'Bang with Friends' App Changes Name to 'Down'

LOS ANGELES—In June, we reported on a trademark lawsuit brought by casual game maker Zynga against the operator of a new app called Bang With Friends. Zynga complained that the app infringed on its "with friends" games, which included Words With Friends and Chess With Friends. The suit was resolved in October, with the court dismissing the action with prejudice and each party bearing their own attorney fees and costs. However, Bang With Friends has also just announced that it will be changing its name to Down. "No longer will people be asking to bang, but to get down, which to some might simply be hanging out," reported the Las Vegas Guardian Express. "If people meet over this app and become nothing more than friends there is nothing wrong with that. The point of the app is to bring people together and have a good time. How they decide to do that is up to them." The settlement between the two parties in the lawsuit was confidential, but the court will retain jurisdiction between the parties for the purpose of enforcing or interpreting the settlement, which we are assuming precludes Bang Your Friends Inc. from going anywhere near the words "with friends."