Inventor/Innovator David Chang

A board game innovator whose controversial new game eventually was ruled a trademark infringement is David Chang.

In 2003, Chang began selling a take-off on Monopoly that he called Ghettopoly. His concept was to make money by satirizing African-American stereotypes. In place of the usual elements on Monopoly, his version made use of pimps, prostitutes, thugs, car jacking, protection rackets, massage parlors, drugs, crack houses, loan sharks,liquor stores and the like.

The game sold well, but many people found it offensive--no big surprise there.

In an attempt to do damage control, Chang introduced Redneckopoly, and he had plans for other variations, such as Latinopoly and Hiphopoly.

Then the wheels of the law began to grind. Hasbro, owner of Monopoly, brought a trademark infringement suit in 2003. In 2006 the court ruled that Ghettopoly was too similar to Monopoly, finding against Chang and ordering him to cease producing any such games that traded on the original product name Monopoly.