Information Law Symposium At Free University Of Berlin, 26-27 September 2013

This week (26-27 September 2013) I had an honor to be invited to speak at the Information Law Symposium at Free University of Berlin.

The event, hosted by the inviting institution in collaboration with Saint Petersburg State University, united several scholars from Russia and Germany interested in modern problems of the Internet law. Most of the colleagues represented public law (in particular, administrative law) branch.

Pervasive problem of the modern law which was a common thread of the symposium was personal data protection in the age of the Internet. Ironically, the personal data protection considerations prevent me from sharing the names of other participants as I do not yet have their confirmation for disclosure, and the event was not public by default.

However, I am entitled to speak freely for myself and the ideas which I presented (click 'READ MORE' below).

Don't Miss: Card Hunter - Lightweight, Fresh And Addictive

While most of the gaming audience is focused on GTA V, some of the people who enjoy tabletop games are all into Card Hunter, an innovative game delivered by Blue Manchu which conveys the atmosphere of classic board game experience.

This game, running straight from your browser, is a good mix of combat (operate miniatures), collectible card game (equip your heroes with armor, weapons and misc items each of which gives a set of cards) and roleplaying game (lorewise). 

Furthermore, it's neatly organized in such a way that you can play in small chunks with good outcome of fun. 

Many thanks to Tobold - I learned about the game from Tobold's blog. 

Virtuallaws.ru

Let me introduce virtuallaws.ru, a new resource launched by our law and technology research group. Basically, this website is a nexus of most publications which we make in other Internet media.

The focal topic is everything located directly at the intersection of law and technology, from general Internet law problems to vanguard fields such as virtual law. It is bilingual (Russian and English) in a part.

Perry's Theory Of Structured Procrastination

I have recently found an unusual way to motivate myself in my professional life and related areas. This is theory of structured procrastination by John Perry, emeritus professor of philosophy at Stanford.

Have you ever found yourself doing anything just to avoid doing anything else at the moment? As for me, I have. And until I found proper rationalization in a short essay by John Perry, I felt uncomfortable.

In fact there is no reason to feel that way (unless you are limited by a deadline which may kill you), if you, for a moment, replace your duties with something which is both productive and exciting, whichever it is! 

Read the original thoughts behind this here.

The U.S. Case Law On Fair Use Of Trademarks In Video Games

I would like to draw your attention to a Pillsbury client alert which I recently scooped.

 

It was prepared by Sean F. Kane known for deep expertise in video game law, and it gives a decent overview on recent U.S. case law related to situations where the use of trademark protected material in video games without permission was confirmed as acceptable further to free speech right argumentation (First Amendment).

 

Illustrative citation from the introductory paragraph:

 

"We're telling a story and we have a point of view," EA's President of Lablels Frank Gibeau, said in an interview. "A book doesn't pay for saying the word 'Colt,' for example."

 

You may find this client alert here.