Flappy Bird makes an unlikely comeback after its creator apparently let the trademark lapse and the vultures swept right in
A decade ago Flappy Bird, a crude but colourful autorun-style game, became a viral hit on mobile. It was so successful, in fact, that it became a millstone for its creator, Vietnamese programmer Dong Nguyen, who at the height of the game's popularity (and profitability) made the unprecedented decision to remove the game from sale entirely. NGuyen would later rationalise his decision thus: «I can call Flappy Bird a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.»
The return of Flappy Bird has now been announced: but Nguyen is nowhere to be seen. This October relaunch comes from a group called The Flappy Bird Foundation, which the press release describes as «a new team of passionate fans committed to sharing the game with the world» who have «spearheaded the acquisition of the official trademark.»
The foundation acquired the trademark from the US company Gametech Holdings LLC, and here there's a slight whiff of skullduggery. Dong Nguyen originally applied for the trademark in 2014, alongside a little drawing of the logo. This application then seemed to sit in limbo for many years, eventually being opposed by a Delaware-based company called Gametech.
As this was going on, the US patent office granted a trademark registration for Flappy Bird in 2018 (four years after the game was removed from sale) to another Delaware company called Mobile Media Matters. While I can't be exact on the link between Mobile Media Matters and Gametech, both companies' legal filings give the same Delaware address.
Subsequent to this there's been a legal disagreement between Gametech and Dong Nguyen, except Nguyen doesn't seem to have bothered representing himself or standing up for the trademark, which has ultimately led to it being classed as abandoned (a decade after he filed for it) and acquired by Gametech.
So… not really sure how to feel about that. It should be said that Nguyen quite explicitly wanted Flappy Bird out of his life, and has completely withdrawn from
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