The VGBA 2021 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 in order 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
Tricia Legittino, Co-Chair Litigation and Employment Groups – FKKS

Jonathan Pearce and Alison Rothman will present some of the issues and current cases regarding Intellectual Property in games law.

Speakers:

Jonathan Pearce, Partner – SoCal IP Law Group
Alison Rothman, Partner – Morrison/Rothman

Wedbush Managing Director Equity Research, Michael Pachter will discuss game industry trends with VGBA Executive Director Joseph Olin

Speakers:

Michael Pachter, Managing Director Equity Research – Wedbush
Joseph Olin, Executive Director – VGBA

An update on critical issues effecting game developers, publishers and content creators.

Speakers:

Mark Phillips, Partner – Reedsmith
Steven Baik, Chief Legal Officer – KRAFTON Inc.

Please join the VGBA and Frankfurt Kurnit Klien & Selz for this special CLE webinar: Sean Kane and Viviane Scott take 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; Datat Breaches and Cybersecurity; Consideration for Remote Work; Candor and Investigation; Frivolous Claims; And much more! – This CLE Webinar will award 1 California Legal Ethics Credit and 1 New York Ethicsand Professionalism Credit.

Speakers:

Sean Kane, Co-Chair of the Interactive Entertainment Group – FKKS
Tyler Maulsby, Partner – FKKS

Moderator: Chrissie Scelsi, U.S. General Counsel Wargaming (USA), Inc. The VGBA 2021 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 in order 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
Tricia Legittino, Co-Chair Litigation and Employment Groups – FKKS

This panel will cover Pending EU Legislative changes that will affect the games industry led by Arne Ruhwinkel Attorney, and Leonie Schneider, Associate at Osborne Clarke, Cologne, Germany.

Speakers:

Arne Ruhwinkel, Attorney – Osborne Clarke
Leonie Schneider, Associate – Osborne Clarke

Join Ben Golant of the Entertainment Software Association and Christine Morgan of Reed Smith for the top litigation and Washington DC regulatory updates to keep an eye on as we head into 2022. Among the cases we’ll discuss is, of course, Epic Games v. Apple. But we’ll also cover recent trends in class action litigation against video game companies, and the anticipated increase in video game mechanic patent lawsuits in the wake of the development of the metaverse. On the regulatory front, we will touch on a variety of federal agency actions that have some bearing on the video game business.

Speakers:

Ben Golant, Chief Counsel – The Entertainment Software Association
Christine Morgan, Partner – Reed Smith

China, home to the world’s largest game market, is undergoing rapid regulatory change – from the techlash quashing of the Ant Financial initial public offering to a strict new data privacy law that draws heavily on Europe’s GDPR. Are these changes all part of Xi Jinping’s new “common prosperity” goal? Or are they overdue adjustments taken while the Communist Party has more flexibility following its success in controlling COVID-19 within its borders? What do these larger trends mean for the game industry and the success of your product in the Middle Kingdom? Join our panel of experts to find out…or to at least have fun talking about it.

Speakers:

Bill Bishop, Publisher – Sinocism China Newsletter
James Jen, General Manager – Wildlife Studios
Greg Pilarowski, Founder – Pillar Legal

Children’s Nightmares: Youth Protection, Online Harms and Privacy

Speakers:

Felix Hilgert, Partner – Osborne Clarke
Joe Newman, Technology Transactions Associate – Fenwick & West

In traditional sports leagues like the NFL, the main negotiations and conversations surround the teams and the players. However, in esports, someone actually owns the football. The publisher’s role in a major esports title does not start and stop at creating a fun and competitive game. From running and operating the league itself to making sure the mechanics of the game are balanced and fair, the publisher’s legal challenges are unique and unlike anything we have seen in years past. This panel will be a great introduction to esports for those new to the scene while also offering a deeper look for those who have spent too many hours dominating people in Call of Duty.

Speakers:

Ryan Morrison, Founding Partner – Morrison Rothman
Amber Howard, Head of Talent Management – TXG
Bryce Blum, Founding Partner – ESG Law
Krista Hiner, Partner – ESG Law

Moderator: Chrissie Scelsi, U.S. General Counsel Wargaming (USA), Inc. The VGBA 2021 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 in order 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 second panel will look at how Canada, Europe and other parts of the world are addressing these challenges?

Moderator:

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

Speakers:

Alexander Schlicht, Senior Associate – Osborne Clarke
Ryan Black, Partner – DLA Piper

Speakers:

Sean Kane, Co-Chair of the Interactive Entertainment Group – FKKS
Tyler Maulsby, Partner – FKKS

This panel will cover Pending EU Legislative changes that will affect the games industry led by Arne Ruhwinkel Attorney, and Leonie Schneider, Associate at Osborne Clarke, Cologne, Germany.

Speakers:

Arne Ruhwinkel, Attorney – Osborne Clarke
Leonie Schneider, Associate – Osborne Clarke

In traditional sports leagues like the NFL, the main negotiations and conversations surround the teams and the players. However, in esports, someone actually owns the football. The publisher’s role in a major esports title does not start and stop at creating a fun and competitive game. From running and operating the league itself to making sure the mechanics of the game are balanced and fair, the publisher’s legal challenges are unique and unlike anything we have seen in years past. This panel will be a great introduction to esports for those new to the scene while also offering a deeper look for those who have spent too many hours dominating people in Call of Duty.

Speakers:

Ryan Morrison, Founding Partner – Morrison Rothman

Join Ben Golant of the Entertainment Software Association and Christine Morgan of Reed Smith for the top litigation and Washington DC regulatory updates to keep an eye on as we head into 2022. Among the cases we’ll discuss is, of course, Epic Games v. Apple. But we’ll also cover recent trends in class action litigation against video game companies, and the anticipated increase in video game mechanic patent lawsuits in the wake of the development of the metaverse. On the regulatory front, we will touch on a variety of federal agency actions that have some bearing on the video game business.

Speakers:

Ben Golant, Chief Counsel – The Entertainment Software Association
Christine Morgan, Partner – Reed Smith

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.

Speakers:

Sunita Bali, Partner – Perkins Coie
Erin Earl, Counsel – Perkins Coie

This panel will cover Pending EU Legislative changes that will affect the games industry led by Arne Ruhwinkel Attorney, and Leonie Schneider, Associate at Osborne Clarke, Cologne, Germany.

Speakers:

Arne Ruhwinkel, Attorney – Osborne Clarke
Leonie Schneider, Associate – Osborne Clarke

China, home to the world’s largest game market, is undergoing rapid regulatory change – from the techlash quashing of the Ant Financial initial public offering to a strict new data privacy law that draws heavily on Europe’s GDPR. Are these changes all part of Xi Jinping’s new “common prosperity” goal? Or are they overdue adjustments taken while the Communist Party has more flexibility following its success in controlling COVID-19 within its borders? What do these larger trends mean for the game industry and the success of your product in the Middle Kingdom? Join our panel of experts to find out…or to at least have fun talking about it.

Speakers:

Bill Bishop, Publisher – Sinocism China Newsletter
James Jen, General Manager – Wildlife Studios
Greg Pilarowski, Founder – Pillar Legal

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.

Speakers:

Sunita Bali, Partner – Perkins Coie
Erin Earl, Counsel – Perkins Coie

Jonathan Pearce and Alison Rothman will present some of the issues and current cases regarding Intellectual Property in games law.

Speakers:

Jonathan Pearce, Partner – SoCal IP Law Group
Alison Rothman, Partner – Morrison/Rothman