Stealth Lawyer: Chieh Huang, Social Games Developer
Across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pace-O-Matic’s (or “POM’s”) “skill-based” games have been creeping into bars, gas stations, restaurants, and other local establishments. These games resemble slot machines in their...more
On April 4, the CFPB published a new Issue Spotlight, titled “Banking in Video Games and Virtual Worlds” that analyzes the increased commercial activity within online video games and virtual worlds and the apparent risks to...more
On March 18, 2024, Judge Rachel P. Kovner of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed with prejudice a putative shareholders’ class action against a mobile game development company (the...more
1. CONTENTIEUX - BISPHÉNOL A DANS LES CONTENANTS ALIMENTAIRES : PRÈS DE 20 MILLIONS D’EUROS DE SANCTIONS - Par une décision du 29 décembre 2023, l’Autorité de la concurrence (ci-après l’« Autorité ») a prononcé une...more
Host Mary O'Brien is joined by Wilson Sonsini technology transactions partner Gary Greenstein as she interviews SonyAI attorney and Wilson Sonsini alumna Tiffany Georgievski to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and the...more
"Loot boxes" are mystery boxes in a video game that pay out prizes or other items for in-game use. Players can earn loot boxes, but often purchase them with real-world money. The loot obtained varies in value considerably....more
Until early 2023, a public disagreement regarding open intellectual property licenses was ongoing between the owner of a significant piece of popular content—the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)—and the individuals...more
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the metaverse, and Web3 bring with them a host of new legal challenges in such areas as IP, securities law, tax, and advertising. As NFTs revolutionize the digital landscape and global economy, it...more
While board games, as well as game boards, parts, and certain methods of play, can be patented if they fulfill the strict requirements listed above, it is usually impractical to try and get a patent for a tabletop game. ...more
The laws involved in protecting board games are complicated. Various websites, forums, and Reddit threads attempt to answer questions from game designers on what they are allowed to do when designing their games, as well as...more
Now more than ever, access to quality data translates to monetization opportunities and this is especially true in the world of collegiate and professional sports. In the past two decades, data analytic tools measuring...more
With content distribution methods evolving rapidly, major players within the entertainment industry are looking to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as a means to strengthen their position and maintain market share. Industry...more
2022 AG Elections- Democratic Challenger Seeks 2022 Rematch Against Georgia’s Incumbent Attorney General- •Charlie Bailey, a trial attorney in private practice and a former prosecutor, has announced that he will again...more
At the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Supreme Court of Texas issued an opinion that may lead to the shutdown of “eight-liner game rooms” across Texas. In the City of Fort Worth v. Rylie, 602 S.W.3d 459, 463 (Tex....more
Consumers Sue Mobile App Maker Over Loot Boxes - Supercell singled out for creating a gambling space for youngsters - Too Old for This - We need a minute. Just a minute. Our heads are throbbing. We just got through looking at...more
On Tuesday I wrote about how Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney was engaging Apple on at least three battlefronts. I missed a battlefront and I’m here today to rectify that mistake. I mentioned Epic’s groundbreaking and lucrative...more
Tim Sweeney, the Colossus of Cary, is fighting even bigger foes – Apple and Google. The multibillionaire chief executive of Epic Games has opened a multi-front war on the tribute that app developers are forced to pay to reach...more
Main Quest: Does Your Gaming Stream Violate the Copyright Act? Streaming platforms, such as Twitch, Mixer and YouTube Gaming, are quickly becoming household names, with daily viewership rates that rival those of more...more
1980 was a momentous year. Not only was it the year in which the Rubik’s Cube was first released, it was also when approximately 350 million people worldwide finally learned who shot J.R. on TV’s “Dallas” (spoiler alert: it...more
Like many industries, the hobby games (HG) industry suffered from unprecedented counterfeiting problems in recent years. Despite steadily rising popularity, until recently HGs were not much affected by piracy and...more
In an opinion addressing patent-eligible subject matter and the printed matter doctrine, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit concluded that a particularly marked die set did not save the claims from patent...more
Over the years, patents have issued on numerous games, including iconic favorites such as Monopoly® (1935), Battleship® (1935), Rubik’s Cube® (1983), Rock'em Sock'em Robots® (1966), Twister® (1969), and Simon® (1979)....more
Mobile Games' Booming Market: Opportunity for Hollywood and IP Owners - The mobile games market is growing at a record-breaking pace. The market reached a new high in 2016, generating more than $40.6 billion in worldwide...more
Did you know that the world is now inhabited by creatures called Pokémon? (Or maybe they’ve always been there?) Some run across the plains; others fly through the skies; and some live in the mountains….and some, yes, some,...more
The recent decision in In re Smith (Fed. Cir. 2016), in which the Federal Circuit affirmed the rejection of claims 1-18 as being ineligible for patent under 35 USC § 101, represents another example of the shrinking scope of...more