Brandon J. Huffman

Founding Attorney

Brandon is an attorney focused on representing technology and media clients in business, intellectual property, content clearance, privacy, commercial contracts, employment and internet regulatory matters. Why? Because of a passion for creativity and technology. Brandon is a so-so visual artist, a lousy programmer and a pretty-okay film editor, but he is a great lawyer. He keeps an old comic by Barbara Smaller that features a little boy in a cowboy outfit telling his father “Well if I can’t be a cowboy, I’ll be a lawyer for cowboys.” The creative and innovative clients Brandon serves are his cowboys.

Brandon volunteers as general counsel to the International Game Developers’ Association, the largest trade organization focused on supporting individual game developers. In early 2017, he was awarded the IGDA’s MVP award.

When he is not working, Brandon spends time with his wife, kids and their dogs. He also accompanies his wife on her pilgrimages to Walt Disney World, attends various digital media user groups and industry events, draws, paints and tinkers in the family garage. Oh, and sometimes there is time leftover to play a video game or two.

Admissions

  • United States Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Courts in North Carolina
  • North Carolina
  • California
  • Florida

Education

  • Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude
    The Ohio State University
  • Bachelor of Arts
    Journalism & Mass Communication
    University of North Carolina
    Chapel Hill
  • Certificate
    Political Culture & Economic Development in the Gulf
    School for International Training
    Muscat, Oman

Community and Volunteer Work

  • General Counsel, International Game Developers’ Association
  • Past Board/Chair, IGDA NC-Triangle
  • 2019-2020 Chair, North Carolina Bar Association Sports and Entertainment Law Section
  • 2022-2023 Chair, North Carolina Bar Association Small Firm & Technology Section
  • Past Board/Chair, Triangle ArtWorks
    • Past Chair, Law + ArtWorks, Triangle ArtWorks
  • Member, Small Business Advisory Council, NC DHHS Vocational Rehabilitation Services
  • Volunteer Appellate Attorney, Guardian Ad Litem Program

Selected Speaking Engagements & Publications

10 Tech Tips for Law Practice. Wake County Bar Association
What Every Lawyer Needs to Know about Esports. University of North Carolina Festival of Legal Learning
Legal Issues in Game Development: Roundtable. Game Developers Conference
Law & Order: VGU – Video Games Unit. PAX East
Law for Indie Developers. East Coast Games Conference
Video Game Law 2.0 – Beyond the Basics. East Coast Games Conference
Business and Legal Issues in Digital Content. AIGA Raleigh
So, About That Loot Box Bill… PAX Dev
Ask Game Lawyers Anything. PAX Dev & PAX West
Legal Issues for Gaming Platforms and Business Models. AmericanaFest
Technology & Ethics for New Lawyers. Wake County Bar Association
Legal Issues in Virtual Reality. Duke Schoool of Law.
Gambling v. Expression. Regulation of Video Games as Enterprise and Art. CVGLS
Current Issues in Video Game Law: 2019. CVGLS
Legal Basics for Indie Developers. CVGLS

Technically Speaking: Tips, Apps, Games, and Resources to Create a Fun, Efficient, and Ethical Law Practice. Lawyers Mutual Put Into Practice CLE
Video Games and the 1st Amendment: The Importance of Pushing Boundaries and Resilience in the Face of Adversity. Casual Connect
Startup Basics for Non-Startup Lawyers. Southern Conference of Student Legal Services
Dealing with the Media in Crisis and Success. The Racing Attorney Conference
Video Games and the First Amendment: Why Free Speech Matters for Developers. East Coast Games Conference
Law for Indie Developers. East Coast Games Conference
Identifying Intellectual Property. Wilmington Estate Planners
VR, AR and Law. Megal Marketing Association Southeast Regional Conference
Plenary: Business and Legal Challenges for Game Studios. SIEGE Con
That’s Not Fair Use and Your Fan Project STILL Isn’t Legal. TwitchCon
Artificial Intelligence, Creativity and Law. Legal IT Seminars at USC Law
Key Provisions in Video Game Publishing Agreements. Ebook.
Online Activities and the Law: A Case Study. ABA Business Law Section
10 Legal Tips for Forming a Studio. SIEGE Con
Digitizing Reality: AR, VR, and the Future of the Entertainment Industry. Seventh Annual Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium
Legal Issues in Virtual Reality. Legal IT Seminars at USC Law
eSports and Law. NCBA Intellectual Property and Sports & Entertainment Sections Joint Annual Meeting
So you got a publisher, now what? (Negotiate!). East Coast Games Conference
Law for Indie Developers. East Coast Games Conference
Developments in Social Media: First Amendment, Privacy, and Misappropriation.. 71 Bus. Law. 305-320 (2016)
Founder Failures. SIEGE Con
Online Activities … Perilous Pitfalls… ABA Business Law Section
Opportunities and Legal Issues in Virtual Reality. ABA Business Law Section
Indies Need a Lawyer. East Coast Games Conference
Digital Age of Sports and Entertainment. Duke Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium
Media Privacy and Related Law, 2013-2015, Fourth Circuit. Media Law Resource Center Publication
Mundane Online Presence … Not So Mundane Consequences. ABA Business Law Section
Learning the Social Media Landscape in Litigation. North Carolina Bar Association
Is Game Streaming Legal? A Billion Dollar Question. ABA Cyberspace Law Committee
American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo. Duke Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium