other apps. Great look for you…

• @legalnomads Jodi Ettenberg on x

  Legality & morality aren't the same thing. This copycat's attempts to justify his actions aren't passing the ethical smell test. (He's made it so only people he mentions can reply, of course.) https://twitter.com/...

• @gruber John Gruber on x

  @zachshakked @powerlanguish And you didn't just steal the name “Wordle”, you branded your app to deliberately present it as the official Wordle app. The app's name is “The Wordle App” for chrissake.

• @gruber John Gruber on x

  @zachshakked Here you are the day after you trashed your personal reputation, still arguing that you'd only do what is obviously the right thing if you received a dispute notice from Apple or a legal one from Wordle's creator. Why should he have to do anything at all to defend hi…

• @zachshakked Zach on x

  @gruber @powerlanguish Wordle is my eyes was on the way to becoming a generic name for a word game like scrabble, 2048, crossword, sudoku and the gray area from a common law trademark that had earlier use cases from other apps in my eyes was an opening and the legal advice I rece…

• @stroughtonsmith Steve Troughton-Smith on x

  I feel like if my blatant get rich quick scam screwed up so badly that it got an entire category of apps booted from the App Store, and turned the dev community against me, I would take the L and quietly contemplate my life decisions for a while. Maybe show remorse. Just me tho

• @ershov_daniel Daniel Ershov on x

  1/3 This Wordle clone situation is really giving me strong incentives to finally re-write my 2020 WP on the competitive responses to the emergence of superstar apps! https://www.theverge.com/...

• @sub8u Subrahmanyam Kvj on x

  Interesting point from individual who launched an app called Wordle, used same UI & added subscription for $30. Leaving other points on ethics, says a lot about how many apps make $$ on App Store - by adding a needless subscription to normal apps that people forget to turn off! h…

• @patrickwardle Patrick Wardle on x

  All's well that ends well?🤷🏻‍♂ ️ ...but how did Apple not have the foresight to see/prevent this in the first place? (esp. as their own guidelines prohibit clones/ripoffs). Yet again highlights how ineffective the App Store is as a gatekeeper (...we know it's really about control…

• @jtaby @jtaby on x

  Really glad to see Apple step in here and maintain integrity of the App Store. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @glennf Glenn Fleishman on x

  Apple honestly spends a lot of money to keep the App Store running well, but it clearly refuses to spend the small amount required to police obvious bad players, leaving it to the community, reporting outlets, and @gruber to provide oversight. Efficient https://twitter.com/...

• @gregde Greg DeMichillie on x

  If you are going to sell curation as a key part of your value prop, then maybe you ought to, I don't know, actually curate? https://twitter.com/...

• @gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x

  Of sites like the @verge weren't all over this, would Apple have noticed on their own? Or cared? https://www.theverge.com/...

• @gruber John Gruber on x

  @neilcybart @daringfireball I'm not saying charging $10/week should be disallowed. I'm say it should be looked at. Same for fake reviews. Apple doesn't need to “solve” fake reviews. Just investigate top grossing apps for fake reviews.

• @reneritchie Rene Ritchie on x

  @wplate I'd love to chat about this with the VP of App Store if given the opportunity. I have spoken with Apple, Google, and YouTube engineers about false bans vs. active scams and it's not an easy problem to solve at massive, moving scale. They basically work the middle.

• @blackamazon @blackamazon on x

  Wordle is a Pandemic parable https://twitter.com/...

• @notamateurhour Benjamin O'Connor on x

  @reckless There was no trademark filed on Wordle. It's a hell of a judgement call for an App Store to reject everything with the same name as anything else that exists with no legal registration. In cases like this, they rely on trademark violation reports (same as Facebook, twit…

• @gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x

  I guess as long as Apple get it cut of subscription fees it's ok. Good news is they will share it with the ripoff developer who is kind of proud of his work on Twitter. https://www.engadget.com/...

• @keleftheriou @keleftheriou on x

  “The situation is a little embarrassing for Apple, which has often cited its high standards and App Review process as a reason it should be allowed to keep control over which apps run on iPhones and iPads.” https://twitter.com/...

