Apparently Justin Bieber and his lawyers don’t like it when somebody turns the popstar into an anthropomorphic beaver.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Justin Bieber’s lawyers filed a cease and desist order to RC3, a smartphone app maker who recently released a game called Joustin’ Beaver. The game is a satire of the popstar’s life and battle with the media all from the angle of if he was a Beaver.
The game’s Web site better explains what the game is all about:
International SUPERSTAR Joustin’ Beaver needs your help!
He’s floating down the river on a world tour to meet as many fans and sign as many “Otter-graphs” as he can. But the evil “Phot-Hogs” will stop at nothing to get a photo of JB when he least expects it.
Help Joustin’ Beaver navigate the river, sign “Otter-graphs,” and knock “Phot-Hogs” into the river with his lance.
If the “Phot-Hogs” float past JB, they’ll snap a scandalous photo for the front page of their website. Then it’s game over. Remember, the farther you go, the more famous you become and the more difficult it will become to avoid the “Phot-Hogs.”
One more thing, do not let JB get caught up in the “Whirlpool” of success or you could both spin out of control!
Try to get as many fans as possible and pretty soon you’ll be making gold and platinum records, accepting prestigious awards, and even becoming a “Beaver God!”
RC3 filed a lawsuit back against Bieber claiming they had a right to sell the game. They say that their use of Joustin’ Beaver doesn’t misappropriate the Bieber’s name for commercial game and the cease and desist order violates their first amendment rights to the name.
While I’ll leave the decision of whether or not Joustin’ Beaver is too close to Justin Bieber, I can comment on the game itself. I just downloaded it from the Android app store and it’s not very fun.
The game itself is not intuitive and it’s hard to control. It does, however, have a charming visual style that’s humorous for the purposes of the game. I still can’t get over how fabulous Bieber looks as a Beaver. It’s a good look for the popstar.
I don’t think the game should be a paid for ap, but not for the reasons that Bieber’s lawyers are claiming. I think the game is just not very good and not worth the $0.99 I spent on it.
Don’t let my negative review dissuade you from Beavermania though. You can check out the game right now on the Android and iTunes app stores.
If you don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to spend $0.99 on a game I didn’t think was very good, you can watch a video of it being played below:
For those who prefer the legalese, here’s the lawsuit filing:
