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Comment by Finnucane | Hacker News Reader

But it isn't really correct to say Wardle is being 'punished.' He hasn't really lost anything. He made it as a n amusement for himself, and others are using it. He hasn't made Wordle a business, so he has no business to lose. It may be unethical for others to copy him for a quick buck. But he can ignore that if he wants to.

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> He hasn't made Wordle a business, so he has no business to lose.

Harm is not limited to business and finance. It's just as harmful when good, charitable works are subverted by companies looking for profit. If nothing else, consumers are harmed by having the superior free version hidden away, crowded out by the ad- and spyware-infested apps.

What those developers are doing is like charging an entrance fee to a public park, knowing many won't realize the park is free. But the park isn't a business, so there's no harm...

Business potential

Apparently we can no longer conceive of a website being made just for fun and not money?

I’m on board with that, but what feels gross about this is the author does it for fun and gets ripped off by hucksters piggybacking off it for money. And, presumably, much of that stuff is trashy shovelware.

This isn’t an honorable way to make a living.

I agree it's not honorable. But if he wanted to protect what he made he should have at least registered the trademark. By not registering the trademark you're saying that you don't care.

That's more of a grey area. Just because someone doesn't formally file copyright or trademark it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't valid. Same can even go for patents if an invention serves as prior art.

It isn't even unethical. You could make the case that you shouldn't take the name because it misrepresents the identity of the game, but the gameplay itself?

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