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Lawsuits

No Doubt v. Activision Publishing, Inc.

No Doubt v. Activision Publishing, Inc. 192 Cal. App. 4th 1018 (Cal. Ct. App. 2011)   In 2009 Activision formed an agreement with the band No Doubt to use some of their…

192 Cal. App. 4th 1018 California Court of Appeals No Doubt No Doubt v. Activision Publishing Inc.
Lawsuits

Worlds Inc. v. Bungie, Inc.

Worlds Inc. v. Bungie, Inc. 903 F.3d 1237 (Fed Cir. 2018) Back in September 2018, the Federal Circuit reversed the PTAB decision to invalidate U.S. Patent Nos. 7,945,856, 8,082,501, and 8,145,988 because…

7945856 8082501 8145988 903 F.3d 1237
Patent Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 9,266,022: System to pause a game console whenever an object enters an exclusion zone

U.S. Patent No. 9,266,022: System to pause a game console whenever an object enters an exclusion zone Issued February 23, 2016, to David Paul Pasqualone Priority Date August 21, 2012   Summary:…

9266022 motion controls patent system to pause a game console whenever an object enters an exclusion zone
Patent Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 9,669,291: System and method to facilitate moves in a word game

U.S. Patent No. 9,669,291: System and method to facilitate moves in a word game Issued June 6, 2017, to Zynga, Inc. Priority Date May 31, 2011   Summary: U.S. Patent No. 9,669,291…

9669291 patent scrabble System and method to facilitate moves in a word game
Lawsuits

Take-Two Interactive Software v. Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. v. Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, Inc. United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Filed January 11, 2019, NYSD-1-19-cv-00338 On January 11, 2019, Take-Two Interactive…

NYSD-1-19-cv-00338 Pinkerton Red Dead Redemption 2 Southern District of New York
Lawsuits

Supercell OY v. GREE, Inc.

Supercell OY v. GREE, Inc. PGR2018-00008 Filed November 7, 2017, Decided January 2, 2019 On January 2, 2019, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board issued a final written decision in a post-grant…

35 USC 101 9597594 patent PGR2018-00008
Patent Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 9,005,033: Game movie maker

U.S. Patent No. 9,005,033: Game movie maker Issued April 14, 2015, to Sony Interactive Entertainment America, LLC Priority date April 11, 2008 Summary: U.S. Patent No. 9,005,033 (the ‘033 Patent) describes a…

9005033 Game movie maker patent sony interactive entertainment
Lawsuits

Update – Bethesda settles with Warner Bros. over Westworld Game

Bethesda Softworks LLC v. Behaviour Interactive, Inc., et al United States District Court for the District of Maryland Docket No. 8:18-cv-01846-RWT, filed June 21, 2018 Back in June 2018, Bethesda Softworks filed…

8:18-cv-01846-RWT Bethesda Softworks LLC v. Behaviour Interactive Inc. et al Copyright copyright infringement
Lawsuits

Baker v. Epic Games

Baker v. Epic Games, Inc. United States District Court for the Central District of California Filed January 23, 2019, Case: 2:19-cv-00505   On January 23, 2019, James Baker, a.k.a. BlocBoy JB was…

2:19-cv-00505 Baker v. Epic Games Central District of California Copyright
Lawsuits

Orange Shirt Kid is the latest viral dancer to sue Epic

Rachel McCumbers v. Epic Games, Inc. et al United States District Court for the Central District of California Filed January 11, 2019, CACD-2-19-cv-00260 Yet another person has filed a lawsuit against Epic…

CACD-2-19-cv-00260 Central District of California Copyright copyright infringement
Patent Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 8,858,330: Music video game with virtual drums

U.S. Patent No. 8,858,330: Music video game with virtual drums Issued October 14, 2014, to Activision Publishing, Inc. Priority Date July 14, 2008 Summary: U.S. Patent No. 8,858,330 (the ‘330 Patent) describes…

8858330 activision music Music video game with virtual drums
Analysis

Law Review: A History of US Video Game Litigation

We’re proud to announce that the Patent Arcade’s own, Ross Dannenberg & Josh Davenport, have published a new law review article on the history of US video game litigation, including analysis of…

Articles Copyright Law Review litigation
Misc

Square Enix is hiring

Square Enix is looking for a new Associate Counsel for its Los Angeles office. They’re seeking a junior-level attorney (2+ years experience) to help manage legal matters for its video game publishing…

Jobs
Patent Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 8,851,993: Game device, game method, non-transitory storage medium encoded with computer readable program for controlling game device, and game system, allowing for fun in tactics and enhanced zest of game

U.S. Patent No. 8,851,993: Game device, game method, non-transitory storage medium encoded with computer readable program for controlling game device, and game system, allowing for fun in tactics and enhanced zest of…

8851993 allowing for fun in tactics and enhanced zest of game and game system Game device
Lawsuits

Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC et al.

Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC et al.Supreme Court of the United States On January 8th, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Fourth Estate…

Copyright Copyright Office Copyright Registration Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC et al.
News

Games Industry Law Summit 2019 Legal Challenge is now open!

Calling all law students! The Games Industry Law Summit 2019 Legal Challenge is now open for registration. Teams are welcome from around the world. Finalists are invited to attend the 2019 Games…

MootCourt
News

Video Games With Advanced Communications Services Must Now Be Accessible to Players With Disabilities.

Courtesy of our friends Sean Kane and Greg Boyd over at: An important legal waiver recently expired and as a result, video game developers and publishers must now ensure that new and…

Patent Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 8,821,260: System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user

U.S. Patent No. 8,821,260: System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user Issued September 2, 2014, to Kabam Inc. Priority Date November 6, 2012 Summary: U.S. Patent No. 8,821,260 describes…

8821260 patent System and method for granting in-game bonuses to a user
Lawsuits

Hillside Licensing LLC v. Valve Corp

Hillside Licensing LLC v. Valve Corp United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Filed November 29, 2018, Case No. 2:18-cv-01717-BJR On November 29, 2018, Hillside Licensing LLC filed a…

2:18-cv-01717-BJR 7827236 Hillside Licensing LLC v. Valve Corp patent
Lawsuits

CERT ALERT: Supreme Court to revisit scandalous trademarks (Iancu v. Brunetti)

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the federal government can refuse to grant legal protection to a trademark because officials find it to be vulgar or lewd. Taking up a…

Iancu v. Brunetti Trademarks U.S. Supreme Court