Mythology holds that videogames were birthed by garage hackers in a world of uninhibited creative freedom. This makes the reality that games actually inhabit a regulatory world all that much more difficult to understand or accept. Whether or not we choose to acknowledge it, games and interactive entertainment are currently heavily regulated. In-house counsel and video game lawyers constantly have to untangle layer after layer of un-harmonized laws and regulations to have their creations and services reach global audiences. Mostly, these mechanisms of legal oversight are tone-deaf to videogames, as they are rarely designed or implemented with interactive entertainment in mind, or where they are, they are likely to be the reactionary result of a moral panic. This edition of MTJG will focus on the nature and scope of the game industry’s legal constraints, with a particular focus on controversial pending legislation and regulation.

 

Draft Agenda

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Cloud Gaming

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• Leigh Ann Lucero, Assistant General Counsel, Gaming, Microsoft

• David  Michels, CCLS Cloud Project

• Tamara Sakolchyk, Head of Legal & Business Practice, Wargaming

• Dr Andreas Lober, Partner, Beiten Burkhardt

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Intellectual Property Law

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• Gordon Humphrey, Chairperson First Board of Appeal, Board of Appeal, EUIPO

• Arty Rajendra, Partner, Osborne Clarke

• Gwilym Roberts, Partner, Killburn & Strode

• Scott Kelly, Partner, Banner & Witcoff

• Professor Jon Festinger, UBC & CCLS, QMUL

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The Digital Single Market Directive

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• Kostantin Ewald, Partner, Osborne Clarke

• Sabina Tzakova, EU Commission Copyright Unit

• Kostya Lobov, Senior Associate, Harbottle and Lewis

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Virtual Property

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• Professor Ted Castronova, Professor of Media, Indiana University

• Dr Michaela McDonald, Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London

 

IP in Practice - In-House Perspectives

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• Dimiter Gantchev, Creative Industries Director, WIPO

• Leonard Bendel, European General Counsel, ZeniMax Europe

• Rafal Kloczko, Chief Counsel, CD PROJEKT RED

• Darya Firsavia, Head of Intellectual Property, Senior Counsel, Wargaming (tbc)

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The Power of Games and Immersive Technologies 

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• Professor Andrew Phelps, University of Canterbury

• Professor Mia Consalvo, Canada Research Chair in Game Studies & Design, Concordia University

• Dr Kim Voll, Co-Founder, Stray Bombay Company

• Elise Lemarie, Director of Operations, Rovio Entertainment Corporation

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The DCMS Selected Committee Report

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• Lord Clement Jones, CBE

• Professor Lorna Woods, University of Essex

• Kelvin Plomer, Director of Player Experience, Jagex

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The EU Regulatory Framework

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• Paul Gardner, Partner, Wiggin

• Tom Harding, Partner, Osborne Clarke

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Competition Law

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• Maria Ioannidou, Senior Lecturer in Competition Law, CCLS

• Andrea Rizzi, Partner, Insight Studio Legale

• Sean Kane, Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit

• Sara Bacchio, Case Handler, European Commission

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Age Verification and Parental Controls

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• Professor Julia Hornle, Professor of Internet Law, CCLS, QMUL

• Dr Willy Duhen, Senior Manager, Legal - International, Activision Blizzard

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Accommodation is available at Club Quarters Lincoln’s Inn Fields

For exclusive prices and booking information please contact mtjg@qmul.ac.uk