A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Social Casino Games Market Now Worth $1.6 Billion The social gaming market is moving fast, as more companies take advantage of the growing online phenomenon. According to a new study by internet games…
The U.S. Copyright Office recently issued its exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (“DMCA”). The exemptions, effective as of Oct. 28, 2012 define the limited circumstances that users are allowed to circumvent technology that prevents access to copyrighted works, e.g., content encryption schemes. The exemptions are reviewed…
Zynga and Facebook revised their two year-old agreement that provided special terms to Zynga as compared with other game companies publishing via the Facebook network. Going forward Facebook will treat Zynga with the same rules as it applies to all other game developers. These revisions prevent Zynga from driving gamers from…
Due to “legal and regulatory pressure” Dublin-based Intrade will no longer accept bets from US customers and all existing US customers must exit their trades and close their accounts. Intrade operates a real-money based prediction market. This announcement from Intrade came just hours after U.S. regulators filed a civil complaint…
The Director of the USPTO recently explained why patents are “innovation currency,” how they create jobs and how they add significantly to the economy. He also explained why this is driving the multi-billion dollar acquisitions of patents and high-profile patent wars in the mobile space. The Director also acknowledged that…
YES! One of the often cited reasons for not pursuing patents is that they take too long to obtain. In response to this concern, the US Patent office has implemented a procedure that enables applicants to make a request, when an application is field, to expedite examination of the…
The U.S. DOJ’s announcement last December –that it was now interpreting the 1961 Wire Act as primarily prohibiting only online sports betting– generated a lot of excitement and speculation that many states would move to legalize online gaming. Today, almost one year later, the excitement remains although little actual activity…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Beyonce Still Can’t Nix Video Game Suit, Appeals Court Says A New York intermediate appeals court on Thursday affirmed a lower court ruling that pop singer Beyonce could not nix a suit alleging…
On October 30, 2012, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued a press release regarding a new enforcement effort involving California’s Online Privacy Protection Act, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 22575-22579 (“CalOPPA”). CalOPPA requires that “an operator of a commercial Web site or online service that collects personally identifiable…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Cypress Hill Singer’s Grand Theft Likeness Suit Put To Rest A California appeals court refused Wednesday to revive a former Cypress Hill backup singer’s suit claiming that his likeness was misappropriated in…