Famous Last Words Archive

Quick Links:
Ask Jim
Archives

DISCLAIMER: This column is intended for general educational and entertainment purposes and is not legal advice. Every situation is unique. Anyone entering into a contract should have a lawyer who can provide counsel.

Jim Charne,

Attorney at Law

January 2012: Zeroing In On “Fine Print” Issues in Your Dev Agreement
December 2011: Maintaining Confidentiality in the Social Media World
November 2011: Both Worked on the Music – One Exploited It – the Other Wants to Sue!
October 2011: Papering Game Development - What is Recommended?
September 2011: Protecting Your Game’s Name – Before It Comes Out
August 2011: Should All Studio Personnel be Stockholders?
July 2011: “Key Employee” Considerations
June 2011: Are We At the End of an Era? Evolving Deal Considerations
May 2011: Composer Not Paid. What Can I Do?
April 2011: Clearances in Video Games
February 2011: Non-Competes for Game Developers
January 2011: Protecting the Next Killer App
November 2010: Laid Off - What to Expect
October 2010: Start-up Strategies
September 2010: Why Schwarzenegger v. EMA is important for the Games Industry
July 2010: Ownership of IP in Casual Games Start-Ups
June 2010: Assembling and Holding Rights in Your Game
May 2010: How “Equitable” is “Equitable Relief?”
April 2010: Developer's Non-Competes
March 2010: Publisher's Further Use of Developer's Tools and Tech
February 2010: Composers' Use Their Game Music for Demos
January 2010: New Year's Resolution - Reread the Boilerplate
December 2009: Protecting a Name
November 2009: Seeking Permission to Work on Outside Projects
October 2009: How Far to go to Protect Rights to your Work
September: When is it time to Incorporate or Form your LLC
August 2009: "Fair Use" of Portfolio Samples
July 2009: Setting the Bar for Milestone Approval
June 2009: Developer's reps that say "DANGER AHEAD"
May 2009: Use of Games Music Beyond Games
April 2009: When the Publisher Wants Your Tech
March 2009: Oral Amendments
February 2009: Ideas, NDA's and Getting Ripped Off
January 2009: Who owns IP that's NOT part of a game?
December 2008: NDAs: Bombs In the Boilerplate
November 2008: Who Owns Student Work Product?
October 2008: Hoping for the Best Planning for the Worst
September 2008: Standard Contracts
August 2008: Knowing Who Your Friends Are
July 2008: Getting Started as a Games Lawyer
June 2008: Submarine Patents
May 2008: When Developers Finance Development
April 2008: Making the Deal with Your Agent - Part II
March 2008: Making the Deal with Your Agent - Part I
February 2008: Risk is the Hinge of Any Deal
January 2008: Royalty Calculations
December 2007: Time is of the Essence – Part II
November 2007: Getting Off the Ground: Start-up Suggestions for New Studios
October 2007: Publisher Default
September 2007: All That ... and the Kitchen Sink, Too
August 2007: Lines of Communication in a Deal
July 2007: The 'Bugger Off' Agreement
June 2007: Negotiating the Audit Clause - Part 2
May 2007: Negotiating the Audit Clause - Part 1
April 2007: Little Things Mean a Lot
March 2007: Hold Onto Your [Music] Rights
February 2007: Sales Statements Action
January 2007: No Royalty Deals
December 2006: Happy Anniversary to Us
November 2006: Moonlighting Rights
October 2006: The Power of Music
September 2006: Unique! Unusual! Extraordinary!
August 2006: Smooth Flow of Subcontractor Rights
July 2006: 15% of What?
June 2006: Unenforceable Under the Law
May 2006: Protecting Your Design Ideas at Pitch
April 2006: Level Headed Headhunting
March 2006: How Much Effort is Best?
February 2006: The Common Case of Missing Royalties
January 2006: Will Code For Royalties
December 2005: Are Non-competes Enforceable?
November 2005: Why Royalties are Rare
October 2005: The Treatment of Music in Games - Part 3
September 2005: The Treatment of Music in Games - Part 2
August 2005: The Treatment of Music in Games - Part 1
July 2005: A View To A Kill: When Convenience Becomes Cause
June 2005: By Any Other Name...
May 2005: It's a Big World Out There! - Part 2
April 2005: It's a Big World Out There!
March 2005: The '690 Attack
February 2005: Focus on the Details in Start-Up
January 2005: When Confidentiality Becomes Control - Part 2
December 2004: When Confidentiality Becomes Control
November 2004: Timing is Everything
October 2004: Take it or Leave it Dev Contract
September 2004: End User License Agreements
August 2004: Trademark Similarity - Cause for Concern?
July 2004: Insurance Requirements for Developers
June 2004: The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and Royalties for Developers
May 2004: Dire Consequences for Developer Breach
April 2004: Getting Credit For Your Work
March 2004: Why Contracts Are Important
February 2004: What's in a Name?
January 2004: Strategies to Get Paid - Part 2
December 2003: Strategies to Get Paid
November 2003: The Value of Game Music
October 2003: Settle a Bet
September 2003: Breach of Contract 101 – or – When is a breach more than a breach?
August 2003: Is a “Ten Percentery” Worth Ten Percent?
July 2003: Duck and Cover
June 2003: Walking Through Contracts
May 2003: Researching a Publisher's Financials
April 2003: The All-Consuming Pitch Prep
March 2003: Scope Your Definitions
February 2003: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Non-Compete?
January 2003: Staying out of Cash Flow Hell
December 2002: Nothing but Net Profits
November 2002: Contracts À-La-Mod
October 2002: Getting Paid on Time
September 2002: IP 101
August 2002: Where Credit is Due
July 2002: Money Wise/Woes
June 2002: Let's Make a Deal
May 2002: The Dreaded "C" Word
April 2002: Own Your Code
March 2002: Ownership Rulz
February 2002: Insurance Assurance
January 2002: The Truth on Royalty Rates
December 2001: Time is of the Essence

Post to Twitter

User login

Famous Last Words Archive