The New York Times, the owner of the popular online game Wordle, is embroiled in a legal battle with a geography-based spinoff called Worldle.
The lawsuit alleges that Worldle creates confusion.
It says the game looks to capitalize on the “enormous goodwill” associated with Wordle.
The Times acquired Wordle for a seven-figure sum in 2022.
It claims Worldle’s name and presentation are nearly identical to Wordle, thus causing brand confusion.
Worldle’s creator, software developer Kory McDonald, is fighting back.
He argues many games share similar titles without issue.
He said: “There’s a whole industry of [dot]LE games,” citing examples like Flaggle, a game about flags.
McDonald contends Wordle is about words, whereas Worldle is about geography.
The New York Times, however, maintains that Worldle’s similarity in name and concept infringes on Wordle’s brand.
The newspaper declined further comment beyond its legal filing.
Wordle was created by British inventor Josh Wardle in 2021 as a side project for his girlfriend.
It has grown immensely popular, reaching millions of players worldwide.
“Worst-case scenario, we’ll change the name, but I think we’ll be okay”
In contrast, Worldle, which can only be played via a web browser and has around 100,000 monthly players, challenges users to identify Google Street View images.
McDonald notes most of his revenue from the game goes to Google for using its images.
Despite his surprise at the legal action, McDonald remains undeterred.
He said: “Worst-case scenario, we’ll change the name, but I think we’ll be okay.”
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This is not the first time the New York Times has taken legal action to protect Wordle.
In March 2024, a Shetland dialect version of the game shut down following a copyright challenge from the Times.
Prof. David Levine, a copyright expert at Elon University School of Law, suggests McDonald’s project might face a similar fate.
This is due to the potential for consumer confusion caused by the one-letter difference between Wordle and Worldle.
Other Wordle-inspired games, such as Quordle, Nerdle, and Heardle, have also emerged.
The New York Times has not yet indicated whether it will pursue legal action against them.
Speaking previously, the Times’ head of games, Jonathan Knight, said imitation is “the best form of flattery.”
He has generally been fine with similar games, believing they help keep the original game fresh and alive.
