Your career in the game industry will be sailing through a sea of intellectual property on a skiff of paper. It is important, therefore, for you to have a basic knowledge of how intellectual property is (and isn't) protected. This week, we examine three of the big four methods of protection, with a detailed examination of copyrights. Also, your Team's Art Director receives their Peer Evaluation this week.
The link below is the homework assignment due at the beginning of the next class session.
Homework: Week 6
More information on this actual new story this comic is based upon can be found here on Wired News.
These links feature the supplemental material that you are responsible for knowing before the first exam (that takes place at the end of this week's class session). Be sure to click on every link in this section!
Article: Hey, That's MY Game! Intellectual Property Protection for Video Games by Ross Dannenberg and Steve Chang
So you've made a great game - how do you stop people from using major elements of it without your permission? Dannenberg and Chang explain how video game industry copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets work.
Letter: "Famous Last Words" by Jim Charne, Attorney at Law
This is an archive of brilliant short columns by a game attorney who responds to reader's questions. They're all worth reading, but this one on end-user license agreements is particularly relevant to this week's lesson.
Article: Rights of Publicity, Libel, and Other Laws by Dianne Brinson and Mark Radcliffe
In this excerpt from the book "Intellectual Property Law Primer for Multimedia and Web Game Developers," the authors explain how to clear rights for music, art, and other intellectual property as told in a story about the creation of a hypothetical game. You'll find this very enlightening.
These supplemental links are worth pursuing only if you are seriously interested in working in the game business and want to know about it in the broadest possible sense. This material will not be directly included in the exams, but if you're serious about delving deeply into the subject of game production, here's some more lessons from others who have also "been there."
Article: Myths and Facts in Avoiding Copyright Infringement by Dianne Brinson and Mark Radcliffe
An understanding of legal issues is essential to success in the game industry. Mistakes can cost the game developer tens or even hundred of thousands of dollars in legal fees and damages. This material should look familiar, as this article was the source for several points made during the class lecture.
Article: Intellectual Property 101 by Jim Charne, attorney at law
Dear Jim: I am a student in my gap year and I am currently writing the design document for my game. What I would like to know is how I go about securing my IP? As I'm a student I can’t pay big legal fees...What do I do?
Article: Copyright Explainer by GameIndustry.biz
With the increase in digital distribution platforms as well as the growth in complexity of virtual worlds, it is vital that game developers have a working grasp of some of the practical issues that relate to copyright.
Article: Patent Law for Game Developers by J. Dianne Brinson and Mark F. Radcliffe
While copyright law is the most important intellectual property law for protecting rights in multimedia works, a game developer needs to know enough about patent, trademark, and trade secret law to avoid infringing intellectual property rights owned by others and to be able to take advantage of the protection these laws provide.
Article: The Trouble with Patents by David Sirlin
Are game design patents helping or hurting developers? Where do we draw the line? In this exclusive Gamasutra editorial, game designer David Sirlin discusses The Trouble With Patents, using Sega's infamous Crazy Taxi design patent as a prime example.
Article: The End of Copyright by Ernest Adams
Game designer and lecturer Ernest Adams suggests that "the age of copyright is drawing to a close", looking at how technological changes are affecting games, and arguing that selling individual physical copies of games and preventing their duplication "is awkward, wasteful, and theft-prone."
Article: Intellectual Property: The Game of Swords and Shields by Stephen Rubin
This article is a summary of general principles of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret law.
Article: NES - Expired Patents Do Not Mean Expired Protection by S. Gregory Boyd
Following recent controversy, a prominent game IP lawyer was asked the question: "Are the NES patents expired? If so, is a company free to build and sell new NES-like systems?" His answers to this particular conundrum are enlightening indeed.
Article: How Current Legal Issues Affect Game Development and Marketing by Charles Kramer
What does your ordinary game developer need to know about the law? More than you think.
Bibliography: Week 6
