Law Seminars International Presents

A Comprehensive Two-Day Conference on

Gamer Technology Law

Content and access issues, intellectual property issues, financing, and major new convergences

March 16 & 17, 2006
The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA
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Who Should Order Homestudy

Intellectual property, entertainment law and transactional attorneys, business development executives, operating officers, in-house counsel and anyone involved with game software development, publishing, licensing and intellectual property issues.

Why Order

Creating a video game is often the easiest part of a successful production. Navigating the legal and business maze required to get a game to market demands specialized knowledge for industry executives, producers and the attorneys who represent them. From software development to using personalities or music in games and managing the mysteries of ESRB game ratings, negotiating a contract that survives the journey can save thousands of dollars as well as precious time. In some cases, developing, publishing, financing and protecting intellectual property effectively at the early stages can make or break a company. Surviving the business transactions in the gaming industry requires skill in game content, access, and understanding the complexities of licensing and intellectual property issues. This conference features leading industry professionals and practitioners discussing First Amendment content and access issues; intellectual property issues; financing; and major new convergences between the video game industry and Hollywood, the wireless industry, the Internet and interactive devices. ~ Program Co-Chairs: Seth Steinberg, Esq. and Russell Weiss, Esq.

What You Will Learn

~ The latest games and hardware ~ Trends in complex licensing ~ Gaming and Hollywood movies ~ The latest trends in mobile gaming ~ Gaming content regulation update ~ Advergaming and in-game advertising ~ The nuts and bolts of third-party agreements ~ Preparing for funding ~ Finding the money ~ Employment issues facing the gaming industry ~ International outsourcing of game development ~ Protecting IP rights overseas ~ Virtual property in the real world ~ Legal ethics

What Attendees Said

~ Outstanding program of talented and experienced professionals in this space; Appreciate all your work to bring them together for us. ~ Our gamer team loved the conference. You folks certainly have a winning recipe. ~ It was a really great program. ~ Very good group of folks. Well done! ~ The speakers were wonderful and the topics were of current importance. ~ It was a great seminar and I look forward to next year's!

Agenda

Thursday, March 16, 2006
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 am Introduction & Overview
  Seth J. Steinberg, Esq., Program Co-Chair, Director of Business Affairs and General Counsel
 LucasArts / San Francisco, CA
  Russell G. Weiss, Esq., Program Co-Chair
 Morrison & Foerster LLP / Los Angeles, CA
8:45 am The Latest & Greatest in the World of Mobile Gaming
  Where is the industry now, and where is it going? Who is making money, and how? What are the new platforms and business models that will help drive the future of the industry?
  Senta L. Wong, Esq.
 Fish & Richardson P.C. / Boston, MA
  Stephen Fischer, Esq., Director, Entertainment Licensing, N. American Games Studio
 InfoSpace Inc. / San Mateo, CA
9:45 am New Products
  An up-to-date look at the latest games and hardware
  Don L. Daglow, President and CEO
 Stormfront Studios / San Rafael, CA
10:30 am Break
10:45 am The Future of Gaming
  Licensing complexities grow as game content matures: Strategies for keeping on top of the trends in brand placement, celebrity contracts, royalty agreements, sports league licenses, union agreements, cell phone deals, and music licensing
  Russell G. Weiss, Esq., Program Co-Chair, Moderator
 Morrison & Foerster LLP / Los Angeles, CA
  Daniel Figueroa, Esq., Director Legal & Business Affairs, Corporate Counsel
 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. / San Diego, CA
  David M. Given, Esq.
 Phillips Erlewine & Given LLP / San Francisco, CA
12:00 pm Lunch (on your own)
1:15 pm Hollywood Movies & Games
  In-house counsel and private-practice perspectives on Hollywood contracts: combining music with movies and games; negotiating with celebrities; issues of artistic license; developing games from movies and movies from games
  William Sloan Coats, Esq.
 White & Case LLP / Palo Alto, CA
  Gregory D. Deutsch, Esq., Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs
 Activision / Santa Monica, CA
  Patrick J. O'Brien, Esq., Vice President of Business Affairs
 Electronic Arts Inc. / Redwood City, CA
  Norman Becker, Esq., Vice President for Legal & Business Affairs
 Viacom Consumer Products / Hollywood, CA
2:15 pm The State of Gaming Content Regulation: An Overview of National & State Laws and Their Legal Challenges
  A litigator's perspective on the court decisions and the implications for regulation of game content
  Katherine A. Fallow, Esq.
 Jenner & Block LLP / Washington, DC
3:15 pm Break
3:30 pm Advergaming and In-Game Advertising
  The attractiveness and effectiveness of gaming in advertising and advertising in gaming: Success stories like Jeep & RadioShack; players like Double Fusion; contracting tips for establishing in-game product placement as an income stream
  Daniel O'Connell Offner, Esq.
 Offner & Anderson PC / Los Angeles, CA
4:15 pm The Nuts & Bolts of Third-Party Agreements
  Critical issues for the developer; IP ownership terms; representations and warranties; Easter eggs; other key issues
  Chris Bennett, Esq.
 Davis & Company LLP / Vancouver, BC Canada
  Patrick Sweeney, Esq.
 Haight, Brown & Bonesteel LLP / Los Angeles, CA
5:30 pm Reception for Faculty and Attendees
  Sponsored by Morrison & Foerster LLP

