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PAX 2010 schedule

Dan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:14:52 +0000

For those PAX attendees looking forward to my panel on Legal Issues in Gaming, we’re scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 5 at 3:30pm in the Wolfman Theater. If you are an iOS user, consider picking up “The Conventionist” (it’s free) and downloading the PAX plugin. You can then build a customized schedule, set an alarm for the panel, check the latest information, get a map, and all sorts of useful little tricks. I’ll be available throughout the conference for meetings and meet-ups; so please feel free to send me an email if you want to catch me on the floor.

GamePolitics on the Wikimedia FBI response

Dan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:02:29 +0000

Though I didn’t write the article, GamePolitics has a great bit of coverage on the response to the FBI demand letter we got at Wikimedia. You can view the response letter here, while the Wikipedia article in question is available here.

Shakeups in the IGDA Board and Leadership

Dan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:26:44 +0000

Details are a bit sketchy right now, but allegations are surfacing that the shake up in the IGDA leadership has something to do with the major restructuring of the organization, recently announced by board members Wendy Despain and Gordon Bellamy. Personally, I’m not convinced yet. Joshua Caulfield is apparently moving on to a new ED position elsewhere, which makes me think he wasn’t forced out and the timing is just coincidental. Brenda Brathwaite’s resignation appears to be the same way, per her twitter post: “@DC_IGDA @tinysubversions Nothing exciting on my end. My current work/personal responsibilities are such that I just don’t have bandwidth.” Also makes sense; she’s a busy, working designer/educator with a lot of responsibilities on her time. So at this point, I’m not convinced that there is a case of anything other than coincidental timings.

Gamers Petition: Support the ECA’s Amicus Brief in EMA v. Schwarzenegger

Dan — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:33:43 +0000

The ECA has started up a petition that will be delivered to the Supreme Court along with their amicus brief in EMA v. Schwarzenegger. It’s important that people sign the petition, even though the Court is likely to rule in our favor anyway, because this is a rare opportunity for our voices to be put into the public record for the courts.

There are two checkboxes under the petition that you probably want to look at; one is something on signing up for the ECA, which you may or may not want to check, and the other is for their newsletter which is kinda meh. Finally, after signing the petition, it will give you a form letter you can send to friends, if you so choose.

Gizmodo blogger gets searched, seized over iPhone 4

Dan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:51:55 +0000

In our ongoing coverage at Negative Gamer, I have some legal analysis of the situation surrounding the seizure of several computers from Jason Chen, a blogger at Gizmodo. Check the post out here.

EMA v. Schwarzenegger gains cert with SCOTUS

Dan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:49:02 +0000

The Supreme Court of the United States has granted the petition for a writ of certiorari on Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) v. Schwarzenegger. GamePolitics editor Pete Gallagher and I have ongoing coverage of the event, and reactions from industry players, as it unfolds. (Note: if you get 404 errors, just increment the number of the update by 1, and that should work).

Followup on EMA v. Schwarzenegger

Dan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:37:36 +0000

In light of the recent decision in U.S. v. Stevens, GamePolitics has done a followup article with Gameslaw discussing the implications of Stevens on the Court’s acceptance (or denial) of certiorari in EMA v. Schwarzenegger, the long-running Ninth Circuit case on video game violence. Catch the article here.

U.S. v. Stevens

Dan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:32:16 +0000

The SCOTUS has made their ruling in U.S. v. Stevens, a controversial case about crush videos that has broad implications for violent games legislation. Check out our continuing coverage at Gamepolitics! Also, I should point out that my Fantasy SCOTUS team totally called this one, right down to the breakdown.

Dissection of Activision Cross-Claim vs. Infinity Ward Staff

Dan — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:16:41 +0000

For those of you following the interesting drama between Activision (one of the industry’s largest publishers) and former heads of Activision owned studio Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella, there has been a new development. Activision has filed a cross-claim against West and Zampella which provides us with all sorts of insights into the relationship between the two companies, the millions of dollars in compensation at stake, and the first glimpse at the path Activision is taking to get their money, equity, and employees back.

I’ve written a dissection of the cross-claim for GamePolitics, which breaks down some of the more confusing legal bits into layman’s terms. Check it out here.

Stratics Update: What’s Going On?

Dan — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:59:45 +0000

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what’s going on with Stratics. The short answer is, Stratics is under new management, and undergoing a major site overhaul. Soon there will be no more ugly white and blue, and the focus will be much more oriented on games people ACTUALLY play. We’ll probably be looking for new writers so if you’re interested, please get in touch with me.

As for my position there, I’m honestly not sure if I’ll remain with the site. Stratics has been great for me over the past couple of years, but as I’ve been branching out into other sites (NegativeGamer, GamePolitics, etc.), the amount of good that the site and I can do for each other is diminishing. So in the short term I’m still here, but any predictions beyond the summer are definitely ending with a question mark.