The Tetris Company has said it was “not involved in the creation” of a White House parody of its tile-matching puzzle game and that it takes “copyright infringement very seriously.” The statement was published on social media after the game, which was part of a US government minigame site launched last week, was removed.

In its full statement, the company said: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere; we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community.”

White House game parody

Last week, the White House launched a minigame site featuring several video game parodies based on President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The Tetris clone, titled Build the Wall: Zombie Border Siege, involved stacking blocks to build a wall preventing “aliens” from crossing the “Southern Border.”

Other games on the site included parodies of Flappy Bird and Snake. In the Snake-like game, players assumed the role of Border Patrol at the Southern border.

Department of Homeland Security position

The US Department of Homeland Security previously said it would continue using video game memes to promote policy. In a statement to journalist Alyssa Mercenate last year, it said: “We will reach people where they are with content they can relate to and understand, whether that be Halo, Pokémon, Lord of the Rings, or any other medium. DHS remains laser focused on bringing awareness to the flood of crime that criminal illegal aliens have inflicted on our country. We aren’t slowing down.”

Microsoft did not comment on the use of Halo.

Broader intellectual property concerns

The Pokémon Company stated it was aware that its theme song and other footage appeared in a deportation video. It told BBC News at the time: “We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”

The Tetris Company’s statement followed a similar pattern, emphasizing that the brand was not connected to the government content and that its intellectual property rights were taken seriously.

Next steps

The Tetris Company did not say whether it would pursue formal legal action. The game was removed from the White House minigame site, and no further timeline for action by the company or the US government was provided.