Copyright and Video Game Clones: Battle Royale of the Battles Royale

–Join the CSUSA Northern California Chapter for–

Copyright and Video Game Clones:

Battle Royale of the Battles Royale

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

What features of a video game does copyright protect? How much can one game borrow from another? Can a mod even be infringed? Is “re-skinning” enough to avoid liability? 

Join the Northern California chapter of the Copyright Society of the USA for a lively panel discussion of these and other questions in the context of the ongoing lawsuit between the publishers of Player Unknown Battlegrounds and two competing “Battle Royale” video games.

PANELISTS:

Chrissie Scelsi is U.S. General Counsel for Wargaming. She is responsible for legal and business matters for the company’s operations in the United States, including copyright, trademark, advertising, privacy, compliance, esports, licensing, events, and basically any question involving what can be done with a tank. 

She has served as an editor of the book Computer Games and Virtual Worlds: A New Frontier in Intellectual Property Law, which was published by the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law, and is a chapter contributor to The American Bar Association’s Legal Guide to Video Game Development.

Jennifer Kelly chairs Fenwick’s IP & Commercial Litigation Group and co-chairs the Games Industry Group. She is one of the foremost authorities on IP issues pertinent to the games industry and has been recognized as one of the leading IP attorneys in California by several publications such as the Daily Journal, San Francisco Business Times, The Recorder and The Legal 500.

Jennifer focuses her practice on commercial and intellectual property litigation and counseling, with a particular emphasis on copyright, trademark, right of publicity, trade secret and false advertising disputes.  

Todd Smithline is Managing Principal of Smithline PC, a San Francisco law firm focusing exclusively on technology transactions, product legal review and open source advising. Todd oversees the seven-attorney firm’s representation of leading Internet, SaaS/software, device and video game clients. Smithline PC provides its services on a fixed-fee subscription basis. Todd was previously General Counsel of Marimba, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRBA) and VP Business Affairs & Legal for Shockwave.com.

Todd is a graduate of Tufts University and UCLA School of Law. Todd is a Lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law where he has taught Video Game Law since 2010. Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine has twice included Todd in its list of the 250 “World’s Leading IP Strategists.”

Ethan Jacobs (moderator) is a partner at Holland Law, where he represents clients on a variety of intellectual property matters and business disputes. His copyright practice includes representing the author of the parody stage play Point Break LIVE! in a jury trial on fair use issues.

Ethan’s clients include software developers, book publishers, online marketplaces, developers of workplace training content, individual artists, and developers of virtual currencies, technologies in the cannabis industry, and LIDAR systems.

COST:

Members: $20
Non-Members: $30

All are welcome!  Lunch will be served.
1 CLE Credit pending approval by the California State Bar