The French games publisher Homa has emerged victorious in a legal battle against fellow French games maker Voodoo.
In 2021, Voodoo accused Homa of creating confusion between their games Lumbercraft and Craft Island, claiming that the games were too similar. However, the ruling ultimately sided with Homa.
Voodoo appealed the judgment, which took until December 15, 2023 for the Paris Court of Appeal to uphold the initial ruling by the Paris Commercial Court, confirming Homa’s win. This ruling was made public on January 17, 2024.
Implications of the ruling
The court’s decision means the dismissal of all of Voodoo’s claims against Homa and Craft Island co-creator Ducky Games. The ruling emphasized that “Craft Island is sufficiently different from Lumbercraft, eliminating any risk of confusion.”
This verdict reaffirms Homa’s integrity in the mobile games industry, and the publisher is confident in its ability to defend itself against any further appeals from Voodoo, should they decide to pursue that route.
Homa invested significant effort and financial resources in supporting its partner studio throughout the almost three-year-long appeal process. The legal dispute arose after Craft Island was released just two months after Voodoo’s Lumbercraft, both being stylized casual games centered around woodcutting. The Paris Commercial Court and the Paris Court of Appeal concluded that their differences are distinctive, even when considering their listings on the Play Store, where Lumbercraft is a simulation game and Craft Island is an action title.
“In an industry where creativity is paramount and content continues to rapidly proliferate, it has become increasingly crucial for game creators to protect their original work. That’s why Homa remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguard the creativity and hard work of its team and partners,” stated Homa.
Since 2022, Voodoo has shifted its focus to the hypercasual market and has achieved significant success. Meanwhile, Homa has expanded its reach with six games on Nintendo Switch, and its mobile catalog has exceeded 1.5 billion installations.
