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This primer will educate the educators on the different types of intellectual property rights related to games, and how they are applied in both the academic environment and the game industry. Some educators, while superbly qualified in the technical areas that they teach, lack sufficient understanding and insight into these legal and business issues when trying to prepare their students for successful careers in our industry. Today's broader range of accessible distribution platforms for smaller games make the possibility of any student embarking on a successful career via a micro studio a reality. It is not uncommon for a school project to turn into a successful game, or even a successful franchise. Being aware of the applicable intellectual property issues, and their impact early in the educational process, will make education fuller and more relevant to the students, and more rewarding for the educators. Some institutions seek to protect their students from the perils of running afoul of various intellectual property issues through the premature involvement in the commercial aspects of development, by securing the ownership rights for all student projects submitted for grades. This, and other issues related to institutional intellectual property ownership policies, and how they impact students' efforts to bring their school projects into the marketplace, can complicate or impair possible career paths for students. The way though this legal maze will be addressed, described, and explored.
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