Joseph Olin, Executive Director – VGBA

The 2022 Summit will kick off with a look at the various legal issues involved in planning to return employees in gaming and interactive entertainment to the office. What will it be like? Do employees have to be vaccinated to return? Do they have to wear masks? What about free food and snacks? How do we hold meetings? While these and other legal questions about returning to the office are hardly limited to the U.S., this first panel will focus on the variations between federal and state law across the U.S., as well as state versus local laws, and all the gray areas in between the regulations (or lack thereof). But seriously, will there be snacks at the office?

Moderator:

Chrissie Scelsi, U.S. General Counsel – Wargaming (USA), Inc.

Speakers:

Ann Marie Painter, Firmwide Chair, Labor & Employment Practice – Perkins Coie

Morgan Forsey, Partner – Sheppard Mullin

As connected games and mobile experiences collect increasing amounts of data, user data, and personally identifiable information, the more liable game developers and publishers become in terms of safe-guarding that information. Compliance with government privacy guidelines also becomes a crucial matter for the continued survival of the game industry. This session looks at where data comes from, defense, legal countermeasures, and response to data breaches, cross-border privacy, and children-specific privacy regulations and best practices.

Moderator:

Joe Newman, Counsel – Tyz Law

Speakers:

Stacy Feuer, Senior Vice President Privacy Certified – Entertainment Software Ratings Board

Brandi Taylor, Partner – Eversheds Sunderland

Benjamin Docquir, Partner – Osborne Clarke

The global Pandemic appeared to be the catalyst that threw the world of interactive entertainment into a non-stop series of acquisitions of both large and small proportions. This section will review and discuss the business and legal trends in the financing of games and game companies in recent M&A.

Moderator:

Ryan Black, Partner – DLA Piper Vancouver

Speakers:

Greg Roussel, Partner – Latham & Watkins

Tom Ara, Partner – DLA Piper San Francisco

Panel will cover an array of legal issues that arise with Blockchain Games, NFTs and Metaverses:

• IP protection, licensing and enforcement
• Securities and Sanctions Issues
• Money Laundering
• Gambling
• Effective Terms of Service and Governance

Moderator:

Jim Gatto, Partner – Sheppard Mullin

Speakers:

Will Conley, Associate – Perkins Coie

Jeremy S. Goldman, Partner – Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

Ira Lam, General Counsel – Superlayer Labs

As the game industry continues worldwide growth, publishers and developers seek to sell games to—and operate in—foreign territories. Understanding the legal framework for those regions, as well as the regulatory climate, market size, and consumer landscape is a key requirement for the modern interactive entertainment attorney.

Presenters:

Konstantin “Konni” Ewald, Partner – Osborne Clarke Germany
Tom Harding, Partner – Osborne Clarke United Kingdom
Ryan Black, Partner – DLA Piper Vancouver

Joseph Olin, Executive Director – VGBA

This panel will overview current and pending issues regarding Intellectual Property and Copyright within the world of games and interactive entertainment.

Moderator:

Jonathan Pearce, Partner – SoCal Intellectual Property Group

Speakers:

Adam Sullivan, General Counsel – Square Enix Corporation

Chris Ponder, Partner – Sheppard Mullin

Tyson Gratton, Partner – DLA Piper Vancouver

Tyler Maulsby takes a deep dive into the ethical – or not so ethical – world of lawyers depicted in video games. The presenters will review clips of some video games’ most famous lawyer characters and analyze those characters’ conduct under the ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Based on an array of specific ABA Model Rules, the program will contrast the often-question antics of lawyer characters in video games with real-life case examples.

Topics include:

• internet-Based Scams
• Data Breaches and Cybersecurity
• Consideration for Remote Work
• Candor and Investigation
• Frivolous Claims

This CL will award 1 California Legal Ethics Credit and 1 New York Ethics and Professionalism Credit.

Presenter:

Tyler Maulsby, Partner – Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

Frances Jensen, Associate – Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

This session will cover biometrics and related legal issues – especially BIPA and other state biometrics laws focusing on the issues specifically seen in XR (extended reality) products in development that may be relying on voice and/or facial recognition technologies and on the tracking of hand movements.

Presenter:

Tyler Newby, Partner – Fenwick & West

Litigation is a keystone for precedents in the games business, and in this lively session, expert industry litigators review recent actions, with discussion of the ramifications and outcomes that every game lawyer should take into consideration.

Co-Presenters:

Marc E. Mayer, Partner – Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp
Karin G. Pagnanelli, Partner – Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp

Join a conversation on the Metaverse. The Metaverse may just sound like the buzz word de jour but in its most ambitious incarnations the Metaverse aims to reinvent commerce, IP ownership, integrity and host of other important issues.

Moderator:

Janna Smith, Lead Counsel – Meta Reality Labs

Speakers:

Michael Cheng, Dapper Labs

Felix Hilgert, Partner – Osborne Clarke

Debbie Rosenbaum, Director & Associate General Counsel – Metaverse

As the game industry continues worldwide growth, publishers and developers seek to sell games to—and operate in—foreign territories. Understanding the legal framework for those regions, as well as the regulatory climate, market size, and consumer landscape is a key requirement for the modern interactive entertainment attorney.

Moderator:

Robert Quiles, Associate – Hanson Bridgett

Speakers:

Natalie Camacho, Associate – Morisson/Rothman

Oliver Shapiro, Business Affairs – United Talent Agency

Ryan Fairchild, Of Counsel – Odin Law