| Gaming and the Law

This course is a standalone elective that builds on elements of the Intellectual Property Law and Contract Law courses previously completed by students. We will examine the gaming industry – consisting primarily of the modern tabletop and video game industries – and analyse the broad range of substantive legal areas that apply to them. Since these industries span multiple markets and geographies, our study will be global in its scope, with country-specific analysis where appropriate. We will also investigate the practical legal considerations involved in setting up and running a games business in India.

This course will consist of lectures and seminar-style discussion. There will be multiple case studies to allow students to undertake an in-depth examination of unique issues. Students will engage with these case studies and prescribed session readings in class and will be expected to write response papers to the same after class. The course will be divided into the following modules:

Introduction and Context-Setting (4 hours)

Intellectual Property Rights (12 hours)

Contractual Considerations (8 hours)

The Ethics and Regulation of Gaming (8 hours)

Setting up a Games Business in India (6 hours)

Conclusion (2 hours)

At the end of this course, students will have gained:

• Familiarity with the practice areas relevant to the board game and video game industries and an understanding of their interplay.
• The ability to identify and analyse the legal issues that arise in the context of the design,  manufacture, publishing, distribution and marketing of games.