Game::Business::Law 2010 and Other 2010 Events

I wanted to take a moment to remind you that Game::Business::Law 2010 is coming up in January, and seats are limited. More details can be found here, and I will be moderating what is shaping up to be an excellent panel on the intersection of legal and financial issues on digital distribution. The panel includes speakers:

Robin Bynoe, Senior Counsel, Charles Russell, LLP
Sean F. Kane, Kane & Associates LLC
Jeffrey A. Levenstam, Partner, International Tax Services, Ernst & Young, LLP

Game::Business::Law was outstanding last year, and I expect it will be excellent this year as well. If you are interested in attending, please be sure to register soon as space is limited.


2010 is looking to be a busy year for speaking, and more details on other 2010 events will be posted on Law of the Game as details become available. I certainly hope to see at least some readers at all of the conferences throughout the year, including GDC2010 where I will be presenting at both the Social and Online Game Summit and the iPhone Games Summit.

And, as a note from me to all of you, I sincerely hope you all have a happy holiday season and a great new year.

Reminder: Law of the Game at GDC2009

Reminder, I will be speaking at the Worlds in Motion Summit at GDC 2009. The current session details can always be found here.

Here's the information as it stands now:
(306) How to Avoid New Legal Pitfalls in Virtual World Design and Policy
Speaker: Mark Methenitis (Attorney, The Vernon Law Group, PLLC)
Date/Time: Tuesday (March 24, 2009) 3:15pm — 4:00pm
Location (room): Room 132, North Hall
Experience Level: All
Track: Worlds in Motion Summit
Format: 45-minute Lecture

Session Description
There are always new legal pitfalls and challenges emerging in relation to virtual worlds, especially as the field continues to grow. This lecture gives attendees an opportunity to hear from a foremost legal scholar on virtual world legal issues and discuss new areas of concern, including updates on well known cases. The focus of the lecture will be an exploration of recent cases and emerging legal issues involving game and virtual world producers with an emphasis on �lessons learned,� including areas such as user disputes with virtual world owners, intellectual property enforcement, in-world gambling, and privacy concerns. Mark Methenitis will also be open to audience questions about virtual world concepts and design elements that may have unforeseen legal consequences.

Austin Game Developers Conference People's Choice Voting

I'm sure many of you know that the Austin GDC is coming up this September. What you may not know is that they have opened up the selection process for presentations to a vote. What you may also not know is that I have two presentations in the running. Both are lectures in the Online Games - Business and Management topics.


Emerging Legal Concerns for Online Games: What Every Manager Needs to Know
Speaker/s: Mark Methenitis
Track / Format: Online Games - Business & Management / Lecture
Overview: This presentation provides an overview of legal issues primarily facing MMO developers by looking at both the existing legal approaches and theoretical alternatives. These issues often apply to other online developers as well, especially those exploring new game and business models. Topics will include: Intellectual Property Ownership and Licensing, Interplay Between Real and Virtual Currency, and Online Gambling and the new Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Legal Issues In International Game Publication
Speaker/s: Mark Methenitis
Track / Format: Online Games - Business & Management / Lecture
Overview: As a result of the Internet age, virtually every game released in the United States is released internationally to some degree. This presentation addresses the issues that face developers in releasing games in multiple countries. Topics of discussion include: International Intellectual Property Rights, International Taxation and Tax Treaties, International Media Regulation, International Trade and Emerging Issues in International Law.


So, if these topics sound interesting to you, or you would like to see me lecture at the Austin GDC in September, please go vote. And while you're there, check out some of the other presentations up for voting, especially if you plan to attend the conference.