With the swelling popularity of video gaming, particularly Esport’s breakout, a new client base emerges. This opportunity for lawyers continues to grow as more gaming startups and content creators add to the bulk of the unrepresented.
However, these small businesses couldn’t afford the fees of larger firms. On the other hand, a video game lawyer doesn’t have the luxury of attending to every client in the world. Hence, the demand for more gaming attorneys surged recently and would continue to rise in the years to come.
Working on the legal side of the gaming industry would help a lot of starters. Moreover, it’s a booming niche where you could earn more than enough while enjoying the work you do if you are also fascinated with games.
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The Scope Of The Video Game Law
Video Game Law is a division that specializes in video games and legal concerns related to it. Some individuals who see gaming can easily dismiss it as mere entertainment with the only goal of producing a hobby and a fad. But for everyone involved, the industry is home to a vast world of genres, platforms, audiences, and opportunities.
As a video game attorney, it is your duty to protect every new idea created by these startups using the archaic laws surrounding the area of practice. Your job involves more because the context of video games begets tons of contracts, provisions, and arguments. To better understand, here are common concerns game companies would entrust to you.
Trademark Of App, Game, Or Company Name
Copyright and trademark are crucial elements of intellectual property law. Someone who’s at the starting phase of a business should think of how they can secure their creative ideas. A way to understand the process is through an attorney familiar with the patent, copyright, and trademark laws of the land.
Draft Terms Of Service And Privacy Policies
While generalists can draft T’s and C’s for your business, privacy policy could be a tricky and dangerous part. As such, it is safer to hire a video game attorney to protect your business from the complex concepts and by-laws involving user data.
NDA or Independent Contractor Agreements
As most startups hire freelancers, they must protect all matters deemed confidential with a non-disclosure agreement. For game applications, the draft should include some specifics, and therefore should be consulted only to someone specializing in video game laws.
While the above legal matters are the usual concerns of video game lawyers, some big cases might still fall on your desk. A few samples may relate to defending a company against IP infringement allegations or litigating lawsuits to the federal court.
Some major lawsuits would be in your best interest to follow. Apart from the exciting turn of events, such cases could improve your skills and knowledge as a neophyte.
One of them is the exciting court battle between tech giants Apple Inc. and Epic Games. This civil lawsuit is still a pending case litigated by Epic Games. In August 2020, Epic implemented a direct payment system that bypasses Apple’s 30 percent commission. This even gained the ire of Apple, kicking Epic from the App Store for breaking its rules.
Do You Want To Become A Video Game Lawyer
The video game law profession is a fulfilling career for people who play games and would like to make a change. Everyone’s welcome to join, and hopefully, part of the reason is for the betterment of the gaming industry.
