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I can appreciate that. The question wasn't intended to be, "What game can I rip onto Android?" as much as it was, "If I make a game, how certain do I have to be that the mechanics don't exist already?"

Obviously, if I use a different name, artwork, and rule set there isn't really a problem.

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I'd say the same apply as for any other business. If something already exists then they could sue you to stop distributing your game and/or pay for royalties. So before starting the full development you should make sure that your version of the game is not a copy of an existing one. And changing one minor rule (going to both sides) or replacing terms like "hotel" becoming "skyscrappers" will look like complete copy.

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