Law-ification
Full Indie Summit – VancouverAugust 10, 2014
Jon Festinger Q.C.Centre for Digital MediaFestinger Law & Strategy http://videogame.law.ubc.ca@[email protected]
“LAW-IFICATION
Gamification…
going the other way.
What this talk is not…
A “how to”
or
A “how not to”…
or
..a guide to the perplexed…
If you want those things…
http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/freepublications/en/copyright/959/wipo_pub_959.pdf
Or
http://store.lexisnexis.ca/store/ca/catalog/booktemplate/productdetail.jsp?prodId=prd-cad-01004
What this talk is about?Do you, as an indie developer, feel there are increasingly more “legal issues” and “legal choices” than used to be the case?
What, legally speaking, should be keeping you awake at night?
WHAT’S TRENDING?
My (pre-) list
• Copyright• Trademark• Patent• Contracts (post IP)• Confidentiality• Privacy• Surveillance
Quasi-empirical methodology…sort of…
http://videogame.law.ubc.ca
“News of the Week”
1. Starting with…“Crowd-Funding”
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/07/22/kickstarter-suspends-areal-crowd-funding-campaign#.U-gYylYgjio
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/07/17/yogscast-yogventures-backers-were-not-obligated-do-anything#.U-gZglYgjio
2. Consumer Protection
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-08-06-sony-faces-killzone-shadowfall-lawsuit-over-graphics
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-08-07-big-fish-accused-of-unfair-of-deceptive-trade-practices
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-08-06-codemasters-offers-refunds-for-pc-port-of-mobile-colin-mcrae
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/07/british-regulator-ea-misled-by-calling-dungeon-keeper-free-to-play/
Where consumer protection is going…
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/06/kim-kardashian-hollywood-and-the-viral-oops/
What is helping it get there?BIG DATA
With some very poor judgment …care of Facebook
http://pando.com/2014/06/28/facebooks-science-experiment-on-users-shows-the-company-is-more-even-powerful-and-unethical-than-we-thought/
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.full
And other stuff too…
http://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/06/29/legal-loophole-advergames/
All of which ends up here…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/facebook-in-hot-water-for-social-study/article19434632/
And here…
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/technology/more-than-20-000-join-privacy-action-against-facebook-1.1889192
Here too…
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-847_en.htm
…here…
http://www.osborneclarke.com/connected-insights/publications/game-developers-watch-out-german-data-protection-authorities-publish-guidelines-mobile-apps/
And someday maybe here…
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/we-need-a-legal-framework-for-biohacking-our-brains
3. Net neutrality – really?
http://nypost.com/2014/06/04/netflix-plays-the-blame-game-over-slow-streaming-speeds/
In Canada, too…
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2014/08/ghost-icravetv-crtc-asks-bell-answers-mobile-tv-service-net-neutrality-case/
http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/07/fcc-chair-accuses-verizon-of-throttling-unlimited-data-to-boost-profits /
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/08/08/president-obama-does-not-support-internet-fast-lanes#.U-gh15RdUxg
What does this have to do with indie game developers?
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/23/5744804/authors-getting-screwed-in-face-off-between-amazon-hachette
EVERYTHING…The “gatekeeper” anti-trust issue
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/04/amazon-hachette-self-published-authors-stephen-king-james-patterson
But sometimes, the gatekeepers win…
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/06/supreme-court-puts-aereo-out-of-business/
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-06-25-net-neutrality-the-biggest-problem-facing-games-lanning
4. Correctness (is it really political?)
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/08/dmca-mea-culpa-randy-queen-apologizes-for-response-to-criticism/
http://killscreendaily.com/articles/doom-metal-women-and-videogames/
http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/22/5926193/women-gaming-harassment
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/07/22/gamasutras-game-developer-salary-survey-2014-highlight-gender-gap-video-games-industry#.U-glbpRdUxg
http://www.salon.com/2014/05/08/nintendos_anti_gay_cop_out_why_its_demented_same_sex_ban_is_no_game/
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/05/op-ed-its-time-for-nintendo-to-move-beyond-white-characters/
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-06-12-inclusivity-always-seems-to-end-up-on-the-cutting-board
& too many other articles…
And, yes. Violence in games seems a less prevalent issue then was the case…
Legal aspects to follow…
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/07/riot-starts-getting-tough-on-toxic-players-with-instant-bans/
4. Game media: How important is this? (If it’s important there are ton of legal aspects)
http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/29/5949903/more-than-20-million-people-watched-dota-2-international-4
Seems important?
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-07-01-twitch-tv-1-million-channels-and-rising
5. “I’m important, really I am..” Personality rights
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/16/manuel-noriega-sues-activision-over-character-in-call-of-duty-video-game
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/lindsay-lohan-sues-over-gta-v-saying-a-character-is-too-similar-to-her/
http://www.ibtimes.com/lindsay-lohans-gta-5-lawsuit-kindest-thing-you-could-say-its-publicity-stunt-1621156
Karen Gravano & GTA V
Lady Miss Kier & Space Channel 5
Beaver & Bieber
Dillinger & Electronic Arts John Dillinger & “Dillinger Tommy Gun”
Not quite “look at me…” No Doubt & Activision Publishing, Inc. (No Doubt v. Band Hero)
And the clearly legitimate…
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/07/03/ncaa-video-game-settlement-payments-detailed#.U-gqPpRdUxg
6. Miscellaneous
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/222617/Artist_claims_she_invented_Angry_Birds_files_complaint_seeking_compensation.php
& just when you thought the world could not get more ridiculous…
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/08/thailands-military-junta-bans-dictator-simulator-tropico-5/
THANK YOU
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