Neal Stephenson coined the term “metaverse” in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, where it referred to a 3D virtual world inhabited by avatars of real people, sometimes facilitated by the use of virtual and augmented reality devices, which would blur the barrier between online and offline.
Although digital consumption was already rising before the Covid-19 outbreak, the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated this trend. In this context, the gaming industry is one of the wealthiest of all entertainment industries, with revenues projected to reach $159.3 billion in 2020 by the Newzoo 2020 Global Games Market Report and experts don’t see growth taking
Legal risks and implications of hyper-realistic videogames Read More »
by Giulio Coraggio, Vincenzo Giuffrè and Micaela Jerusalmi The Esports market has been booming over the last years and the recent Covid-19 strict regulations impacting the sports sector and imposing social distancing have greatly increased the focus on Esports competitions so far. Even with this scenario, the legal challenges for global Esports online platforms and
Cheating in Esports tournaments – legal arguments for discouraging bad players Read More »
By Vincenzo Giuffrè and Lara Mastrangelo The growth of revenues generated by the esports industry is leading to new legal issues that are likely to be addressed with different solutions in 2020. Esports monetization will be driven by pay-per-view streaming The esports sector has traditionally drawn its revenues from sponsorships, media rights, and advertising. However,
Top 3 Legal Predictions on eSports for 2020 Read More »
The Italian Communication Authority (AGCOM) recently adopted a regulation on the age rating of audiovisual works on the internet and videogames (the “Regulation”).The new rating system aims at ensuring the right balance between the protection of minors on the one hand, and the freedom of expression and art on the other hand. The Regulation was drafted in compliance with international standards and best practices, such as the most widespread rating systems, among which the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) that is accepted in most European countries.In this article we focus on the new videogame age rating system.
Video Gaming: new regulations on age rating systems in Italy Read More »
The eSports market has grown at a tremendous pace over the past few years becoming a half billion dollar industry and it is quickly seducing an increasing number of fans, operators and investors. Beside the huge growth, the industry is rapidly evolving, going from content consumed largely through streaming platforms to network-backed streaming services.
The eSports law booklet from the Italian IPT team of DLA Piper covers a number of current and upcoming legal issues of eSports and how to deal with them in order to help companies operating in the market to better understand the issues that are arising and to which the eSports industry in some cases does not still have a good answer.
DLA Piper eSports law booklet Read More »
How to limit the risk of eDoping and avoid potential sanctions and enforcements in eSports? What solutions shall be adopted in terms of cybersecurity?The eSports market has grown at a tremendous pace over the past few years becoming a half billion dollar industry. Competition between players is at the highest levels and marginal gains can make the difference between winning and losing. Cheating is therefore a high temptation for many players.Some of such players are going for “eDoping”. This is not the classic doping to strengthen physical and concentrations potential, but it refers to the fixing of the machines used for the tournaments.
The eSports industry has undergone a massive growth in the recent years hitting a record market revenue of almost $1 billion. Blockchain technology could foster even more the huge market growth building trust, adding transparency and introducing new business models. Here is a brief overview of its applications and legal challenges.
Blockchain: the real fuel for eSports Read More »
There are a number of copyright issues related to the choreography of an eSports game. In these days the first (and most important) regards the protection of choreographic elements (i.e. a dance) which could appear in videogames. In Europe and in the USA, a choreographic work is protected by copyright. This is why an extended series of dances moves that is original to its creator can be protected by copyright. The above explains the law suits recently filed in the USA at the end of 2018 by several individuals in connection with famous Fortnite videogame.
If you are not familiar with Fortnite, players can buy (or earn) emotes, short avatar animations who can replicate generic acrobatic moves and dances. The Fortnite Loser Dance (so called L Dance) become famous thanks to the French soccer player Griezmann, who used this theme after scoring in the last World Cup 2018 final against Croatia.
eSports and Copyright between choreographies and UGC Read More »
Loot box regulation is a hot topic in a variety of regions. The attention over loot boxes began when a number of video games started to incorporate gaming micro-transactions for chance-based items within the game.
Previously, video games were sold as a stand-alone product and the interaction between players and the developers of the game existed only and to the extent players would have bought a sequel or an expansion pack of the video game.
Loot boxes and its regulatory implications Read More »
The eSports industry is in a period of rapid growth, but the growth of a market often leads to legal issues and obstacles that need to be overcome in order to achieve its potentials.
There is at the moment a range of legal and business issues where eSports need a more comprehensive approach involving learnt lessons from the sports and the gambling sectors.
Below are our top 3 predictions on the legal issues that will affect the eSports industry in 2019.
Top 3 predictions for eSports in 2019 Read More »
This article brings news on new UK alternative dispute resolution procedure to handle disputes with players and the listing plans of the Czech lottery operator Sazka.
UK gambling alternative dispute resolution and Sazka’s IPO plans Read More »
The Swedish gambling offshore promotion ban and a German ruling on the legal status of a gambling debt.
Swedish offshore gambling promotion ban and German gambling debt case Read More »
The upcoming Australian advertising restrictions for online gambling operators and the ongoing negotiations between Nintendo and emulator websites.
Online gambling advertising restrictions in Australia and Nintendo lawsuit Read More »
The rejection of the settlement between CG Technologies and the Nevada Gaming Commission and the £ 1.15 M fine of UK Gambling Commission against Camelot.
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