Mobile game infringement | Government-funded Hong Kong mobile game finalists accused of plagiarism – EJ Tech

The “Hong Kong Game Optimization and Promotion Program” organized by the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industry Development Department of the Cultural and Tourism Bureau has selected 12 local start-up game companies this year, each of which can receive funding of 450,000 to 550,000 yuan; however, the mobile game of one of the selected companies, “ML Interactive”, was suspected of plagiarizing another mobile game in Japan. When attending the launch ceremony of the program yesterday, the association’s chairman Pang Zijie pointed out that he had consulted legal opinions and found no illegal or infringing games.

The organizer has not found any violation of law or infringement

A total of 12 game companies were selected for the “Game Optimization and Promotion Program” this year, and each selected company can receive funding to promote its new original game. In addition, the program will also subsidize the selected companies to participate in the Tokyo Game Show held at the end of September this year. However, one of the selected companies this time, “ML Interactive”, its mobile game “Winning Derby 勝の少女：駖少女育模拟游戏”, was previously suspected of plagiarizing the Japanese mobile game “Uma Musume Pretty Derby” because it has many similarities in gameplay and style.

When responding to a reporter’s question yesterday, Pang Tze Kit revealed that the two games were not similar in style, and the association had also consulted legal opinions and found no illegal or copyright-infringing issues in the games, stressing that if there were any illegal or copyright-infringing issues, the grant would be cancelled. He added that it was easy to “run into trouble” when making games.

A spokesperson for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said that upon learning that the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association has been informed of the complaint, the Bureau will investigate and review the case as soon as possible, communicate closely with the association and handle it according to the established mechanism. The spokesperson stressed that the funding terms of the authorities’ “CreateSmart Initiative” require applicants to ensure that the project does not violate intellectual property rights.

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