The Licensing Plate

Judge Refuses to Sack Potential Billion-Dollar ‘Madden NFL’ Game Lawsuit

Robin Antonick, the man who created the first version of the mega-successful Madden NFL Football video game, has survived the first hurdle in a massive lawsuit against Electronic Arts.

The Hollywood Reporter (full story)

Trademarks and the Video Game Industry

Indie developer Mojang Specifications has been threatened with legal action by Bethesda over the forthcoming Mojang game Scrolls, according to Mojang head Notch. This is another great example of the importance of understanding how trademarks work in the games industry- and this is a post to explain why.

Gamer/Law (full story)

Lodsys – Piling It On, But To What Purpose

The latest news out of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is that Lodsys has now amended its complaint to add five new defendants. Added to the growing list of Lodsys adversaries are: Electronic Arts, Atari, Take-Two Interactive, Rovio Mobile, and Square Enix. These are all game developers.

Groklaw (full story)

Zynga Sued Over Farmville Code

SocialApps, a California company that develops, posts, and maintains online social network games for sale, has sued online social gaming giant Zynga alleging copyright infringement, violation of trade secrets, breach of written contract, breach of implied-in-fact contract, and breach of confidence.

Patent Arcade (full story)

Ubisoft Teams up with Black Eyed Peas for New Dance Video Game

Although MTV Games and Activision have pulled the plug on music rhythm video game franchises “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero,” Ubisoft continues to embrace the music genre from multiple angles. The French game publisher held a press conference in Paris to announce “The Black Eyed Peas Experience” for Kinect, for Xbox 360, and Wii, just before the group performed the first of three sold out shows at the Stade de France.

The Hollywood Reporter (full story)

‘Snow White’ Cited in Scalia Opinion Striking Down Ban on Violent Video Games

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a California law barring the sale and rental of violent video games to minors.

The court ruled 7-2 that the law violates the First Amendment. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion (PDF). “Our cases have been clear that the obscenity exception to the First Amendment does not cover whatever a legislature finds shocking, but only depictions of ‘sexual conduct,’ ” Scalia wrote.

ABA Journal (full story)

Zynga Sues Vostu, Alleged Copycat Gaming Startup

Zynga has filed a lawsuit against Brazilian startup Vostu—owned by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared—for copyright infringement.

“Vostu’s business model is simple: copy Zynga’s successful games,” the lawsuit states. “While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, the copying of valuable intellectual property rights is theft.”

Adweek (full story)

Can Microsoft use the DMCA to kill competing Xbox 360 accessories?

Can Microsoft remotely disable third-party accessories from working with the Xbox 360 and get away with it?

The Redmond, Washington software- and console-maker did just that, and claims copyright law gave it the right. At issue is Microsoft’s 2009 remote disabling of Datel memory cards, which prompted an antitrust lawsuit that lives on today—litigation that has morphed into the latest test of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

ars technica (full story)

Redner Group Loses Biggest Client Over Tweet

PR agency Redner Group lost its largest client today, following one of those familiar tweet blunders that begs the question: How does this keep happening?

In this case, the blunder was a public declaration denouncing negative reviews of client 2K’s “Duke Nukem Forever” game.

AdAge (full story)

Electronic Arts Moves to Sack Massive Lawsuit From Madden Football Creator

Video game giant Electronic Arts on Tuesday asked a California federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that could be worth billions of dollars if the company loses. In dispute is whether EA owes the original creator of Madden NFL Football royalties and a percentage of profits from the many versions of the game that have come out in the last 20 years.

The Hollywood Reporter (full story)

GaGa’s FarmVille crop was rich but temporary

The recent Lady GaGa promotion with FarmVille drove traffic to the online game up by over 30% at its peak – but its impact was short-lived.

MusicWeek (full story)

Jimmy Buffet to Launch 3D ‘Margaritaville’ Game on Facebook, iOS

THQ has partnered with Jimmy Buffett to bring Margaritaville Online to Facebook and iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) this fall, but attendees of E3 in Los Angeles will get a first look at the game.

Billboard (full story)

Zynga Announces CityVille Integration With ‘Kung Fu Panda 2′

After unleashing a massive FarmVille partnership with Lady Gaga earlier this week, today Zynga announced another major entertainment collaboration, this time between CityVille and DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 2.” CityVille is not only Zynga’s biggest game — it’s also Facebook’s, with 88 million monthly players, according to AppData. The movie opens May 26 and the “Kung Fu Panda 2″ quest runs from today until May 31.

Advertising Age (full story)

The Learning Company Suing Zynga Over Oregon Trail Trademark

A federal lawsuit filed this week in Massachusetts district court accuses social game mega-publisher Zynga of infringing on The Oregon Trail trademark held by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt subsidiary The Learning Company (TLC).

Gamasutra (full story)

EA’s Playfish Cooks Up Sponsorship With British Chef Jamie Oliver

Electronic Art’s Playfish is partnering with Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver to bring his brand — and specifically a virtual pasta maker — to its social game Restaurant City.

As social games attract large user bases, it is increasingly common for advertisers to sponsor virtual goods to get in front of a very engaged audience.

All Things Digital (full story)

GagaVille: Lady Gaga goes to FarmVille

The first trailer for the Lady Gaga FarmVille integration:

GagaVille: Zynga And Lady Gaga Announce Major Partnership

In the past, Zynga has landed a number of high-profile partnerships with musicians and entertainment companies, including Snoop Dogg, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, The Green Hornet and others. But today, the social gaming giant is announcing its largest entertainment deal to date-with pop star Lady Gaga.

TechCrunch (full story)

Zynga teams up with Lady Gaga through GagaVille

Zynga is rocking out with Lady Gaga. In a first of its kind partnership, the social game publisher has created a marketing alliance with the pop icon so that fans will be able to connect with Gaga-inspired wares in Zynga games.

VentureBeat (full story)

Judge Tosses College Athletes’ Claims Against EA Sport…Suit Continues Against NCAA and CLC

A federal judge on Monday threw out former college athletes’ claims against EA Sports, regarding the use of their likeness in past versions of NCAA Football and the now canceled NCAA Basketball. While the ruling clears Electronic Arts in a legal sense, the claims still will proceed against the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company, and the outcome still could have ramifications for the popular sports video game.

Kotaku (full story)

Beyoncé Sued by Video Game Developer

Beyoncé is being sued by the software developer Gate Five for allegedly pulling out of a deal to create Starpower: Beyoncé, a motion-sensing dance video game. The company is seeking more than $100 million…

Rolling Stone (full story)