12th VGBA Summit on Game Law & Business Affairs at Loyola Law School Los Angeles

Registration for the 12th VGBA Game Business & Legal Affairs Summit is now open.

Regular Registration  2024: $1400 for VGBA Members, $1600 for Non-Members including one year's VGBA membership.

WELCOME to the VGBA SUMMIT SOIREE
SUNDAY, JUNE 2     4:00PM - 7:30PM.    The Offices of Nixon Peabody
Join us for a pre-Summit late afternoon of epic views, even better conversations complemented by food and beverages. We thanks our colleagues at Nixon Peabody for suggesting this great way to kick-off the Summit.

SUMMIT SCHEDULE (subject to change)

                                       June 3                                                                                                                      June 4

June 3 Welcome Reception & Dinner: FLEMING'S STEAK HOUSE - LA LIVE COMPLEX

6:30PM - 10:00PM
This year's end of day one reception and dinner will be held at Fleming's Steak House - well known by all who have enjoyed E3 over the many years it was held. LA Live is a 10 minute walk from the Loyola Law School campus and even faster for those in a car. Our reception is sponsored by our colleagues at Fenwick and dinner is sponsored by Frankfurt Kurnit. 

WHERE TO STAY
The Loyola Law School Campus is a few minutes walk to LA LIVE and the Los Angeles Convention Center Area with hotels and restaurants to fit all budgets. Although there is no "official" VGBA hotel, most attendees from outside of the great LA area will be staying the downtown area.  For those of you who are local, parking is available at Loyola Law School for a nominal charge.

Session Topics
Performance Licensing 101
From game soundtracks to in-game concerts, music has always played an important role in the gaming space. This panel will look at the nuts and bolts of modern music licensing in gaming for both new and seasoned practitioners.

Performance Licensing 102

This panel will take a deep dive into how licensing works in a world of in game music experiences and AI.

Ratings Bodies Udate

The explosion of user generated games has raised questions about how to operate them and comply with the requirements of the games rating bodies around the world. This panel will investigate how these ratings agencies are adapting to UGC.

Copyright & Artificial Intelligence Work
As AI technologies advance, they challenge traditional notions of creativity and ownership. This panel will explore the evolving landscape of copyright law (or, to the extent it doesn't work, other mechanisms) involving AI-generated content, examining key issues such as authorship, ownership rights, contractual rights and remedies, the threat of litigation, and the applicability of current copyright frameworks to AI-generated works.

Avoiding Bias: Incereasing DEI
One theme that was clear at this year’s Game Developers Conference was the need to improve diversity and representation in the games industry, both in games as well as among the employees making them. This panel will evaluate solutions such as AI based hiring screening tools, legal requirements for trainings, and undertaking investigations of discrimination claims.

Ethics & AI: Dawn of the RoboLawyers?
As technology advances at a lightning-fast pace, it's only natural to think about how generative AI might be used in your legal practice. This panel of practitioners and ethics experts will discuss the practical and ethical pitfalls associated with using AI in the legal profession, and how you can craft a reasonable and ethical AI policy for your organization.

Surprise! You're A Social Media Company!
Laws have been passed in several states attempting to regulate social media, often with broad definitions of what constitutes a social media platform. This panel will examine the potential effects of these.

Emplyment Update: Layoffs
Layoffs have long been part of the realities of the gaming industry, though the number of companies laying off in the last 18 months seems like part of a larger trend. This panel will examine the legal complexities of reductions in force for companies, as well as affected employees.

Won't Somebody Think of the Children?
Regulators have been very concerned about keeping children safe online for some time, particularly in games and on social media. The very definition of a minor has also changed with the implementation of new laws in different jurisdictions that define the age of minority differently. This panel will dig into best practices for games companies when dealing with minors amid this changing landscape.

Cybersecurity: Best Pracitces
The cybersecurity landscape for games companies is as fraught as ever with ransomware and other cyberattacks on the rise, and cybersecurity incident insurance increasingly expensive and challenging to get. This panel will explore best cybersecurity practices for games companies on how to best protect themselves legally and technologically.

Unionization
The SAG-AFTRA and writers’ strikes have drawn attention to the impact of AI on talent and writers. This panel will look at the latest union agreements, legal efforts to address talent concerns, as well as efforts by states to try to protect child influencers’ earnings and wellbeing.

International Round-up
Colleagues from jurisdictions outside the U.S. will report on legal developments relevant to the games industry from their respective countries.

Interacting with Law Enforcement
Whether it is responding to government subpoenas, reporting threats to a studio, or handling third party threats, lawyers in the games space often interact with law enforcement. This panel will discuss effective approaches to interacting with law enforcement officers in different legal situations.

Making Games Safe
Games companies continue to work to reduce toxicity in games and improve player experiences, as well as safety. This panel will examine the challenges of content and conduct moderation, the intersection of the legal department with customer support, as well as the impact of new laws like the OSA and DSA on these processes.

Funding & Studio Creation in Uncertain Times
There is a lot of games talent on the market as of late, and everyone in the industry is curious to see what alchemy will result in terms of new companies and games. This panel will break out their crystal balls and data trends to try to predict what venture capital and other funders will be looking for in new projects.

SUMMIT SPEAKERS: (MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON)