Industry
The exponential growth of the video game market, esports (professional video game competitions), and, in general, of the interactive digital entertainment forms taking place on the, so called, new media (such as the metaverse, virtual reality, and augmented reality) has encouraged LCA to establish an industry specifically dedicated to these sectors.
The team’s professionals are passionate about the digital entertainment industry and have years of experience in assisting clients active in the video game, esports, and interactive media sectors. They regularly support major video game distribution platforms, publishers, developers, investment funds specializing in the gaming industry, pro-players, esports teams, and entities that have chosen to implement projects in the metaverse and invest in virtual and augmented reality technologies.
In particular, LCA provides legal advise in relation to any transactional, regulatory, or contentious matter concerning the gaming, esports, and interactive entertainment sectors. These may include, for example:
- drafting, reviewing, and negotiating B2B contracts related to the production, development, publishing, and distribution of video games and other multimedia products and services, as well as contracts relating to commercial and promotional activations, projects within the metaverse, or to virtual reality technologies and gamification
- drafting, reviewing, and localizing B2C contracts related to End-User License Agreements (EULAs) and Terms of Service (ToS) applicable to video games, mobile gaming apps, and distribution platforms, as well as esports tournament regulations
- drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts related to investment operations in the interactive entertainment sector and managing the associated due diligence activities
- content clearance of video game, audiovisual, creative, and/or digital content, with a particular focus on identifying third-party rights on assets that are reproduced within the media at issue (such as characters, music, objects, references, cultural assets, etc.)
- analysis and evaluation of gameplay and monetization mechanics, of the structure of video games’ and multimedia products’ distribution platforms’ payment systems, of esports initiatives and projects, of gamification projects, as well as projects within the metaverse or related to virtual reality technologies, to ensure compliance with the relevant Italian regulatory framework
- managing compliance with Italian consumer regulations (such as those related to monetization mechanisms, loot boxes etc.), minors protection (such as parental control, age ratings, PEGI and AGCOM classifications etc.), and prize draws
- handling any information requests from regulatory authorities (such as Consumer Authority, Media and Communication Authority, Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Data Protection Authority, and Custom and Monopoly Authority) and any associated administrative litigation
- managing complaints from consumer users
- assisting in litigation before judicial authorities