On May 21, a bill was introduced in the US Senate. This bill, dubbed The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act, is a misguided attempt to regulate loot boxes and pay-to-win mechanics out of the video game industry. To be clear: I am not necessarily against regulation on loot boxes. I do think that there …
FAQ on a bill (S1629) proposing The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act Read More »
Recently, a lawmaker in Pennsylvania proposed a law to tax the sale of video games rated M or AO by ESRB at 10%. This would be in addition to the sales tax already imposed in Pennsylvania (which I am going to refer to as “PA” because it’s too much to type over and over). According to GameSpot: …
Diligence is the process by which a prospective buyer or investor looks at a company in order to decide whether or not to invest or buy. It’s really that simple. Diligence can be very scant or it can be very involved. A wise investor or acquirer will lean toward more aggressive diligence. That means looking …
How to prepare for a financing or acquisition: Diligence Read More »
In Part 3 of this series, I spent some time talking about the difference between First Amendment protected speech and unprotected speech. With that in mind, assuming speech is “protected” by the First Amendent, what does that actually mean? Protection from government restriction The language of the Amendment is always relevant. The first part of …
The First Amendment and Video Games – Part 4: What is Protection? Read More »
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 »