Taking Questions on Entertainment/Video Game Law Forum

[PwnLaw]

Per my other thread and in hopes of stemming the flow of the PMs somewhat.

I practice in the entertainment - technology space with a specialization in games. Based out in California.

[Sauer Grapes]

Did you have a tech or science related UG major? What electives in LS do you now find particularly helpful in your current field? How did you get interested in Video Game Law?

[romothesavior]

What types of things are employers looking for?

In terms of specific firms, what are some of the heavy hitters in the field?

[PwnLaw]

Did you have a tech or science related UG major? What electives in LS do you now find particularly helpful in your current field? How did you get interested in Video Game Law?

1) No. Liberal arts. Tech background, particularly EE, is ideal for the patent side.

2) I ended up in entertainment by accident and then pushed into video games from there. I originally planned on doing a different type of work and my classes reflected that. If I were interested I'd definitely take classes on soft IP and internet law.

3) I've always enjoyed games. I ended up in entertainment and wasn't wild about the traditional entertainment scene so I pushed my firm into expanding our efforts to bring on game clients. I just so happened to coincide with the recent surge in games (particularly social games and the like) so there is a solid amount of work.

[PwnLaw]

What types of things are employers looking for?

In terms of specific firms, what are some of the heavy hitters in the field?

It very much depends on who you are talking to. I push my firm to hire people who have relationships in the space or a demonstrated interest (plays video games, written a note on the subject, keeps abreast of current events).

In terms of people who handle some of the work:
Sheppard Mullin
MoFo
OMM
Latham Watkins
Loeb & Loeb
Nixon Peabody.

I'd say Sheppard and Loeb have the most work.

There are some boutiques and a number of solos that handle the work as well.

[JohnWild]

What are your thoughts on the pending lawsuit with ATVI (Activision Blizzard) and their former Call of Duty developers?

[d34d9823]

What are your thoughts on the pending lawsuit with ATVI (Activision Blizzard) and their former Call of Duty developers?

Interested as well, although I doubt he'll want to comment.

This is one of the reasons I'd hesitate to go into this field: because you'd get stuck defending douchebags like Activision.

[JohnWild]

Why do you think they are douchebags? Not being hostile / taking issue with that statement, I just don't know very much about the case.

[DanInALionsDen]

When is Diablo 3 coming out?

[PwnLaw]

[PwnLaw]

When is Diablo 3 coming out?

When it's ready, like all Blizzard games.

SC2 is looking pretty good though. Been playing that into the ground when I've got the free time.

So is Cataclysm. Not much for WoW though.

[byunbee]

When is Diablo 3 coming out?

When it's ready, like all Blizzard games.

SC2 is looking pretty good though. Been playing that into the ground when I've got the free time.

So is Cataclysm. Not much for WoW though.

What does your gf think about you spending your free time playing starcraft?

[PwnLaw]

I only play late at night after she's gone to bed or on the weekends. She needs 9 hours of sleep and I need 5. Leaves a decent amount of free time. Besides, it's my job.

[waldodanto]

On a scale of 1-terrible, how bad was the recent comcast ruling for game studios? Are you worried telecoms could charge gamers more for the bandwidth they use compared to regular users?

[snowpeach06]

You don't know anything about the amount of work in the fashion ip do you? It's sort of entertainment.

[TheBigMediocre]

I only play late at night after she's gone to bed or on the weekends. She needs 9 hours of sleep and I need 5. Leaves a decent amount of free time. Besides, it's my job.

I know this isn't really a question regarding entertainment/video game law, but bear with me. I'm sure it's mostly genetic and varies person-to-person, but is there anything you can attribute to you needing such little sleep? I'm currently one of those people who need a solid 8 in order to function and would like to slowly lower that, if it's even possible.

[PwnLaw]

On a scale of 1-terrible, how bad was the recent comcast ruling for game studios? Are you worried telecoms could charge gamers more for the bandwidth they use compared to regular users?

I don't think it'll affect regular gameplay, but I do think it could have an impact on digital distribution and streaming (OnLive, Gaikai, etc.). But it'll largely depend on where the pay levels are established in terms of MB/Month, if the ISP move to that system at all. Lots of questions.

[PwnLaw]

You don't know anything about the amount of work in the fashion ip do you? It's sort of entertainment.

I know very little about who does fashion work. I've occasionally dealt with fashion clients when they're looking to do some branding initiatives involving games, but most of that work is handled elsewhere in the firm. Not sure which other firms do it.

[PwnLaw]

I only play late at night after she's gone to bed or on the weekends. She needs 9 hours of sleep and I need 5. Leaves a decent amount of free time. Besides, it's my job.

