Images

Tetris says it takes 'copyright infringement very seriously' after White House launches web games

Tetris says it takes 'copyright infringement very seriously' after White House launches web games

One of the games, Build The Wall, takes heavy inspiration from Tetris.
05 Sep, 2026

Tetris, the game with the falling blocks that almost everyone has played at some point in their lives, has called out the administration of US President Donald Trump after the White House created an unlicensed copy of the game for its web arcade.

If that sentence has you scratching your head, you’re not alone. On Thursday, the White House launched an arcade section on its website with six browser games not-so-subtly promoting the agenda of the current US administration.

A screengrab of Build The Wall on the White House website.
A screengrab of Build The Wall on the White House website.

One of these games, Build The Wall, is a near replica of Tetris, except the blocks you’re setting down are supposed to “protect the border from the coming horde”. What that means is that players pile the blocks in a Tetris-like fashion to block zombie-like figures made to represent people coming to the US illegally from Mexico.

Naturally, the game-makers are having exactly none of it, with a statement from the Tetris Company on Friday saying it believed in “the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them”.

The company also clarified that they had no involvement in making Build The Wall and that they “take copyright infringement very seriously”.

A representative of the company said it was “currently reviewing the matter” when asked whether it would take any legal action regarding Build The Wall.

“The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of Build The Wall and did not authorise or licence the Tetris brand or intellectual property for the game,” the spokesperson said.

“For more than 40 years, Tetris has brought people together across generations and cultures through play and joy. The objective of the game has always been to stack with purpose to clear as many lines as possible.”

While this may be a first in gaming, the White House has received a steady influx of demands from musicians not to use their work in videos posted on the administration’s social media.

Some of pop music’s biggest names, including Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, have told the White House to remove their songs from videos.

This isn’t a recent development either, with many such incidents reported throughout President Trump’s second term, especially involving videos of the infamous Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — referred to as ICE — arresting immigrants.

The unauthorised use of music goes back even further though, with The White Stripes bashing Trump for using their song ‘Seven Nation Army’ during his first presidential election campaign in 2016.

Comments

Ishrat Hyatt Sep 05, 2026 02:36pm
Trump is crazy and everyone knows it except his 'admirers' --- read those who are making hay while the sun shines on his presidency!
Recommend
KINGSLEY FERDINANDS Sep 06, 2026 05:07am
Dear Editor DAWN, In matters of breach of copyright the courts have always been quite strict in protecting copyright holder's rights. But, the claims must have merit and there must be real injury, actual loss and damage. In this case, the motion to dismiss will succeed because Tetris does not have a mortgage on use of walls and building walls in video games. Tetris did not build the Eureka Stockade, Tetris did not build the Great Pyramids and Tetris did not build the Great Wall of China thus Tetris's case is weak and doomed to fail. I have fought many cases in Australia in copyright and continue to do so. KINGSLEY FERDINANDS FILM GROUP, The Director, AUSTRALIA.
Recommend