Video games are no longer just a niche in the entertainment industry. Frequently, they are huge productions whose budgets exceed those of the biggest films. In recent years, the gaming industry has even overtaken Hollywood in terms of revenue. This spectacular growth has meant that game producers are faced with increasingly complex problems, often where business and the law meet.
Creating a video game these days, even an indie game, entails numerous legal issues, particularly concerning intellectual property. Computer games often involve multiple storylines set in vast imaginary worlds created especially for them that are composed of copyright-protected works - including the script, animation, music, graphics, and more. Some games recreate reality so exactly that in them we come across familiar objects such as cars, weapons, clothing, works of art and existing buildings, any of which can bear the trademark or an advertisement of a global brand. Game production, then, is quite a challenge in terms of intellectual property.
We have the knowledge and expertise needed to provide comprehensive legal assistance on the most complex video game production projects. Our experience advising a leading game publisher, as well as film producers, actors, musicians and software houses on numerous productions, is your guarantee of the effectiveness of our work.
Experience
we represented a leading computer game publisher in a dispute with the author of the books on which the storyline of the game was based,
we provided comprehensive assistance on the production of Poland’s largest audio production,
we represented the heirs of a well-known Polish writer in disputes over unlawful film adaptations of the author’s stories,
we have created licence agreements and economic copyright transfer agreements concerning complex television productions, multimedia works, films and computer programs,
we legally insured the possibility of using the image of a well-known actor in a computer game as an ‘avatar’,
we advise a leading Polish computer game producer on an ongoing basis
we have prepared and issued opinions on licence agreements for the exploitation of work, including End User License Agreements.
