Poppy Playtime Devs sues Google for not removing ‘scam apps’

The developers behind Poppy Playtime have filed a lawsuit against the Google Play Store. As per the legal papers, Daigo Game 2020 Inc. has allegedly released 'scam apps’ that infringe on the IPs of Mob Entertainment. Despite multiple notices to Google, these apps are still available to purchase, leading fans to spend hundreds of dollars.

First reported by Torrentfreak, Mob Entertainment is after both the developer of scam apps and Google for not taking any action despite repeated complaints. “This is a copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition action arising out of Google’s and Daigo’s unauthorised and wilful actions infringing Mob Entertainment’s copyrights and trademarks and for Google’s and Daigo’s unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices,” the lawsuit said.

Poppy Playtime is a highly successful horror video game franchise and it was natural that there would be copycats. While copycats are one thing, the 'scam apps’ mentioned in the lawsuit are advertised as Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3 and Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 and are posted with characters from the original game.

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Mob Entertainment seeks injunction against Google and Daigo Game

The new chapters of Poppy Playtime are yet to be released by the original studio; however, the scam apps are asking users to pay $30 to $95 to download “Guide Wuggy Playtime mod." What’s worse is that these apps mentioned in the lawsuit aren’t even apps, as they reportedly redirect players to a blank webpage after payment.

“Google receives a direct financial benefit from the infringement by the users at least because users with devices containing the application are given an offer to purchase the Guide wuggy playtime mod for up to $95. If they make the purchase, Google then receives 15-30 percent of the proceeds,” the lawsuit also pointed out.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 is set to release in less than two weeks so it’s likely that scam apps were riding the game’s popularity to trick people. Mob Entertainment is seeking $150,000 in damages per work infringed along with an injunction to prevent Daigo Game from infringing upon its trademark in the future.