• @film_girl Christina Warren on x

  Just a general good job team to @waxpancake @cabel and all the others who put enough focus on the despicable Wordle clones (stealing name and design — not talking about the game idea) so that they've been removed from the App Store. https://daringfireball.net/...

• @_alastair Alastair Coote on x

  Back in 2014 I worked on a webapp for NYT's 7 Minute Workout. Very rewarding project, but who knows how many people ended up using one of the many crappy rip off App Store apps instead (some even directly ripped the NYT illustrations!) https://twitter.com/...

• @bernstein Joe Bernstein on x

  Amazing how Wordle is recreating the entire “indie games” half decade in two weeks https://twitter.com/...

• @ow Owen Williams on x

  I wrote about Wordle clones and how app stores can punish developers for using the open web rather than building a native app https://techcrunch.com/...

• @jowens510 Jeremy C. Owens on x

  My wife a couple days ago: “I downloaded that Wordle app the NYT wrote about but it's kinda weird.” Me: “Delete that.” https://twitter.com/...

• @danielpunkass Daniel Jalkut on x

  In addition to helping @powerlanguish issue a takedown notice to the developers of the (many!) App Store apps usurping his brand name, I wonder if he would accept assistance in asssembling an “official” Wordle app for iOS? @cabel @reneritchie

• @timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x

  It's amazing Apple let the App Store get this bad while under antitrust scrutiny and holding up “consumer protection” as the alibi for blocking all competing stores on iOS. It's a disgrace to everyone in the tech industry. https://twitter.com/...

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  @keleftheriou ... This goes back to my initial tweet to John. If someone is upset with devs charging big $$ for weekly subs, that's an issue that would involve Apple wading into dictating what devs can't & can charge. As for fake reviews, that's an industry problem. A wac-a-mole …

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  You can fix content moderation problems with money or the occasional brand damage, and it turns out the brand damage doesn't matter if there's nowhere else to go

• @backlon Dieter Bohn on x

  (Imagine if moving a web app from Safari to your home screen was a simple, intuitive process, well supported and often promoted by Apple as a Sweet Solution for indie developers who don't want or need to use the App Store to distribute their apps.) https://www.theverge.com/...

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  @keleftheriou ... That kind of detail seems relevant to add to your thread, no? This is not a random new app where the developer is trying to milk App Store search. Is the developer relying on goodwill (i.e. positive PR that he obtained in the past) to pass off the app as somethi…

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  @notamateurhour This is a deeply weak argument, I'm sorry. Apple famously told people to stop making fart apps just because it didn't like them

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  The guy who stole Wordle is bad and should be ashamed, sure. But Apple's entire thing is that central control and review of every app will prevent things like this, and this shit just waltzed right through. It's pretty embarrassing, actually!

• @zachshakked Zach on x

  Internets really a great place. I get I'm your punching bag for the day and what I did was completely wrong but please don't do this shit? https://twitter.com/...

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  @gruber @daringfireball An honest suggestion may be: “Apple can just use common sense to say this app functionality isn't worth $10/week.” In theory, sure. But that kind of moderation opens the door to so many potential issues as Apple would be in the business of dictating indust…

• @parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x

  I still think Apple (or someone) should revive the web app directory... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @danielpunkass Daniel Jalkut on x

  As long as there is a void of an official app in the App Store(s), it's going to be irresistible to scammers to try to seize on the opportunity to steal the name.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  @daringfireball @gruber Easier said than done. Apple likely doesn't want to move down path of dictating what developers can and can't charge based on “fairness.” Regulatory implications at play. As for fake reviews, that's a problem that no one on the web has been able to solve A…

• @lap_felix Félix Lapalme on x

  @keleftheriou ... How is a 520$/year app not a scam? The point isn't that this is illegal, but if Apple wants the App Store to be a little curated so that users can trust the apps that are in it, 10$/week apps shouldn't be allowed. Nobody would willingly pay 520$ a year for this …

• @jeffgrubb Jeff Grubb on x

  First digital video game was Spacewar! Second and third games were Galaxy Game and Computer Space, both were clones of Spacewar. When it went from video game to video game(s), it was with clones. That's how much it is in gaming's DNA. https://twitter.com/...

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  @somospostpc ... I'm aware. The app received a lot of positive press over the years. (I'm still not entirely sure what that has to do with the app being called a scam in 2022 though.)