Image from Eurogamer.net
Do these arctic avatars in flashy outfits look familiar to you? Are you digging into the deep recesses of your memory for them? Or are you like me and know exactly what this is? Then you might have grown up playing (or have kids that play) this popular children’s game: Club Penguin!
Having been shoved out of the scene for a few years now, a copy of the original, now known as Club Penguin Online, made its return through the use of privately hosted servers made from stolen and hacked source code, garnishing a staggering 7 million players due to the coronavirus. The ever-watchful Walt Disney however filed a DMCA takedown notice on May 13, 2020, claiming that they were appalled by the illegally run game. This is due to the fact that Club Penguin Online removed the original Club Penguin’s parental control filters that were designed to protect their young player base.
Image from cornellsun.com
Without the parental control filters, Disney claims that this counterfeit copy exposes children to inappropriate content.
“Child safety is a top priority for the Walt Disney Company, and we are appalled by the allegations of criminal activity and abhorrent behavior on this unauthorized website that is illegally using the Club Penguin brand and characters for its own purposes,” the company said in a statement to BBC.
After Disney’s DMCA takedown notice, Club Penguin Online seems to have been shut down since May 15, 2020. Disney has issued a copyright notice to all other Club Penguin clones to either shut down or face legal action.
Originally developed by New Horizon Interactive (now known as Disney Canada), Club Penguin was a popular MMO (massive multiplayer online game) that launched in 2005. At the peak of its popularity, there were as many as 200 million registered user accounts. While its targeted audience were children aged 6-14, users of any age could play. In 2007, the Walt Disney Company purchased New Horizon and obtained the Club Penguin IP for $350 million and additional bonuses. Club Penguin was discontinued in 2017, and its successor, Club Penguin Island, followed only a short year after.
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