United States federal privacy regulations are different for kids under 13 and compliance is really tough. Provided the game is not primarily targeted or advertised at kids, and a game studio has no knowledge of kids using it, it’s usually a simpler plan to just exclude them where monetizing through ads or otherwise collecting personally …
When does my game fall within the scope of COPPA? Read More »
Since July 1st, some California consumers have eagerly begun enforcing their newly created privacy rights through class-action lawsuits aimed at companies consumers believe to have mishandled their data. Just last week, a consumer sued Walmart, alleging a lack of necessary security standards to protect the consumer’s credit card data during a recent security breach – …
Save the Date for July 31st: Enabling Ad-Tech Features to Ensure CCPA Compliance Read More »
With the independence day holiday this month, there has been a lot of discussion of revolt and rebellion. One of the biggest acts of rebellion for an employee at an established game studio is quitting to start a new studio. Before Quitting A soon-to-be indie developer should carefully review employment agreements with their current company. …
Going Indie: legal considerations when leaving a game studio to form a new one Read More »
We’ve recently discussed the elements of virtual currency and virtual property in online games. But what types of regulations might apply to virtual goods and currency? There are some interesting ones that many game developers or publishers may not consider, but they should. In the last post, I discussed money laundering. Today’s post will cover …
Virtual assets 102: gift card regulations, virtual currency & virtual property Read More »
We’ve recently discussed the elements of virtual currency and virtual property in online games. But what types of regulations might apply to virtual goods and currency? There are some interesting ones that many game developers or publishers may not consider, but they should. Today’s post will cover one: money laundering regulations. It was reported in …
Virtual assets 102: money laundering regulations, virtual currency & virtual property Read More »
When building a successful games business, developers often seek protection from unwanted competition by asking employees to sign a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement as a condition of the individual’s employment. What’s the difference, and what’s the likelihood of a court enforcing those agreements? Non-Competes are tough to enforce–which is why they need to be carefully …
Non-Competes & Non-Soliciations: What’s the Difference? Read More »
We talked previously about virtual property – property that’s solely virtual in nature that isn’t tangible and has no real-world equivalent. One type of virtual property is virtual currency. So what is virtual currency? In this instance, we’re specifically discussing games, apps, platforms and other virtual economies. In many games, players can use real-world money …
Virtual property can mean a lot of things in different situations. How is the purchase of virtual property regulated? What risks do developers and publishers face by including these kinds of transactions? This series will cover virtual property, virtual currency and the regulations behind these assets as this space continues to grow at a rapid …
A DBA (Doing Business As) is a registration for a company conducting business under a different name than the name under which it was formed. DBAs are also sometimes referred to as an “assumed name,” a “fictitious business name,” or a “trade name.” A majority of states in the US require corporations and LLCs to …
Non-compete agreements restrict employees from being able to go to work for competitors after leaving an employer, willingly or unwillingly. They are a standard practice across the board in the video game industry and are intended to offer protection for game developers, but are they enforceable? The short answer? Yes, for the most part. But, …
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in the video game industry? Read More »