Not all clients are in crisis situations – even if the tone of their email or phone call suggests they are. When there is a real, bona fide crisis, what are the lawyer’s ethical obligations? What about when the media gets involved? What is a crisis? A crisis can be anything with the potential to …
So the company didn’t work out. It happens. With recent news of studio closures, I thought I would put together this brief guide to shutting down. First, some definitions Before the meat, let’s talk about the bones. These are key terms I’ll be throwing around a lot: Company – the business. This could be an …
Dissolving A Company – A primer on ending it all Read More »
This month, the European Parliament voted in favor of the Copyright Directive, a piece of legislation intending to update online copyright laws. The apparent goal of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market is to hold platforms with user content, like YouTube and Facebook, liable for copyright infringement. Or in the video game …
What does the First Amendment Protect? In terms of speech only (the First Amendment protects a lot that isn’t speech), the First Amendment protects “expression.” It does not protect anything that is not expressive. Expression does not have to be words. For example, the Supreme Court has ruled that video games (even if they do not …
The First Amendment and Video Games – Part 3: Protected v. Unprotected Speech Read More »
What does the First Amendment say? The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for …
The First Amendment and Video Games – Part 2: First Amendment Basics Read More »
Background Recently, I gave a presentation on video games and the First Amendment at Casual Connect USA. It focused on the importance of pushing boundaries and resilience in the face of adversity. You can see the entire presentation, here: I tried to cover a lot of material in 20 minutes. I didn’t cover everything. Soon, …
The First Amendment and Video Games – Part 1: Introduction Read More »
Back in May, Valve changed its content policy to crack down on visual novels containing adult content. Just a few weeks later, Valve again changed its policy to allow anything that isn’t “illegal” or “straight-up trolling.” This led many developers and consumers down a rabbit hole of questions surrounding what Valve’s role should be in …
If you’ve been paying attention, you may have seen press coverage of the Entertainment Software Association’s opposition (PDF) to a proposed change to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. So, what is ESA arguing about? Who are they arguing with? Why is this happening? The short version: A “museum” petitioned the copyright office to change the rules …
What’s up with the DMCA fight over defunct online games? Read More »
Recently, this article posted on Polygon outlining the many commercial uses of the iconic watchtower image from Firewatch. These uses were not authorized by Campo Santo, the developer, which leads to the question: what do you do if you find yourself in this situation? First, pat yourself on the back. You made something so good …
In order to make sure you have your bases covered for your business in the new year, here is a checklist for this month to ensure you’re starting the new year on a good foot: Ensure corporate formalities are being observed. This is really simple, but it’s good to check in on from time to …