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 »
User generated content (UGC) can provide a company with a lot of positives, marketing and community-wise, but it comes with a ton of legal landmines. When managing a VR/AR experience, here are some things to keep in mind if a developer is going to allow UGC. The primary legal issues The two main legal issues …
How do you handle user generated content in VR/AR experiences? Part 3 Read More »
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 …
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 »