French games publisher Homa has won its defence in a legal case from fellow French games maker Voodoo.
In 2021, Voodoo accused Homa of "maintaining confusion" between Lumbercraft and Craft Island, arguing that the games were too similar. The ruling went in Homa’s favour.
However, the judgement was appealed by Voodoo and it then took until December 15 2023 for the Paris Court of Appeal to agree with the Paris Commercial Court’s initial ruling, giving Homa the win. This verdict has been publicly revealed today, January 17 2024.
The court’s ruling
Homa’s victory in court means the dismissal of all Voodoo’s claims against it and Craft Island co-creator Ducky Games, with the ruling determining "Craft Island is sufficiently different from Lumbercraft for the risk of confusion to be ruled out".
The court ruling reaffirms Homa’s integrity in the mobile games industry and the publisher has expressed confidence that it can defend itself through any further appeals, should Voodoo decide to take that route.
Already the appeal process went on for almost three years, through which Homa invested "significant effort and financial resources" in support of its partner studio. The case arose after Craft Island launched two months on from Voodoo’s Lumbercraft - both being stylised casual games revolving around woodcutting. However, the Paris Commercial Court and now the Paris Court of Appeal have determined their differences are sufficient; even going by Play Store listings, Lumberjack is a simulation game while Craft Island is an action title.
"In an industry where creativity is the protagonist and content keeps on rapidly multiplying, it has become increasingly important for game creators to be able to safeguard their creative work. That’s why Homa remains steadfast in its commitment to protect the originality and hard work of its team and partners," Homa stated.
Ever since 2022, Voodoo has shifted its focus to the hypercasual market and has found major success in the field. Homa, meanwhile, has branched out with six games on Nintendo Switch while its mobile catalogue surpassed 1.5 billion installs.
