The Video Game History Foundation protects works from people who were trying to delete 'phantom PC games' by repeatedly sending unfair copyright infringement notices
We've freed Cookie's Bustle from copyright hell. Here's how. | Video Game History Foundation
https://gamehistory.org/cookies-bustle/
Cookie's Bustle: The Mysterious Bombo World, released for Windows and Mac in 1999 by a Japanese indie game studio, is an adventure game in which Cookie, a girl who believes herself to be a bear, explores the alien-inhabited island of Bombo World, completing various mini-games and unraveling the island's mysteries. While the gameplay is fairly standard, with players controlling the character with mouse clicks and engaging in conversations and mini-games, its charming atmosphere belies its darker nuances and sudden, chaotic twists, giving it a cult following among retro PC game fans both in Japan and overseas.
The developer of Cookie's Bustle: The Mysterious Bombo World went bankrupt in 2002, and the game has been out of print for over 20 years since its release. However, VGHF has archived the game's packaging and materials for research purposes. Below is a video of a game being played using the archived game by VGHF, showing the shocking introduction of the game, in which the bus Cookie is about to board is blown up immediately after arriving at Bombo World.
PC Longplay - Cookie's Bustle: Mysterious Bombo World - YouTube
The VGHF archives were repeatedly subjected to DMCA takedown notices from late 2022 to early 2023 by a person named Brandon White of a company called Graceware. White, who claims to be a member of the game's creator, has been known to have repeatedly sent takedown notices to various game archive organizations and sites, gameplay videos, fan art, and internet archives in addition to VGHF. Time Extension , which previously reported on this matter, questioned the following: 'Why would someone try to completely remove all traces of an old game that's virtually unknown even in Japan from the internet? Is it with the intention of re-releasing it on a modern system? Or is someone hoping to use the name 'Cookie's Bustle' somewhere? Or is 'Cookie's Bustle' known for being extremely difficult, and so someone who dislikes difficult games simply wants to erase it?'
White's takedown notices removed numerous 'Cookie's Bustle: Mysterious Bonbo World' related sites, videos, and even pages that only briefly mentioned the game. VGHF's archives also received three takedown notices, including one page that simply stated, 'VGHF owns a copy of 'Cookie's Bustle: Mysterious Bonbo World,'' even though it didn't even feature screenshots of the game. VGHF stated, 'Most of the cases for which takedown notices were sent, including the VGHF archive, were clearly fair use and should not have been subject to removal.'
After conducting an investigation with its legal team, VGHF found no evidence that White owns the rights to the game. Furthermore, there is no evidence of any business being conducted by the company Graceware, and it appears to be a shell company. Additionally, in 2022, Graceware applied for a trademark for the name 'Cookie's Bustle' in the United States, but there was no evidence of the trademark being used, and the trademark was invalid. VGHF asked Graceware to clarify that White owns the copyright, but neither White nor Graceware responded to the request.
VGHF therefore reported the issue to
'This is a major victory for the gaming community and hopefully brings an end to a long-running campaign of copyright infringement. We hope that recording these details will prevent further abuse of copyright law and empower creators to assert their rights,' the VGHF said.
Related Posts:
