It's only a game.


Anyone fancy a quick copyright-free game of Who’s Who?


Or maybe a couple of quick rounds of the often-imitated Line ‘em Up?

 
Failing that, we could have a quick game of Alibaba.

 
Or if you’re feeling flexible we could roll out the Topsy Turvey mat.


It seems that the trademarking of board games is a tricksy business. All it takes is a subtle name-change to keep the lawyers at bay. I wonder how much the faces differ from Who’s Who to Guess Who? Wilkinson were probably just a ‘tache away from a potential lawsuit.

I’d quite like to turn up at a kids' party with one half of the Who’s Who board and initiate a game against the original. Perhaps they're both compatible with some kind of universal adaptor (or after a quick once-over with a marker pen).

There's always a chance that it's a case of ‘the chicken or the egg’. Maybe Who’s Who came out years before its counterpart – but the person who dreamt it up didn’t have the nous to patent it.

Whatever the case, watch this space for my soon-to-be released - and completely original -  Manopoly.

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