White House removes border wall game after Tetris warned of copyright infringement

September 9, 2026 - 20:17

The White House has quietly taken down its online game called Build the Wall from its official website, following a legal warning from The Tetris Company. The game, which was part of a larger arcade section on the site, let players stack bricks to construct a border wall. But the puzzle mechanics looked a lot like Tetris, and the company behind the iconic block game was not happy about it.

A spokesperson for The Tetris Company confirmed that they sent a formal notice to the White House, pointing out that the game's falling block design and line-clearing mechanics were too close to their copyrighted material. The White House did not publicly comment on the removal, but the game disappeared from the site within days of the warning.

The arcade page itself remains live, featuring other games with political themes. But the quick removal shows that even official government sites are not immune to intellectual property claims. Some legal experts noted that the game was likely a parody or political statement, which could have offered some protection, but the White House apparently decided not to test that argument in court.

This is not the first time a government or political group has faced copyright issues with a themed game. Similar disputes have happened with other puzzle titles in the past. For now, the Build the Wall game is gone, and the Tetris Company says it is simply protecting its brand and the work of its creators.