Friday, March 17, 2006
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 am The Critical Issue of Funding
  Preparing for funding: Issues and economics of the traditional publishing deal, third party financing structures, and alternative funding models
  Donald Karl, Esq.
 Perkins Coie LLP / Santa Monica, CA
  Finding the money: Mergers and acquisitions; small company financing; crafting and executing your successful rollout strategy; implications of lost data, and early disclosure of the game
  Nishen Radia, Managing Director
 FocalPoint Partners LLC / Los Angeles, CA
9:45 am Human Resources: The Other Big Regulatory Issue for Game Development Companies
  Wage and hour and other employment issues facing the industry: How are companies adapting to the current business and legal environment? What issues are lurking in the wings?
  Patrick Michael Madden, Esq.
 Preston Gates & Ellis LLP / Seattle, WA
10:30 am Break
10:45 am The International Aspects of the World of Gaming
  Outsourcing game development: What do game development companies need to know about offshore outsourcing and technology transfers?
  Mark Phillips, Esq.
 Harbottle & Lewis LLP / London,
  Alan N. Sutin, Esq.
 Greenberg Traurig / New York, NY
  Protecting IP rights overseas and preventing importation of pirated goods
  Carole E. Handler, Esq.
 Foley & Lardner LLP / Los Angeles, CA
12:30 pm Lunch (on your own)
1:45 pm Virtual Property in the Real World
  Massively multiplayer online games: Virtual toys are taking on significance in the financial and other parts of the real world. What are the implications, liabilities and responsibilities for the developer? The business side of hosting MMO games
  Annette L. Hurst, Esq.
 Heller Ehrman LLP / San Francisco, CA
  James B. Riordan, Esq., Counsel
 Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. / Los Angeles, CA
  Ginsu Yoon, Esq., Vice President, International & General Counsel
 Linden Lab / San Francisco, CA
3:15 pm Break
3:30 pm Ethics
  Representing the company without alienating your business contact or compromising the business relationship; negotiation tactics and ethical conduct; negotiation with the other side and unrepresented parties; protecting client confidences and secrets
  Kraig Baker, Esq.
 Davis Wright Tremaine LLP / Seattle, WA
4:30 pm Evaluations & Adjourn

Cancellation

There is a $25 cancellation fee for Course Materials orders and $50 for Homestudy orders

Continuing Education Credits

Law Seminars International is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This program qualifies for 13.5 California MCLE credits including 1.0 ethics credit. Upon request, we will apply for CLE credits in other states and other types of credits.

Cost

Our complete Homestudy Course, consisting of a VHS or DVD recording and the written course materials, is available for $1005. The written course materials alone are available for $100. We will ship your homestudy order via UPS ground within two weeks after the seminar or the date we receive payment (whichever is later).
Order Homestudy

Faculty Bios

Seth J. Steinberg, Program Co-Chair, is Director of Business Affairs & General Counsel of LucasArts and is a member of its senior management group. He advises the company on a full range of business, corporate and legal issues, and is responsible for all of LucasArts' business and legal affairs.

Russell G. Weiss, Program Co-Chair, heads the firm-wide Video Game practice at Morrison & Foerster LLP and is Co-Head of its Technology and Entertainment practice. He specializes in transactional matters and counseling in the fields of entertainment, technology, media and intellectual property with a particular focus on the convergence of entertainment and technology.

Kraig Baker is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. His practice includes drafting and negotiating video game development contracts, publishing and consulting agreements, music recording contracts, talent agreements, live event contracts, television, film, theatre, and event production contracts.

Norman Becker is the Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs for Viacom Consumer Products, the licensing entity for properties of Paramount Pictures and other Viacom and third party companies. He oversees the company’s business affairs and legal activities, including intellectual property licensing agreements for the company’s merchandising, interactive games, mobile phone applications, themed restaurants, theme parks, book publishing, and stage plays. Prior to joining Viacom, Mr. Becker was Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Universal Studios Consumer Products Group. Previously, he was with the law firms of Behr & Abramson, Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman, and Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz.

Chris Bennett is a member of Davis & Company LLP's intellectual property, technology, video game and franchise law groups. He advises clients on creation and protection of IP rights, including development and licensing of video games and other technology.

William Sloan Coats, an Intellectual Property partner with White & Case LLP, focuses on cases involving software copyrights and patents, copyrights for movies and music, trademark and trade secret disputes, and bankruptcy issues. He represents leading business, computer, and entertainment hardware and software companies.

Don L. Daglow is President and CEO of Stormfront Studios, which develops award winning entertainment products for PS3, Xbox360 and other game consoles. Founded in 1988 by Mr. Daglow, Stormfront is best known for creating The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, NASCAR Racing and the original Neverwinter Nights.

