Flappy Bird: Nintendo Lawsuit Rumors Over Mario Bros Denied

Did a Flappy Bird Nintendo lawsuit threat cause game creator Dong Nguyen to remove the popular game from the app stores.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, it’s still possible to download the Flappy Bird game for Android with a relatively simple hack. Regardless, on eBay some people are selling iPhones and iPads preloaded with Flappy Bird for way beyond their normal price.

When Nguyen made his startling announcement he indirectly denied any Flappy Bird Nintendo lawsuit rumors:

“I am sorry Flappy Bird users. 22 hours from now I will take Flappy Bird down. I cannot take this anymore. It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore. I also don’t sell Flappy Bird, please don’t ask. And I still make games.”

In other tweets to fans he claimed he just desired a simple lifestyle and didn’t like how complicated his life had become since Flappy Bird became famous. Still, others claimed it was possible the accusations of plagiarism did play a factor. If you compare the Flappy Bird pipes it’s obvious they’re ripping off the art style of Nintendo’s Super Marios Bros. pipes. Even the coin sound effects are extremely similar.

So some people claimed a Flappy Bird Nintendo lawsuit was prompted by an investigation by Apple:

“A person familiar with the App Store review process tells Apple’N’Apps that Flappy Bird wasn’t removed voluntarily by Mr. Nguyen, as he claims. It turns out that Nintendo got in touch with Apple regarding the art assets in Flappy Bird claiming that they’re in direct violation of their copyrights. Apple contacted Mr. Nguyen regarding the copyright claim, and that’s why we saw the new updated version with graphic changes to the pipes [as well as fewer ads]. Nintendo already decided that they had seen enough, and Apple is the one who pushed Mr. Nguyen to remove Flappy Bird (with 24 hour notice).”

According to some reports, Dong did in fact receive a warning letter from Nintendo but the company currently does not intend to sue him. But Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa denies these rumors completely:

“While we usually do not comment on the rumors and speculations, we have already denied the speculation [last week].”

It’s also speculated that Vietnam’s new regulatory laws over their internet may have had some effect since Dong is a citizen of the country.

Still, even if a a Flappy Bird Nintendo lawsuit isn’t coming down the pipes there’s also a 2011 game called Piou Piou that features a big-lipped yellow bird dodging between objects. Considering how lawsuit happy some game developers like Zynga and King have been it’s possible the makers of Piou Piou could sue Dong Nguyen.