Game developers; protecting yourself (Developers Corner)

A few thoughts about games and what they are; and then after the fold a couple of insights about protecting your intellectual property.  If you like the blog, please comment, and subscribe to the RSS feed you use regularly.  Thanks.

Journey across the Main Stream (from Gamasutra)  Great discussion about what makes a game playable for all types of people.

What do Games have in Common with Jam  (from Gamasutra) New thoughts about how games are reviewd

http://gamecareerguide.com/features/888/playtesting_is_sovereign_part_.php (Playtesting is sovereign; by Game Career Guide)

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/gastev/2960556197/ (Photo Creative Commons; Attribution required; photostream Gastev)

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 Examples of playtesting rules

http://www.microsoft.com/playtest/FAQ.aspx

http://gamebizproam.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/the-microsoft-play-test-experience/

Blog about the Playtesting experience

Gamasutra examples playtesting revolution

http://workbench.cadenhead.org/news/3367/non-disclosure-agreements-have-no-saving

Dungeons and Dragons NDA has no expiration date

http://bloodofkittens.com/2010/07/21/meat-for-meta-the-truth-behind-gw-playtesting/

GW playtesting

http://www.digra.org/dl/db/07311.11208.pdf

Real-Time Sweetspot: The Multiple Meanings of Game Company Playtests

Commentary:  I’m often asked by other lawyers what happens when someone asks me for a legal document for a boardgame or videogame testing.  I reply that I draw it up paragraph by paragraph from scratch.   Sounds like a backwards way to work; except when you consider I’m trying to make a client for life.  Whether I make several hundred net or several thousand net really doesn’t matter as much as the fact that I build a good relationship. (Note: I’m a better lawyer than businessman).

Read the above links to see what you need in your playtesting, and know that if it’s YOUR IDEA… it is your legacy.  Protect it in some fashion; not a boiler-plate form but a real IP lawyer (in your state, or some state you do business).  At the very least have an NDA if you playtest: if no other things are protected… (1) the idea is yours and no one playtesting can make money re-selling or being a derivative of that game(2)   No one can discuss or publicize the testing results or the basic ideas of the game.  The best thing obviously is to get a full assessment by an attorney.

Jay Moffitt is a Tennessee attorney. This blog is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not consitute legal advice or create an attorney/client relationship. Jay Moffitt is not certified as a specialist in this area by Tennessee and Tennessee does not certify specialists in this practice area. All comments will be answered promptly and courteously as long as they are germane to the discussion and do not contain specific game names or incidents.

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