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Session Name:

Deal Points and Pitfalls in Mobile Game Development Contracts

Overview:

Everyone is looking for the next big thing in mobile content. Analysts think it is games. As the thinking goes, mobile games can be made cheaply, include big brand names ranging from Nike and BMW to 50 Cent and Al Pacino. They can be compelling to people of all ages waiting on subway platforms, in school buses, dentist offices and box office lines, or just hanging out in the park. Perhaps the analysts are right.

This lecture explores: 1) the legal pitfalls in mobile game development agreements; 2) licensing rights to use celebrity names and likenesses, music, or other pre-existing elements to make games appealing to buyers; 3) licensing underlying technologies owned by outside parties; 4) rights issues associated with selling product placements within games; 5) clearing all these rights for international distribution, and covering yourself from being ripped off in foreign markets; and 6) white label deals and international re-licensing using assets that appeal in different cultures.

We will work our way point by point through the main deal points in a mobile game development agreement, keeping the floor open for questions as we go. Attendees will improve their knowledge of game business contracts learn how to avoid the legal pitfalls and foster longer lasting, more lucrative business relationships through contract best practices.

AGENDA
1. Introduction
2. Discuss Game Developers Bill of Rights
3. Describe Parties in Transaction
4. Discuss Relevant Terms of Game Developer Contract
5. Q+A

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  • GDC 2006
  • Steven Masur
  • MasurLaw
  • free content
  • GDC Mobile: Deals and Distribution
  • Smartphone / Tablet Games