[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'148326\' date=\'Mar 15 2007, 02:34 PM\']
Peg board games certainly predate Plinko, and Jack's don't seem to have anything to do specifically with the TPIR version.
[/quote]
But he uses the name. If he just called it "Pegboard", or something catchier, golden, but he's saying quite directly that it's a Plinko board, which, while IANAL, is pretty much screaming where he's ripping the idea off of. If he's using a trademarked name (unless it's not, in which case the TPiR folks are morons and you'll be seeing Plinko Brand Disposable Douches at a drugstore near you as soon as I can get them in there), and using it to promote his product, I don't see where that can be legal if TPiR wanted to pursue it.
The PC game that Alfonzo linked, on the other hand, is a straight-up violation, assuming they haven't already worked something out. I downloaded it and played it for a little bit (and was underwhelmed, but that's my own opinion, other's M may V), and I gotta say that the base game looks EXACTLY LIKE a Plinko board, down to the score readout connected to the upper left side and the radial colors on the background. There is NO WAY that they could have taken the design from anyplace else.