Interactive Media and Video Games

Interactive Media
The Firm understands the importance of protecting and managing digital media content, whether through traditional server-based distribution mechanisms, or over peer-to-peer networks. The Firm’s interactive and digital media practice has broad depth in content and multimedia licensing, distribution, and marketing matters, including advising clients in connection with advertising and other revenue generation transactions, software and hardware bundling transactions, content licensing transactions for Internet and mobile platforms, co-marketing transactions and co-branding transactions.

Video Games
The Firm is uniquely suited to add strategic value to companies in the business of video games.  The Firm’s video games practice possesses broad and extensive experience in transactions involving intellectual property protection and exploitation, Internet best practices (such as COPPA safe-harbor protection and online game privacy policies and terms of use), video game publishing, development, distribution, merchandising and co-marketing agreements, and the legal issues related to the use and trade of virtual goods.

The Firm’s video games practice handles some of the most high-profile and complex deals in the industry. 

Representative clients and transactions include:

• Representation of Metaplace, Inc., a privately held social gaming technology and game design company, in its formation, financing transactions and sale to Playdom, a leading social gaming company.
• Representation of Runic Games, Inc., an interactive game developer, including the negotiation of an MMO publishing agreement with Perfect World Entertainment, Inc. and various digital distribution agreements
• Representation of Runic Games, Inc., in $8.4 million majority interest purchase by Perfect World, a Chinese game publisher and developer.
• Representation of Cryptic Studios, Inc., developers of Star Trek Online, regarding COPPA compliance and legal issues related to virtual goods transactions
• Representation of Riot Games, Inc., an interactive game developer, in connection with agreements with prominent and recognizable European and Asian publishers
• Representation of Curse, Inc., one of the largest video game portal sites on the Internet
• Representation of Big Red Button Entertainment, Inc., a video game start-up founded by legendary video game developer, Bob Rafei
• Representation of True Games Interactive, Inc., including negotiation of various syndication partnership agreements and freemium MMO publishing agreements
• Representation of Metaplace, Inc., a virtual worlds start-up founded by renowned video game developer, Raph Koster
• Representation of Raptr, a social platform for the interactive gamer founded in 2007 by Xfire co-founder and world champion gamer Dennis Fong
• Representation of Ping0, LLC, an online game hosting provider, in founding Ireland-based affiliate for strategic global tax purposes
• Representation of Flagship Studios, Inc., a video game developer composed of the co-founders of Blizzard North, including in connection with agreements with Namco Bandai Games America, Inc., Electronic Arts, Inc. and Live Gamer, Inc.
• Representation of 1C Company, a Russian developer, publisher and distributor of video games
• Representation of several Hollywood studios and IP owners in the negotiation of video game licenses for film properties, including Alexander, Terminator, Peter Pan and Hellboy