Perhaps the biggest event of the year for computer and video game fans is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as “E3,” that takes place each summer at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 2012’s E3 will be taking place June 5-7. The first E3 in 1995 drew over 80,000 visitors who came to get a preview of forthcoming games and to see the latest in hardware developments.
The gathering has since changed to invite-only for industry professionals, but the buzz surrounding E3 has continued to grow nevertheless. Numerous media sites like IGN and Gamespot cover the event live, and one network, G4, even broadcasts live during the week of the event.
An important issue for E3 and the entity behind the expo, the Entertainment Software Association, is piracy and for good reason – some estimate the losses due to piracy amount to almost $10 billion a year worldwide. While methods to put a dollar amount on video game piracy vary widely, almost everyone agrees that piracy is widespread and continuing to grow. The problem that always remains is how to tackle it.
While here in the United States we have a legal system that helps companies put an end to intellectual property infringement, other countries, where piracy is more rampant, do not yet offer such protections. Eastern Europe, Russia and Southeast Asia are three areas of the world where piracy is widespread, but where law enforcement and court systems are often helpless to put an end to infringing activities.
American companies often find themselves unable to stop infringers overseas, as foreign courts may not be as responsive to the problem as those here. Even obtaining a judgment here in the US does not mean that law enforcement or justice systems overseas will honor that judgment. Alternatively, companies may be able to work with international groups like the World Intellectual Property Organization to monitor and combat piracy abroad.
Has your company faced copyright or trademark infringement activities from foreign companies? How did you address the problem?
Klein Trial Lawyers – Los Angeles business litigation attorneys