Pillsbury attorney, Sean Kane, serves on the Governing Committee of the ABA as the Licensing, Merchandising and Branding Division Chair. Sean is participating in the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries as the moderator for a discussion titled, “PLENARY: Rights of Publicity…
A recent spate of cases has generally upheld, on First Amendment grounds, a developer’s right to include unlicensed trademarks in video games. However, until the body of case law becomes so prevalent that trademark owners recognize that they cannot possibly succeed in an action involving use in a video game,…
King.com, maker of some of the most popular Facebook and mobile games, filed a complaint in the Northern District of California Tuesday, claiming competitor 6Waves cloned King’s Pet Rescue Saga and Farm Hero Saga games in developing its own Farm Epic and Treasure Epic titles. King is also the maker…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Microsoft Points Retired The latest Xbox 360 system update has retired Microsoft points and now all transactions on the platform will make use of local currency. Software Patent Mess Hits High Court with WildTangent…
Gamification has become pervasive in many every day activities, including health and wellness programs. For companies involved in these activities, you should make sure you are aware of the final Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) regulations on wellness programs. These come into effect in 2014. Gamification refers to the use of…
On July 23, 2013 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced it was bringing charges in a Texas federal court against Trendon Shavers for allegedly using a Bitcoin Ponzi scheme to defraud investors between September 2011 and September 2012. For those who may not know, Bitcoins are anonymous, decentralized, non-government-backed…
Sean F. Kane, Pillsbury special counsel, will participate in PLI’s Think Like a Lawyer, Talk Like a Geek 2013: Get Fluent in Technology seminar by co-presenting during the “Virtual Games and Virtual Currency” session on Monday, November 18, 2013 at 11:30am. This unique program will present extraordinary sessions combining experienced…
The NY appeals court reinstated a gambling conviction against a man who ran an illegal Texas Hold’em lounge. Originally, the gambling conviction was dismissed, largely based on the argument that poker was a game of skill, and therefore not illegal gambling. However, the appeals court overturned the dismissal based on NY…
Cydney Tune will provide the Program Overview for PLI’s Technology and Entertainment Convergence 2013: Hot Business and Legal Issues in “Technotainment” on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 9:00am. Ms. Tune will also co-present during the “Going Mobile: Key Issues in Developing and Distributing Mobile Apps” session at 11:30am. James Gatto will…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Surprise: Facebook Is The Tech Company That Reports The Blowout Quarter The social network surprised on the massive upside. Its mobile business is maturing at an even quicker clip than some aggressive estimates.…