Operation Airdrop is an all-volunteer group of General Aviation pilots formed by Doug Jackson to deliver relief supplies to hard to reach areas in need. In light of Hurricane Florence and the recent flooding devastation across the Carolinas, Odin Law joined the effort in sending supplies to stranded areas of Eastern North Carolina. If you …
Odin Law Participates in Operation Airdrop for Hurricane Florence 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 …
The world of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is pretty new, but fortunately, the legal standards for these experiences are still very similar to the legal standards for video games and experiences in other more common media types. The same goes for managing events focusing on VR/AR experiences and mitigating risk. For experiences: …
Best practices on events and risk management for VR/AR, Part 2 Read More »
What can you do if someone has copied your game? First, “copied” can mean a lot of things. Is this a clone game? Is it an unlocked .apk or drm-free install file? Did they take your art, sound, music and other visual assets and copy them into their own attempted-cpoy of the code? Each of …
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 »
A recent case in Alabama is asking what happens when someone’s “right of publicity” butts up against another’s freedom of speech. The “right of publicity” allows people to control the use of their likeness and prevent commercial exploitation without consent. The right of publicity isn’t a traditional intellectual property right, and instead stems from the …
Serial, John B. McLemore, and the Right of Publicity vs Freedom of Speech Read More »
The world of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is pretty new, but fortunately, the legal standards for these experiences are still very similar to the legal standards for video games and experiences in other more common media types. The primary contracts you want to have in place for a VR or AR experience …
What contracts should I have in place for my VR/AR experience? Part 1 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 »
For software or software as a service (SaaS) companies, it can be a little confusing to figure out what sort of licensing contracts and legal documents you need. Here’s a brief primer on the differences between three of the more well-known legal agreements. End-user license agreement (EULA) An end-user license agreement, also known as a …
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 »