I know this isn't really a question regarding entertainment/video game law, but bear with me. I'm sure it's mostly genetic and varies person-to-person, but is there anything you can attribute to you needing such little sleep? I'm currently one of those people who need a solid 8 in order to function and would like to slowly lower that, if it's even possible.

It runs in my family. I've only slept 5-6 hours a night since I was about 12. If I get over 7.5 hours in a night I'm effectively worthless. It's odd, but I don't fight it.

[ExpectLess]

I most likely will end up at Berkeley or Stanford, have always been interested in entertainment law, and have also always been interested in video games, but I never imagined video game law would be a viable option. Did you have connections when getting into the field, or is it possible--or perhaps, more importantly, realistic--for one to get into this field by themselves? I would love to practice in a field like this, but not if the competition or barriers to entry are prohibitively high, especially compared to other IP fields.

[PwnLaw]

I most likely will end up at Berkeley or Stanford, have always been interested in entertainment law, and have also always been interested in video games, but I never imagined video game law would be a viable option. Did you have connections when getting into the field, or is it possible--or perhaps, more importantly, realistic--for one to get into this field by themselves? I would love to practice in a field like this, but not if the competition or barriers to entry are prohibitively high, especially compared to other IP fields.

Odd, my earlier response was swallowed up by the interwebs.

Entertainment law is highly competitive and very few firms hire associates directly out of law school to work on entertainment matters. My general advice is that you shouldn't lead your life like you're going into entertainment, but there's no harm in doing your best to keep the option open (without prejudicing alternatives). Take courses like Internet law, Copyright/Trademark, Licensing, Right of Publicity, etc. Join the Entertainment Journal. Write a meaningful note on a topic in the space (bonus points if you target a firm and write a note about a recent case they handled). Read the relevant trade journals -- Variety, Deadline Hollywood, Hollywood Reporter come to mind. Look at your school's alumni network and target people in the industry and seek out their advice/assistance.

Realize that Stanford and Boalt aren't going to close any doors, but they don't have deep alumni networks in entertainment like USC and UCLA do (but I'd take S or B over either of those, which is in line with my prior thoughts).

There's more, but that's what's coming to mind right now.

[DavidYurman85]

Thanks for taking questions!

Do you have any experience/advice on working specifically with film studios/distribution/production companies? I'm thinking Sony, Lionsgate, Dreamworks, etc...

Are there any firms that typically feed into the above? I assume most don't hire grads right out of ls. I have a film background and would welcome the opportunity to merge the two.

[PwnLaw]

Thanks for taking questions!

Do you have any experience/advice on working specifically with film studios/distribution/production companies? I'm thinking Sony, Lionsgate, Dreamworks, etc...

Are there any firms that typically feed into the above? I assume most don't hire grads right out of ls. I have a film background and would welcome the opportunity to merge the two.

We have a core traditional entertainment team that handles that work. We do work for almost all of the major studios in some capacity, but I don't recall which we do production work for (often that type of work is handled in house). The general exit option is to a studio. My firm occasionally hires new grads for that type of work, but it is dependent on the particular needs from year to year.

I do not personally do production work.

There are a number of firms that service this type of work, but most of them do not hire directly our of law school. Entertainment boutiques normally require a few years (both talent and studio side). And there aren't a tremendous amount of larger firms that handle production work. I'll cop to not being extraordinairly knowledgeable about this stuff since it isn't my particular cup of tea.

[moandersen]

I have always had love of video games, and I think that stems from my uncle being one of the original members of electronic arts. Because of that, one of my dream jobs has always been to work for EA. Unfortunately he (along with basically all the other og members) retired a long time ago and has very little connections still at the company. How does one go about working in-house for a company like EA? Do they hire 1Ls or 2Ls for summer work to help/learn from those in-house? Thanks for any insight.

[PwnLaw]

I have always had love of video games, and I think that stems from my uncle being one of the original members of electronic arts. Because of that, one of my dream jobs has always been to work for EA. Unfortunately he (along with basically all the other og members) retired a long time ago and has very little connections still at the company. How does one go about working in-house for a company like EA? Do they hire 1Ls or 2Ls for summer work to help/learn from those in-house? Thanks for any insight.

Connections are normally your best bet. I don't recall specifically whether they have an intern program in their attorney group; I'll give them a call and see. Most game companies will bring folks on for a summer, but there may be strings attached. I would suggest reading up on their products, researching the attorneys through LinkedIn to get an idea of what type of work is being performed internally, and then crafting a letter based off of the info you've collected.