“It’s hard being an indie game developer” is an understatement. This is especially true for developers embarking on the indie dev journey for the first time, whether on their own or through a newly formed studio. In addition to juggling the demands of game development and publishing, indie developers must now worry about accounting, marketing, …
In Counts II – V of the FTC’s complaint against HoYoverse and Genshin Impact, the FTC alleges that HoYoverse engaged in deceptive and unfair practices surrounding the actual cost and odds of its loot boxes and how those loot boxes are marketed. Importantly, this is the first complaint by the FTC against loot box mechanics …
As mentioned in Part I of the this three part blog post on the FTC’s complaint against HoYoverse and Genshin Impact, COPPA applies to sites and services that are either directed toward children under the age of 13 or have actual knowledge that children 13 are providing information online. In Count I of the complaint, …
On January 17, 2025, the Department of Justice filed a complaint upon referral from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Singapore-based Cognosphere Pte. Ltd and its Californian subsidiary Cognosphere LLC, which collectively does business under the name “HoYoverse”. The complaint consists of five counts split into essentially two major prongs against HoYoverse and their game, …
In the world of VTubers, content creators who use animated avatars as their online persona, there is a distinction between independent VTubers who (as the name suggests) operate independently and “corporate” or “corpo” VTubers who are part of a VTuber agency. In exchange for a certain percentage of their profits, corporate VTubers may receive promotional …
Legal Relationships and Agreements for Corporate VTubers Read More »
Whether a creator has designed an immersive tabletop game, written a page turning novel, or developed an innovative video game – receiving interest from others in turning their creative work (Property) into a television show or movie is an exciting prospect. But the terminology of Option Agreements, Shopping Agreements, Attachment Agreements and more can be …
Artists and writers have long submitted short stories, webcomics, and fan works to online literary magazines or on fanfiction websites as a way to hone their skills and gain exposure. Creators and their works span the globe and range from literary-style web novels to Japanese manga. In recent years, however, platforms have begun offering publishing …
Vtubers are like any other online entertainer or content creator: they also stream themselves playing video games, create YouTube videos, write and perform music, voice act, or just chat with their audiences. What sets Vtubers apart from other content creators is that they present themselves mainly or wholly as an animated avatar, often in the …
The FTC, relying on Section 5 and Section 6(g) of the FTC Act, issued a final rule on April 23, 2024 banning the use of non-competes nationwide. The ban will go into effect 120 days after the publication in the federal register (note that publication has not happened yet and the predicted effective date will …
In part one of our series, we gave an overview of typical considerations for content creators hosting live events and in part two, we highlighted release agreements. After meeting regulations from governing bodies and safeguarding themselves against liability from participants and attendees, an event organizer must still find a place to host the event. If …
Hosting a live events as a content creator: venue agreements Read More »