NOW AVAILABLE — Pillsbury’s Social Media, Entertainment & Technology Team recently finalized a white paper on legal issues with social games and gambling. Gamblification! This is not yet a household word but we use it to describe the intersection of social media and gambling. It is a play on the concepts…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Epic Games to make government training games Of all the companies you’d expect to announce a big government partnership, a major video game studio is probably not at the top…
On March 30, 2012 the California federal judge hearing the lawsuit initiated by a putative class of retired NFL players against Electronic Arts Inc. denied EA’s motion to dismiss the suit and to strike the complaint. The Court ruled that the retired players’ allegations that EA’s unauthorized use of their…
On March 21, the Entertainment Software Association filed a petition seeking a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission’s recently adopted rules that would impose certain disabilities act requirements on providers of advanced communications services (ACS) — which could include video games that allow voice or text communications during game play.…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. The Virtual Military While much of the international system remains mired in the economic doldrums, many global military powers continue to increase defense budgets focused upon the research and development of simulation technologies.…
On Monday March 19, 2012 a bill was submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) which, if passed, will require most video games to include a warning label that states: “WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.” H.R. 4204, entitled…
As a general rule, the name, image or likeness of a living person–not necessarily just a celebrity–cannot be used for commercial purpose without his/her written consent. Some jurisdictions have extended the coverage to provide additional protection to such elements as signature, voice, mannerisms or even expressions. Unauthorized use of an…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Gaming is a top priority for mobile-tech makers “Gaming is now a ‘need to have’ category, not a ‘nice to have’ category for mobile devices, whether they be tablets or phones,” said PJ…
On March 7, 2012, in our San Francisco office, Pillsbury hosted a discussion with prominent industry players from Electronic Arts, Zynga, Lightspeed Venture Partners and KlickNation (acquired by EA in 2011) to discuss all aspects of the process surrounding video game company acquisitions. Topics included: how deals are sourced in…
Gametek has filed a complaint for patent infringement against a large number of game and game-related companies over a virtual goods payment patent. The patent issued based on an application originally filed September 29, 2000, and claims priority to a provisional application filed June 20, 2000. The patent issued July…