Category Archives: Business Law

The Tricky Business of NDAs

ZeniMax recently challenged Oculus VR over unspecified technology used in the Oculus Rift. They claim that between John Carmack leaving id Software, a subsidiary of ZeniMax, to join Oculus and Oculus having access to ZeniMax technology in the early stages … Continue reading

You Don’t Own It

A few months ago, Valve successfully defended a suit in Germany effectively ensuring that Steam users will not have the right to resell the games they own on Steam. Since users own the license to play the game rather than … Continue reading

Duke Nukem: Contractual Clarity

The issue of who owns what can be a sticky one, particularly when talking about something intangible, like intellectual property. Ownership can be transferred in just a few phrases. Ownership can be shared. Ownership can be divided piecemeal between several … Continue reading

Royalties and Copyright Standing

Employers benefit from the labor of their employees in many ways beyond the day to day tasks assigned that employee. Copyrightable work produced within the scope of employment belongs to the employer as work for hire. Any other intellectual property … Continue reading

Wildly Flapping to React to Flappy Bird

Most app developers are well aware of the differences between the curated and heavily controlled market that is Apple’s iOS App Store and the Wild West-style free for all that is Google Play. Each has its charms, but Google often … Continue reading

The Cost of Free Labor

In most industries, game development and legal included, internships are an important part of the educational process and offer a unique opportunity to spend some time in a field prior to making a full-time commitment. Many companies receive countless emails … Continue reading

Good News for Small Developers: Crowdfunding in the JOBS Act

As we discussed recently, today’s gaming market has ample opportunities for independent developers. There is distribution across multiple consoles, personal computers, and smartphones. Development costs for a top-tier title on the Xbox360 may prevent a start-up company from competing, but … Continue reading

Won’t Someone Please Think of the Children? Oklahoma Lawmakers Offer Sane Response to Silly Law

Video games have come a long way. Within decades, they have gone from a fringe hobby to a major industry. But as sales increased and the market expanded, small and significant debates took place. As a child, your parents are … Continue reading