News of the Week; Jan. 30, 2013

By Jon Festinger on February 3, 2013

1. Virtual Superheroes Are More Heroic In Real Life: http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/virtual-superheroes-more-heroic-real-life-130130.htm#mkcpgn=twdsc2

2. One pilot’s mistake leads to massive battle in EVE Online: A misclick causes The Battle of Asakai: http://www.destructoid.com/one-pilot-s-mistake-leads-to-massive-battle-in-eve-online-243509.phtml

3. Five approaches to ‘good’ violence in games: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/185004/Five_approaches_to_good_violence_in_games.php#.UQ7iJKXUQco

4. Little Evidence Sandy Hook Shooter Was a Gamer: http://www.ign.com/blogs/andreweisen/2013/01/25/little-evidence-sandy-hook-shooter-was-a-gamer

5. The Journal News Fallout – Limiting the First Amendment to Protect the Second: http://www.citmedialaw.org/blog/2013/journal-news-fallout-limiting-first-amendment-protect-second utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CitizenMediaLawProject+%28Citizen+Media+Law+Project%29

6. Infringing World of Warcraft theme park built in China: http://the1709blog.blogspot.ca/2013/01/infringing-world-of-warcraft-theme-park.html?m=1

7. UK regulators fine Sony for ‘preventable’ 2011 PSN hack: http://t.co/VzVJW5MW

8. Pakistan Bans Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Medal of Honor: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2013/01/23/pakistan-bans-call-duty-black-ops-ii-and-medal-honor#.UQDbu3y9KSM

9. ‘Persistently unclear’ Skype privacy rules need clarification, Web user groups tell Microsoft: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/skype_privacy_rules_need_clarification/

10. The internet is an ‘essential’ part of life, says German high court: http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/1/25/3914498/german-judge-says-internet-is-essential-to-life

11. ECHR: Copyright vs. freedom of expression: http://kluwercopyrightblog.com/2013/01/25/echr-copyright-vs-freedom-of-expression/

12. Right of Publicity Trumps Artistic Freedom of Expression: http://the1709blog.blogspot.ca/2013/01/right-of-publicity-trumps-artistic.html?m=1

13. Facebook ban for sex offenders is overturned by 7th Circuit: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/facebook_ban_for_sex_offenders_is_overturned_by_7th_circuit/

14. FRANK SENNETT’S SPONSORED CONTENT GUIDELINES: http://jimromenesko.com/2013/01/28/frank-sennetts-sponsored-content-guidelines/

15. Can you legally re-sell your digital music files?: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=a558f483-035d-4bd2-a45e-3cfce4e4a986&utm_source=lexology+daily+newsfeed&utm_medium=html+email+-+body+-+federal+section&utm_campaign=lexology+subscriber+daily+feed&utm_content=lexology+daily+newsfeed+2013-01-28&utm_term=

And in the not really relevant category:

16. Who owns the copyright on barristers’ advocacy?: http://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2013/01/22/who-owns-the-copyright-on-barristers-advocacy-emily-goodhand/

17. Yogi can’t bend the law for copyright protection – A series of yoga poses and breathing exercises cannot be copyrighted, a federal court judge in California recently ruled: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ccc6d157-87e0-4733-a2e0-d55468eae58b&utm_source=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed&utm_medium=HTML+email+-+Body+-+Other+states+section&utm_campaign=Lexology+subscriber+daily+feed&utm_content=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed+2013-01-30&utm_term

jon

 

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5 responses to “News of the Week; Jan. 30, 2013”

  1. Jia
    Jia February 4, 2013 at 12:14 pm

    In relation to #15 of your list (resale of digital music/game). I am thinking that when you agreed to the End User License Agreement at the time of you “purchase” online, which only granted you licensee status to use the music/game, you did not obtain the ownership. This may be the contributory factor that you are not allowed to resell?

  2. Will Shaw
    Will Shaw February 4, 2013 at 2:36 pm

    Interesting in the examples where violence “works” he doesn’t talk about cases where violence doesn’t work. Are there games like that? Are there games where the violence doesn’t fit the narrative, or doesn’t suit the purpose of the game? I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. I guess the closest I can come is Manhunt (which I’ve played only briefly), where it seems like the whole narrative was created for the violence, and where the violence was extremely detailed and personal (and probably not comical or hyperbolic as the article suggested). There was a whole bunch of backlash against it, which makes me wonder what the effect is of violence not working in a game. Is it a public outcry like with Manhunt (whereas we might excuse such violence in other games where it was somehow more appropriate), or maybe it’s poor sales and poor ratings, which ultimately damn the game?

    Not sure, maybe something to think about.

  3. Merrick Cohen
    Merrick Cohen February 6, 2013 at 11:34 am

    For a violent game where violence “doesn’t work” check out “Spec ops: the line”! Its obviously a war game and your only option is to use violence to win but the effects of the violence on your character is really central to the game. The game highlights the psychological effects of war on soldiers, rather than glorifying the hero. A great game to play through and if you don’t have the time to play it, it is still worth it to read through the plot on wikipedia or something!

  4. Jon Festinger, Q.C.
    Jon Festinger, Q.C. February 18, 2013 at 12:49 am

    Exactly right Jia – but where it gets odd perhaps is that you are usually spending just as much money for the downloads you cannot pass on as for the CD’s which you can.

    jon

  5. Jon Festinger, Q.C.
    Jon Festinger, Q.C. February 18, 2013 at 1:01 am

    Good discussion Will & Merrick. As games get more sophisticated at incorporating and modulating consequences, they will both get better and more accurate. That said wouldn’t expect that the gratuitous will ever be fully eliminated.

    jon



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