Posts
Case: Romantics v. Activision (E.D.Mich) – Publicity
The re-performance of a song for use in a video game pursuant to a non-exclusive synchronization license does not, without more, violate the original artists’ right of publicity, even if the artists…
Article: Hey, that’s MY game!
Ever wonder what the basic principles are for protecting your video game based on intellectual property law? Steve and I wrote this article, recently published on Gamasutra, that provides a brief introduction…
Case: MGA v Ubisoft (Settled)
From IP Law360: MGA Entertainment, makers of the popular Bratz dolls, will hand over $13.2 million to video game company Ubisoft Entertainment, after an arbitrator ruled that Ubisoft had not violated the…
News: Man saves lives playing AMERICA’S ARMY
Ok, “saves lives” may be a bit of an exaggeration, but what is true is that a North Carolina man assisted passengers from an SUV he saw flip on a highway, using…
News: MMOGs on the rise
The trend continues, and MMOGs are getting even more popular. Here are a couple recent articles that you might find of interest: From WIRED, this article discusses three new MMOGs being released…
News: Chinese lawsuit over virtual goods
As reported by Virtually Blind, Shanda, developer of MMORPG The World of Legend, has been ordered to pay 5,000 Yuan (US $679) and apologize to a gamer for taking away his virtual…
Case Update: Lonestar v. Nintendo (E.D.Tex.)
Lonestar Inventions LP v. Nintendo of America Inc., case no. 6:07-cv-00261 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. This lawsuit between patent-holding company Lonestar Inventions LP and gaming…
News: Second Life CTO resigns
Sorry I’ve been radio silent for a while. Life has been busy, you know how it goes… In any event, it appears that Cory Ondrejka, employee No. 4 at San Francisco-based Linden…
Case: CBC v. Major League Baseball
C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing, Inc. v. Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P., et al. — F.3d —, 2007 WL 2990366, 84 U.S.P.Q.2d 1328 (8th Cir. 2007) In a much watched case, on…
Case: MicroUnity v. SCEA Settles
Word on the street is that MicroUnity and Sony Computer Entertainment America have settled their ongoing patent dispute regarding Sony’s PlayStation products. The two companies have asked for a 30-day stay of…
News: Second Life IP theft lawsuit
More Second Life news: As reported in the New York Post, a half-dozen entrepreneurs are suing a Queens man, charging him with counterfeiting and selling versions of their products. Here’s the catch:…
News: Change in Second Life ownership policy???
As originally reported on Terra Nova, Linden Labs appears to have made a potentially significant change to the wording on its home page. The home page used to read:“Second Life is a…
News: Potential DMCA fair use relief on the way?
As reported on GamePolitics.com, Later today the ECA will announce its support for HR1201, known as the Fair Use Act of 2007. The proposed legislation will give consumers limited rights to circumvent…
Michigan Law School – First Impressions’ Symposium
Well it’s not strictly video game IP law, but it certainly applies to video games and explores, in view of KSR, how easy it may or may not be to obtain patent…
News: Microsoft spins off Bungie Studios
Well its old news by now, but in case you haven’t heard, Microsoft and Bungie announced on Friday that Bungie has split off from Microsoft, becoming an independent entity. Bungie will still…
Second Life ToS: Leave your patents at home
Ok, I’ve spent the better part of two evenings finishing the campaign mode in Halo 3, so it’s about time to come out of my self-induced Halo 3 fog. A colleague of…
Day of rest in honor of Halo 3
Hey everyone, I was on vacation last week, so there were no new posts last week. As for this week, in honor of Halo 3, there will be no post this week…
Case: Frosty Treats v. Sony [T]
Frosty Treats Inc. v. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. 426 F.3d 1001 (8th Cir. 2005) I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream! Sony was sued over its use of…
U.S. Patent No. 5,482,289: Method of Playing a BINGO Game with Progressive Jackpot
United States Patent No. 5,482,289 Method of Playing a BINGO Game with Progressive Jackpot Issued on January 9, 1996 to Gary Weingardt and assigned to Gary Weingardt Trust. Summary: In case you…
Case Update: MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. et al
MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. et al.United States District Court, District of ArizonaCase No. 2:2006cv02555, Filed October 25, 2006 On October 25, 2006, MDY Industries, LLC (“MDY”) filed a declaratory…