Greg Deutsch is Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Activision. He joined Activision in 2000 and has held various positions of responsibility within the Business and Legal Affairs Department. Prior to joining Activision, Mr. Deutsch was in private practice where he engaged in licensing and corporate work.

Katherine A. Fallow is a partner with Jenner & Block LLP and is a member of the firm's Media and First Amendment, Entertainment and New Media, Appellate and Supreme Court, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practices. She has litigated a wide array of First Amendment and new media cases at both the trial and appellate levels.

Daniel Figueroa is Director of Legal & Business Affairs, Corporate Counsel for Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. He is the game attorney for Sony's NBA franchise of games, and supports Sony's Online Technology Group, U.S. Technology, Network Platform Group, Business & Technology, Research & Development, Tools & Technology, Export Regulation, and manages some outside patent litigation.

Stephen Fischer is Director, Games and Mobile Entertainment Licensing for Infospace, Inc. He heads up licensing and content acquisition for mobile games and entertainment applications for Infospace in North America. Mr. Fischer manages relationships with talent, major and independent media studios, games publishers, and other licensors of mobile content.

David M. Given is a partner specializing in entertainment and intellectual property law and commercial litigation at Phillips Erlewine & Given LLP. His clients are engaged in a wide-range of activities including music and merchandising, television, internet and other broadcast media, real estate, and software development.

Carole E. Handler is vice-chair of Foley & Lardner LLP's IP Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Entertainment & Media Industry Team and the Intellectual Property Department. Her primary fields of practice are copyright in new media and the interface of antitrust and intellectual property.

Annette L. Hurst is a shareholder at Heller Ehrman LLP and a member of their Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group. She focuses on intellectual property, particularly copyright, trademark and trade secret litigation, as well as disputes involving complex commercial transactions in the software and Internet industries.

Donald Karl is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Perkins Coie LLP and works principally with clients in the technology, entertainment and new media industries. His practice in the videogame industry emphasizes finance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic relationships and venture capital, and development/publishing arrangements.

Patrick Michael Madden is a partner with Preston Gates & Ellis LLP where he focuses on labor and employment law matters. He currently chairs the Association of Washington Business (AWB) Employment Law Committee, where he has helped draft, evaluate and comment upon employment-related legislation and regulations.

Patrick J. O’Brien is Vice President of Business Affairs at Electronic Arts Inc., where he is responsible for negotiating the business terms of film property and television licenses, creative contributor deals, actor and union deals, and music label and production deals. He previously headed up EA's Legal and Business Affairs Department in Europe.

Daniel O'Connell Offner is the founder and managing partner of Offner & Anderson PC, where he focuses on corporate and intellectual property law matters including mergers and acquisitions for the firm's public and private clients, including THQ Wireless, Ubisoft, In-Fusio, Endless Mobile, and Double Fusion.

Mark Phillips is a Partner in the Corporate Practice of Harbottle & Lewis LLP and joint head of the eCommerce & Technology Group. He specializes in corporate, commercial and copyright work in the media, arts and technology industries with expertise in new media, video and computer games and interactive entertainment, print and on-line publishing.

Nishen Radia is a co-founder of FocalPoint Partners LLC where he advises middle-market and multinational corporations on merger and acquisition strategies and execution, debt and equity capital raising, and valuation/fairness opinions. Formerly with Merrill Lynch, he managed projects ranging from debt and equity issuance to domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

James B. Riordan, is counsel at Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. Prior to joining Vivendi Universal he worked at Activision as an associate producer on the MechWarrior 2 games and then as counsel in Activision's legal department. He advises the company on a wide range of legal affairs, including ownership, licensing and development of intellectual property.

Alan N. Sutin is a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig and is Chair of their National Technology, Media and Telecommunications Practice. He represents companies in intellectual property and technology issues, including IT and business process outsourcing arrangements, strategic alliance agreements, commercial joint ventures, and licensing matters.

Patrick Sweeney is a Partner at Haight, Brown and Bonesteel LLP, where he heads the firm's video game and multimedia practice, which focuses on the representation of game developers, publishers, licensors and other industry-specific clients. In addition, Mr. Sweeney has written various articles for game-related publications and is an adjunct Professor at both Whittier Law School and Southwestern Law School, teaching Video Game Law, the first US law school course solely dedicated to the legal issues of the video game industry.

Senta L. Wong, Of Counsel to Fish & Richardson P.C., is a member of the Trademark, Copyright, Media, and Entertainment Group and a Co-Chair of the Interactive Entertainment Section. She focuses her practice on intellectual property transactions. She was named "2005 Massachusetts Rising Star" by Law & Politics and Super Lawyers.

Ginsu (Gene) Yoon is Vice President, International & General Counsel at Linden Lab, where he promotes its multiplayer on-line game Second Life to users in international markets. Previously he worked in the wireless technology industry; advised technology startups and venture capital firms; and planned leveraged buyouts and other complex corporate transactions.