Category: Intellectual Property
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The Legal Problems with NFTs in Video Games
A lot of companies have talked about the idea of implementing NFTs in Video Games. Other blockchain technologies have similarly been considered. Ubisoft has attempted to put them into their game Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Konami celebrated the 35th anniversary of their legendary Castlevania franchise with a collection of NFTs rather than a new game that…
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Copyright, Contracts, and Practical Issues of Revenue Share Game Development
There is a very common type of project you’ll regularly see if you browse certain game developer forums and subreddits. You’ll see a lot of posts recruiting for revenue share projects, or rev-share. These are games (or other artistic endeavors) that propose to recruit a team without paying them upfront, but instead, pay them by…
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Collective Works and Joint Works – More on Collaborative Copyright
In my last article, I discussed what a work made for hire is and how to create one. A work made for hire allows the copyright in the work to be owned by someone other than the author of the work. They are created when a contract specifies that the work is a work made…
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Works Made for Hire in Game Dev: Copyright with Collaboration
Works made for hire are a great tool that every solo or small game developer should understand. They let you get around the problem (and also big benefit) that comes with copyright- if you make something, you own the copyright. Very rarely are video games made by just one person, they’re a multidisciplinary art form.…
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What Creators Should Know About the Copyright Claims Board
The copyright claims board is one of the biggest developments in copyright enforcement. It’s important for creators to understand what it is, especially since it benefits small creators so much. Copyright and other intellectual property rights are the lifeblood of the video game industry, video creation, writing, and any other creative work. Creating something takes…
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What is Intellectual Property? How to Protect Your Ideas and Works
If you’re an aspiring game developer or any other type of artist, you probably recognize that your creations are valuable to you. It’s your intellectual property! You have probably thought about protecting your ideas, and are wondering how to do that. While an idea on its own is fairly useless, you’ve worked hard on your…