Zynga triumphs in Vostu lawsuit

Zynga has been granted a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against Brazilian developer Vostu.

The social giant began legal proceedings in June, filing suit against Vostu for infringing the copyrights on a number of its games.

In addition, Zynga alleged that its product stratgy, branding, mission statement and employee benefits had also been imitated.

"Vostu's business model is simple: copy Zynga's successful games," Zynga's case summary read.

"Vostu has brazenly appropriated the copyright-protected aspects of Zynga's games...with scant effort to mask their strategy, and then offered games virtually identical to Zynga's games to prospective players in the United States and elsewhere."

Vostu defended its position in a filing submitted to the federal court in July. It claimed that Zynga's games integrated "significant aspects of earlier game designs," and branded the allagations as "deeply cynical."

However, Industrygamers reports that a judge ruled in Zynga's favour yesterday, ordering Vostu to remove MegaCity, Cafe Mania, Pet Mania and Vostu Poker within 48 hours or face a daily fine of $11,000.

A statement acquired by the site indicates that the Brazilian developer intends to "vigororusly appeal" the ruling.

"This is a desperate and misguided legal tactic by Zynga, a foreign company with no real Brazilian roots -- a company that has failed to secure a foothold in the local marketplace and failed to win consumers who have clearly shown they prefer the superior games created by Vostu's Brazilian team."

"We are confident the Court of Appeals will reverse the injunction, when presented with Vostu's position and its full story."