-
-
Case Review
-
Recent Posts
Categories
Archives
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
Tag Archives: intellectual property law
Last week’s big news on the video game front was the release of BioWare’s final game in the Mass Effect trilogy for Windows, the Xbox360 and the PlayStation3. There is perhaps no better example than Mass Effect 3 of the extensive development and reach of a popular video game today. The game itself builds upon the versions that came before. While newcomers can pick right up with Mass Effect 3, if you have played the previous two versions, you can import your past characters into the third installment, allowing the game to customize its dialogue and storyline for the time you already put into the series. The Mass Effect series extends far beyond the original series, though. It has spawned three spin-offs that play on Apple’s mobile devices. There have been five novels written on the series and seven comics. A Japanese anime film of the video games is set…
Read More »
2012 may shape up to be the most important year yet in terms of intellectual property law developments during the Internet Age. A month into the new year, we have already seen major developments. On January 18, we had the Wednesday that Wikipedia and other popular websites shut down in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (“SOPA”) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (“PIPA”). The protests from technology companies and users seemed to have worked, as both the Senate and the House Judiciary Committee canceled forthcoming action regarding the bills. This likely means that the bills – at least in their controversial forms – will not be moving forward. This does not mean, however, that copyright laws will stay put. The same day as the protests, January 18, California representative Darrell Issa introduced the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (it goes by “OPEN”). Several Californian members…
Read More »
Posted in Copyright, Intellectual Property
Tagged copyright infringement, intellectual property law, open, pipa, sopa
Leave a comment
Since the Atari 2600 became the first widespread successful home video game console in 1977, the video game industry has to come affect most Americans, with almost three-fourths of all households playing video games of some sort. Worldwide, the video game industry generations $25.1 billion in sales and an increasing percentage of sales (about a fourth now) are digital. The video game industry employs tens of thousands of employees (almost half of which are in California), which is unsurprising given that the video game industry involves all aspects of intellectual property law. Copyrights protect the games themselves. When software piracy is discussed, this means copyright infringement, as video games are works of expression that receive copyright protection just as novels and paintings do. Trademarks cover video game companies’ logos and names. Trademarks also come into play with video games that are becoming more and more realistic, since companies often try…
Read More »