Anime Expo. Comic-Con. Offkai. Any convention season means thousands of attendees walking the floor as Frieren, Mao Mao, Spider-Man or even their favorite VTubers such as Calliope Mori or Ironmouse. Cosplay is one of the most visible and beloved parts of fan culture and has been widely accepted by every party in the industry. Brand …
Legal Issues in Cosplay: When Cosplay Becomes a Business Read More »
Here is a sentence that makes everyone feel warm and cozy: “You retain ownership rights in your content.” Almost all platform’s terms of service include some version of this, and in each case, it is technically true. The copyright is yours. You can register it, license it elsewhere, and sue an infringer who is not …
What Creators Should Know About Platform Licenses and AI Training Read More »
In our “VTuber IP 101: Protecting Avatars, Content, and Branding” blog post, we talked about what intellectual property rights VTubers already have, when they have to register those rights, and what protections different intellectual property rights give. We also briefly mentioned certain legal actions that VTubers can take after they establish their rights. When it …
VTuber IP 201: DMCA Strategy and Personal Privacy Read More »
When developers think about trademark protection, they usually think about The Game. Look at the cover of lots of our favorite games and you’ll see the little TM or circle-R symbol on the game name. Makes sense: the game is the product, the thing players search for and talk about. But there’s another brand sitting …
Tabletop game creators and designers often work flexibly. It is not uncommon for even successful tabletop game designers to have a day job, collaborate with other tabletop game designers, work as freelancers, serve as consultants, and be involved in multiple projects. Oftentimes, tabletop game designers may collaborate with other tabletop game designers to jointly develop …
A lot goes into creating and selling a physical product. The product and packaging has to be designed. Then the product needs to be manufactured (and maybe marketed). Finally, the product needs to be shipped and distributed to customers. Sometimes, a third-party merchandise company will handle the process. Other times, a developer or creator (who …
Hidden Legal Risks When Dealing with Physical Games and Merchandise Read More »
What Creators Can Do Now to Protect Against Deepfakes Imagine a creator waking up to find fans tagging them in a video. They click on the link and the video pops up. There, they see an AI-generated double, wearing their face and hawking a cryptocurrency scam, in their voice, with their cadence. Somewhere else, a …
A Creator’s Face, Voice, and Brand: AI Is Coming for All Three Read More »
Intellectual property (IP) is one of the business cornerstones for creators. Whether a video game developer, a tabletop game designer, an author, a content or other creator – copyrights and trademarks let creators protect their creations and livelihoods. Enforcing those rights helps prevent fraudulent and infringing actors from stealing goodwill and money from a creator …
Fan Content Policies: Working with your Community Read More »
As 2025 closes, the games industry enters another year shaped by shifting economics, rapid advances in technology, and a volatile political climate. Last Year: We Got Some Stuff Wrong, Some Right Last year’s predictions focused on structural pressure points rather than specific outcomes. Many of those pressures materialized, though often faster and more unevenly than …
Legal Challenges and Industry Predictions for Games in 2026 Read More »
In a previous VTuber IP 101: Protecting Avatars, Content, and Branding blog post, we explored the most common intellectual property issues that VTubers should be aware of including intellectual property rights in VTuber Avatars, DMCA Takedowns, trademarks for VTuber names and brands, and intellectual property provisions and models in agreements with VTuber agencies. However, one …