Search Results for: gaming

Blockchain: the real fuel for eSports

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.

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Loot boxes and its regulatory implications

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.

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Top 5 takeaways from DLA Piper event on Italian privacy dawn raids

Italian privacy dawn raids are a hot topic and being prepared to them is crucial, especially given the potential fines provided by the GDPR. Here are the main takeaways from our event on the matter.

On the 1st of March 2019, DLA Piper had the pleasure to host – together with AIGI – an event on Italian privacy dawn raids that had as main speaker, Mr. Marco Menegazzo, the head of the department of the tax police in charge of privacy dawn raids, supporting the Italian data protection authority (the Garante) on their performance.

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eSports between Italian prize promotion and gambling rules

eSports tournaments can be subject to stringent restrictions under Italian prize promotion and gambling rules if adequate solutions are not adopted.

The eSports market is rapidly growing and the data below show a massive boost from 2012 up to now in 2019 $ 130 million to $ 1,187 million, with a further fast increase in the coming years.

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Use of excerpts of videogames and eSports competitions without the right holder’s consent: is it fair use (or the Princess is in another castle)?

Publications sharing tips on how to complete videogames and maximise bonuses might increase with the expansion of the eSport competitions. The same applies to platforms streaming videogames alone or together with eSport actions of the various players. Yet are these activities possible without the right holders’ consent?

Under Italian law, videogames are protected as a whole as copyright works like movies, whilst their frames could be protected as simple photographies (with protection lasting 20 years from their publication). Following a different opinion, videogame frames could be excluded from protection, as they may considered similar to documents, as provided by Art. 87, last sentence of the Italian Copyright Law (ICL).

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Ispezioni privacy – cosa aspettarsi e come essere pronti?

Parleremo di ispezioni privacy e di come prepararsi alle stesse l’1 marzo da DLA Piper con il Colonnello Marco Menegazzo ed esperti del settore.

La sanzione di € 50 milioni emessa di recente dal Garante privacy francese, il CNIL, si è rivelata come un campanello di allarme per le società. Ad oltre 9 mesi dall’inizio dell’applicabilità del GDPR, i garanti europei stanno emettendo le prime sanzioni ai sensi del Regolamento privacy europeo e gli importi possono essere molto elevati.

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eSports: a new frontier for the advertising law and image rights?

eSports competitions have recently become a trend topic among sports and gaming lovers.

An ever-growing number of major sports leagues and pro young players are getting involved in this global competitive industry, together with an increasing turnover. By 2020, eSports is predicted to become a billion-dollar industry.

This explosive growth of digital sports championships captured the attention of many leading companies – operating in various lines of business – which are gradually approaching this new phenomenon by investing into eSports in the hope of targeting its relevant audience.

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Top 3 predictions for eSports in 2019

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.

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Loot boxes reviewed by the US Federal Trade Commission and in Australia

The Australian Senate Environment and Communications References Committee advised the Australian Government to undertake a comprehensive review of loot boxes within video games. The report published by Australian Authorities noted that loot boxes are “not a homogeneous entity” and there are many different iterations of the mechanic.However, a range of stakeholders, including regulatory agencies and academics, referred to the committee that loot boxes should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. In this respect, it should be considered that there are a number of types of loot boxes available in video games.

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