Retro gaming fans that have collected enough coins over the years recently had their chances to bid on “Nintendo World Championships” (NWC), an NES game specifically created in 1990 for Nintendo tournaments in 29 cities across the country, loosely inspired … Continue reading
Continuing the exploration of fandom, and its associated legal snares, we turn to cosplay. Costumed play, cosplay for short, is the hobby, and sometimes profession, of dressing up as a character from fantasy, comics, tv, movies, video games, or any … Continue reading
In talking to Joe Silver about his then-forthcoming piece on Ars Technica, I had a number of more complex legal questions left in my mind about the potential Google acquisition of Twitch, and the greater legal issues around Let’s Plays. … Continue reading
Fandom is a huge part of the video game industry. From art to fan fiction, tattoos to cosplays, a truly dedicated fan can integrate games into every part of her life, and many of us have. As a cosplayer, artist, … Continue reading
Much to the delight of the app-gaming community, Dong Nguyen, the creator and designer of “Flappy Bird”, announced via Twitter on March 19th that the game will return to the app market, although “not soon”. It had been suggested that … Continue reading
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
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
It’s been all over the news. The video game industry is having a problem with trademarks because the idea of ownership doesn’t seems to align well with the goals of creativity. This is particularly evident in the recent media coverage … Continue reading
Riot Games, creator of League of Legends, recently secured the patent for their spectator mode. The initial response was less than positive. Between King attempting to block the Banner Saga over trademark concerns and ongoing concerns over patent trolls, the … Continue reading
With the King candy trademark saga winding down, it’s an appropriate time to work through some developer reactions and their possible legal implications. Many took to the internet to voice their concerns, frustrations, confusion, and rage at the situation. Others … Continue reading
