You’ve guessed it: I thought I’d jump into the it’s-a-new-year-let’s-make-some-predictions business for 2012. And, like all forward-looking predictions, I’ve mixed a few safe bets with some slightly more “punchy” predictions (which FYI is lawyer-speak for taking a massive bet on something!) Here goes, in no particular order:
Category: Litigation
IP Round-up: Newzbin 2, Copyright Infringement and Stormtroopers
This is a post from Jonny Mayner with additional input from Jas Purewal. The Star Wars’ theme to the post is the fault/genius of Jonny (depending on how you feel about Star Wars, ofc). This is a quick post looking back on some high profile IP cases in the UK on which we saw rulings in the… Continue reading IP Round-up: Newzbin 2, Copyright Infringement and Stormtroopers
Trademark Troubles: Bethesda v Mojang
Indie developer Mojang Specifications has been threatened with legal action by Bethesda over the forthcoming Mojang game Scrolls, according to Mojang head Notch. This is another great example of the importance of understanding how trademarks work in the games industry- and this is a post to explain why.
Langdell Squared: Edge magazine v Tim Langdell
This is a guest post by Jonny Mayner. Jonny Mayner spent most of his 20’s playing games and working in bookshops and the construction industry before getting down to the serious business of being a lawyer. He is currently a trainee solicitor at Osborne Clarke, soon to qualify and join the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation… Continue reading Langdell Squared: Edge magazine v Tim Langdell
The US violent games case: Americans are from Mars, Europeans are from Venus
Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court handed down its decision in Brown v EMA, AKA the Californian ‘violent’ games law case, AKA Arnie vs all gamers, everywhere. The law, if upheld, would have given lawmakers the ability to ban certain games and place stringent requirements on others. However, the US Supreme Court struck down the… Continue reading The US violent games case: Americans are from Mars, Europeans are from Venus
Atari sues Tommo for $30m over Flashback 2 console
This is interesting: Atari is suing Tommo Video Games Distribution in the US in a $30 million claim over the Atari Flashback 2, according to Kidscreen. Details are very sparse at the moment but the allegation seems to be that Tommo is selling or distributing a counterfeit version of Atari’s Flashback 2 console, which I understand… Continue reading Atari sues Tommo for $30m over Flashback 2 console
The second virtual goods crime: is Runescape theft, theft?
The Dutch Supreme Court will be invited later this year to conclude that the theft of virtual goods from Runescape constitutes theft under Dutch criminal law; indications to date suggest that it may conclude that theft of virtual currency/goods IS criminal theft. To my knowledge, this is only the second time that a Western court has… Continue reading The second virtual goods crime: is Runescape theft, theft?
What happened to the Infinity Ward lawsuit?
UPDATE: it seems the lawsuit is going ahead with a trial date of potentially late this year/early next year. I spoke to Develop about it here. We all know the story by now: back in 2009 Jason West and Vince Zampella, then the heads of Infinity Ward (the Activision-owned developer behind the Call of Duty:… Continue reading What happened to the Infinity Ward lawsuit?
More on Lodsys, apps and software patents
More interesting developments in the Lodsys/app developers spat (more on that here): now Apple has got involved. Yesterday, Apple wrote to Lodsys asking it to withdrew its threats against a number of iOS app developers. You can read the full letter here. Apple’s arguments were three-fold: (1) The patent licences which Lodsys has granted Apple… Continue reading More on Lodsys, apps and software patents
Games/Law digest, March-April 2011
It’s been a busy time in the games/law world over the last couple of weeks. Here’s some highlights: (1) Sony settles with George Hotz Back in January this year, news broke that a group of hackers, led by George Hotz, had jailbroken the PS3. Sony were unhappy bunnies, so they sued Hotz and the other… Continue reading Games/Law digest, March-April 2011