Angry Birds Popularity Sparks Copyright Questions

Cell phone technology has advanced rapidly over the past three years, and the technology advanced, so have the games and apps that come along with them. One of the games which have all smartphone users talking is that of Angry Birds.

Angry Bird’s popularity has increased drastically over the past year. Having been highlighted on cell phone commercials, late night comedy skits and even on the big screen, Angry Birds has become a household name across the globe. Going well beyond the cell phone world, you can find Angry Bird t-shirts, toys and stuffed animals.

Angry Birds quickly became one of the most downloaded cell phone applications. As Angry Birds popularity increased investors saw the opportunity to take advantage of these digital creatures and make a profit. Can anyone just take one of the Angry Bird images and try to make profit with it? The quick answer to that question is “no”. However, this has not stopped some people from taking advantage of these soaring creatures.

So what happens when someone outside of the United States jumps on the Angry Bird bandwagon? Is there anything that US courts can do to prevent the use of Angry Birds for profit? This question has been brought to center stage as the Chinese have built an Angry Bird theme park.

Window of the World Park in Changsha, Hunan (a providence of China) has taken the simple cell phone game and made it into an amusement park. Visitors have the opportunity to take real slingshots and send their favorite Angry Bird creature flying. Among the flying angry birds and green pigs there is also a lot of cash flying around, none of which will be finding its way into the pockets of Rovio.

This is certainly not the first time that the Chinese have been accused of copyright infringement, and it certainly will not be the last. Past infringements have been shut down by the Chinese government and the Angry Bird amusement park in Changsha will more than likely meet the same fate. However even with the potential legal issues that the Angry Bird brand has encountered over the past year, their problems simply go to show how successful their brand has become. With the toys, shirts, free games and even amusement parks, the creators of Angry Birds have certainly found their success.