Enforcing vs. Exploiting: What The Videogame Industry Can Teach Us About Copyright

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The (in)famous Grand Theft Auto V was released in 2013, has sold approximately 120,000,000 copies and is still one of the top ten video games sold nearly seven years later.  League of Legends, released in 2009, has remained one of the most popular games on PC and its championship series garners more viewers than the Super Bowl.  The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, originally released by a Polish video game developer in 2015 and based on an obscure Polish book series, went on to sell 30,000,000 copies and led to a wildly popular Netflix series.  Indeed, it is reported that video games made more revenue in 2019 than movies, television and music combined. 
 
This discussion will explore (i) how consumers interact with copyrights in video games, (ii) how video game purveyors grapple with infringement and piracy, (iii) the lessons copyright attorneys can learn from the video game industry, and (iv) how these lessons can be applied to other content producing industries. Video games are often exploited in ways that provide insights for other mediums of copyrighted content.  Further, due to the intense nature of consumer engagement, purveyors of video games have been responsive to their consumers, often out of necessity. How do video game purveyors and copyright attorneys mitigate issues of piracy and infringement to keep their consumers and communities happy?  

Program will satisfy 1.5 CA CLE credits pending approval by the State Bar of California.

SPEAKERS:

Dan Nabel
Associate General Counsel, Riot Games
Lecturer at Law, USC – Video Game Law

Dan Nabel currently practices law in-house at Riot Games. He teaches “Video Game Law” at the USC Gould School of Law and co-authored Video Game Law in a Nutshell (West Academic, 2018). Nabel began his career as a litigator at Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, LLP in Century City. While in private practice, Nabel successfully litigated dozens of cases and counseled clients on a wide range of topics, including real estate, business and intellectual property. He also published more than 50 articles in the Daily Journal and other trade publications. Prior to joining Riot Games, Nabel directed the Intellectual Property & Technology Law Clinic at USC Gould. While directing the clinic, he supervised law students in public interest cases as they counseled and represented policymakers, artists, film-makers, innovators, game-makers, non-profit organizations and others on a range of intellectual property and technology issues. Under Nabel’s direction, the clinic successfully obtained the first-ever Digital Millennium Copyright Act exemption for the repair of agricultural machinery, as part of the U.S. Copyright Office’s triennial Section 1201 rule-making proceeding. Nabel serves as a Trustee for the Los Angeles Copyright Society and has a strong commitment to public interest work. He has provided pro bono legal services to numerous clients of the Alliance for Children’s Rights and Public Counsel in adoption, immigration, fraud and elder abuse cases. Nabel also serves as chair of the advisory council for CASA of Los Angeles — an organization dedicated to improving the lives of neglected and abused foster children with trained volunteer advocates.

Rom Bar-Nissim
Associate, Fox Rothschild LLP

Rom is a passionate media and entertainment litigator who focuses on First Amendment and Anti-SLAPP matters, copyright, defamation, privacy, right of publicity, trademarks, contracts and business torts. He has extensive experience in the federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate court level, including the California Supreme Court.
Rom also provides pre-publication and pre-broadcast counseling to a wide range of clients in the media, digital and entertainment industries. With a background in theater and film, he provides distinct insights into the intersection of law and entertainment. Rom takes a creative and pragmatic approach to problem solving and has the ability to translate esoteric legal concepts to content producers in plain English and practical terms. Rom has written several book chapters and numerous articles in prestigious publications on a variety of topics affecting the media, digital and entertainment industries. He served as a co-executive editor of Internet Law and Practice in California, a practice guide published by CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar). Prior to joining Fox, Rom was an attorney at boutique entertainment and media law firms. He was also previously a production attorney for Half-Life, Inc., a Fox Television station subsidiary. Additionally, he was a research fellow at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, working on advocacy projects for documentarians and independent filmmakers.During law school, Rom won the Norma Zarkey Memorial Award for his achievements in entertainment law. He was a legal intern in content protection with 20th Century Fox and a boutique entertainment law firm. He was a research assistant, handling various intellectual property and First Amendment issues. Additionally, he founded and taught an academic support program for international students studying at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Prior to law school, Rom was the artistic director for a film and theater production company. Additionally, he was an English teacher while living abroad.

COST:

Members: $25
Non-Members: $45
Student Members: $20  |  Must present valid student ID at the door.

Please note: Affordable parking is available across the street in the Westfield Mall’s Constellation/Solar parking lot. Fox Rothschild cannot validate parking.