[Teal]

Like someone before said, "fuzzle" isn't exactly the most original of names. I mean, Neopets is supposed to be some cutesy game with huggable fluffikins animals, and it doesn't take a leap of imagination to go from "fuzzy" or "fuzz-ball" to "fuzzle". I mean, another forum I post on (most of whom probably haven't even HEARD of Oddworld uses the word "confuzzled" as part of its forum-lingo (and yes, before anyone asks, *I* suggested the name for the puzzled fuzzle-icon on here that's called "confuzzled", and I can confirm the SB used it before it became an icon name on here. It was too tempting an idea not to doodle it, as I thought it suitable). After all, the Tolkien universe has sligs (which I think are swamp dwellers, or something) and I don't think OWI copied Tolkien or vice versa.

I think it's simply a coincidence. *shrugs* This reaction is a bit like the knee-jerk "OMG U COPYED ME U ART THEEF BLUE DOGS ARE MINE OMG I'M GOING TO COME KILL U WIT AN AX NOW!!!!11! AN NOBODY WILL LIEK YU NEMORE BECOSE YOU PLAGERISED ME!!!one!!" that's rife in the art community. The self-appointed Art Police (aka fanboys) even jump on people for "concept theft" or "style theft" these days. Something inspired OWI to create a fuzzle - is it that unrealistic that someone else could have had the same inspiration? Very little in the world is truly original these days. Sure, it may be inspired by Oddworld - but I'd be more inclined to think it was "stolen" if they had mudokons or glukkons on there.

As an aside, I've heard it said that anything you create is automatically copyright to you - it's just proving it that's the hard bit. And you can't copyright a name; you can trademark it, and if it's unusual enough it's hardly likely a potential plagiarist will get away with the whole "but *I* made that up myself!" if there's a dispute, but you can't copyright names or common words.