Kongregate, the game portal owned by GameStop, has announced a financial assistance program to the tune of $10 million for free-to-play mobile app developers. The assistance includes cash advances to help developers finish their gam, including final builds and integration, support to help with testing, QA and monetisation and marketing…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Kabam Hits Profitability in 2012 on Revenue of $180 Million Kabam doesn’t have to report earnings since it’s privately held, but that didn’t stop it from saying today that it was profitable last…
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has released proposed guidance on the applicability of consumer protection and compliance laws, regulations, and policies to activities conducted via social media by banks, savings associations, and credit unions, as well as nonbank entities supervised by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state…
Prevent a Loss of Patent Rights when the U.S. Changes to a “First-Inventor-to-File” System on March 16, 2013 One of the most significant changes of the 2011 Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“AIA”) takes effect on March 16, 2013 when the U.S. transitions from a “First-to-Invent” patent system to a “First-Inventor-to-File”…
The use of mobile applications on smartphones continues its trend of strong growth. According to a recent press release, users of Apple’s App Store have downloaded over 40 billion apps, with over two billion downloads occurring in the month of December alone. According to Apple, nearly 20 billion of the…
On January 10, 2013, the President signed the Video Privacy Protection Act Amendments Act of 2012 into law. The 2013 Act amends the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (18 USC 2710), which prohibited the sharing or disclosure of video rental history. The 1988 Act was prompted due to the…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. USPTO Dives Into Software Patent Debate With New Group Amid a growing chorus of criticism that software patents are too vague and can hinder innovation, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on…
As real money online gambling remains bogged down in the legislative and regulatory morass, social gaming applications have been on a tear. As we have previously reported, major players are leveraging social gaming applications in preparation for the legalization of online gambling. One of the emerging leaders, Caesars Interactive Entertainment…
User endorsements are becoming a more and more popular form of “advertising” as the use of social media and user-generated content continues to increase. These endorsements often take the form of reviews via blogs or Yelp, but can also include other less conspicuous communications. These endorsements can be quite powerful.…
According to a report on Inside Social Games, Caesars Interactive Entertainment has acquired Buffalo Studios LLC, a social and mobile games developer most known for its Bingo Blitz and Bingo Rush. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The Bingo Blitz business represents a unique opportunity for Caesars Interactive…