GAMES
- Bots and Cheaters Lose as League of Legends is awarded a $10 Million Payout
- Esports contract dispute: Seeking to set an industry standard
- Industry tells UK lawmakers it wants more research into gaming disorder: Commons committee not left reassured following latest immersive and addictive technologies inquiry hearing
- Adolescents and loot boxes: links with problem gambling and motivations for purchase (David Zendle, Rachel Meyer & Harriet Over)
- Digital Minister Margot James defends loot boxes: But MP calls for more research into link between gaming and gambling, and says firms with aggressive monetisation should be “brought into line”
- Man sentenced to 2 years in prison for 2013 DDoS attack against Daybreak
- Man behind Daybreak Games DDoS sentenced to two years in prison: Series of attacks against formerly-Sony Online Entertainment, Battle.net, Dota 2, others also asked to pay $95,000 in damages
- “The games industry has some maturation to do in understanding data protection law”: Information Commissioner tells Parliament it will audit publishers and developers as it works on Age Appropriate Design Code
- Chinese government revokes business license of Devotionpublisher Indievent
- Chinese government reportedly revokes Indievent’s business license: Devotion publisher previously cut ties with developer Red Candle Games following discovery of in-game art mocking Chinese president
- DrDisrespect returns to Twitch after ban over E3 livestream: Guy Beahm was widely criticised for streaming from a public bathroom during E3 2019
- Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm offers statement after E3 bathroom filming fiasco: Beahm says “laws/repercussions of filming in the bathroom” simply didn’t occur to him
- Dr DisRespect Apologizes For Public Bathroom Stream, Teases Twitch Return Next Week
- Mordhau developer denies plans for gender/diversity toggle after describing plans for said toggle
- Mordhau developer denies it was planning a “toggle” for diversity [Updated]
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood will not be altered for German release – International version of the game will be available in Germany, complete with Nazi imagery
- Indie Developers Change Game Name Over Bethesda Trademark Dispute
- Epic pledges to cover refund costs for crowdfunded Epic Games Store exclusives
- The Gaming Platform Wars Are Beginning To Screw Up Crowdfunding Games
- The Game Outcomes Project isn’t returning for its 2018-19 edition
- Don’t Miss: The Game Outcomes Project: Learning how teams succeed and fail
- Super Mario Maker 2: Critical Consensus – A complete and well-rounded experience universally praised by critics
- Nintendo Does The Nintendo: ‘Mario Royale’ Fan Game Becomes ‘DMCA Royale’… And Is Now Dead
- Dear Nintendo: Here Are Some Ways You Could Be A Little More Cool, Man
- Miyamoto: Costs and dwindling appeal make new adventure games a hard sell
- Steam works wonders for the retail PC market – 10 Years Ago This Month: Valve buddies up with GameStop, BioWare talks industry maturity, and the expensive peripheral trend cools off
- Indie developers suggest Steam Summer Sale confusion is hurting their games: Misreading of “Grand Prix” promotion seems to be causing spike in wishlist removals.
- Paradox exec: Steam’s 30% fee is “outrageous”
- Devs hit by Steam promo confusion as games are pulled from Wishlists 10
- Valve clarifies Steam Sale event after devs chart declining wishlists
- Epic Games will foot refund bill for Shenmue III, future crowdfunded exclusives
- Shenmue 3 dev to offer backer refunds over Epic Games Store exclusivity
- Angry Shenmue III backers can get refunds after Epic Game Store move
- Shenmue 3 PC backers will get refunds over Epic exclusivity: Ys Net and Deep Silver will reimburse backers who expected a Steam key for the game
- Video: Darkest Dungeon’s ‘camp counselor’ approach to community management
- Maybe Epic’s Claims For Exclusivity Strategy To Benefit The Gaming Industry Isn’t Entirely Crazy
- Developers call for players to pirate their games rather than buy from G2A: Studio and publisher behind Descenders decry controversial retailer’s sponsored ads, Rami Ismail backs them up
- Editor Roundtable: What’s up with game subscription services?
- EA: “I struggle with the perception that we’re just a bunch of bad guys” – Behind the big blockbusters, EA is offering very friendly deals for indie developers — EVP Matt Bilbey tells us why
- Antonick v. Electronic Arts, Inc.
- EVE players are plotting revenge after alien invasion mostly just annoyed everyone: Though initially terrifying, the Drifter Invasion of EVE Online quickly became tedious and boring.
- Street Fighter characters to be used in Osaka police recruitment ads: Capcom consents to have iconic characters used to recruit “cyber-crime” investigators
- Google Stadia exec isn’t worried about data caps—but he probably should be
- Stadia purchases and saves will remain accessible, even if a publisher pulls support
- Stadia head: Devs, publishers, and players aren’t ready for a subscription-only platform
- PlayStation Vue applies a $5-a-month increase to all live TV plans
- Sony considers turning to studio acquisitions as competition rises
- Jim Ryan says Sony is looking at studio acquisitions: “Companies new to the games industry looking at the market with hope is something we definitely welcome”
- Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo Say Trump Tariffs Will Make Game Consoles Hugely More Expensive
- Gumi lays off 32 with closure of Gumi Europe
- Free-to-play studio Redhill Games secures $11.4 million investment
- Square Enix: “We always look out for new IP” – President Yosuke Matsuda on Avengers, Final Fantasy VII, game streaming and its commitment to new projects
- This GTA 6 ‘leak’ is detailed, but almost certainly fake
- Farming Simulator 19 sold over two million copies
- Focus Home reports record year as Farming Simulator 19passes 2 million sold
- Age of Empires series still attracts more than a million players each month: “And the numbers keep going up,” almost 15 years after the last full game
- Call of Duty League adds LA, Minnesota slots: LA’s Immortals Gaming Club to compete under OpTic Gaming brand
- Riot Games teams up with Nielsen to measure brand exposure for esports sponsors: “We have the opportunity to help monetise Riot Games’ platform and validate this growing market”
- YouTube Millionaires: ‘QJB,’ One Of YouTube’s Longest-Running Gaming Channels, Says Staying Consistent Is The Key To Keeping Fans
- Nexon becomes majority owner of fledgling Swedish studio Embark
- Age of Empires series brings in over 1 million players each month
- Weather Factory on the advantages of being “weird and divisive”: Co-founder Lottie Bevan talks about scrapping the studio’s plans based on a single tweet, and how open development keeps experimental games on track
- Remedy obtains publishing rights to Alan Wake: Remedy talks up possibility of multiplatform release for the cult Xbox 360 favourite
- Report: Microsoft still planning a low-cost, streaming-focused Xbox
- Remedy has acquired the publishing rights to Alan Wakefrom Microsoft
- Village Roadshow has acquired the television and film rights to Myst
- id Software’s origin story set to become USA Network TV series
- Guidemaster: Is Valve Index the best virtual reality system to buy in 2019?
- Valve is exploring ‘several ways’ of doing untethered Index VR
- Valve is already exploring “untethered” Index VR hardware: Gabe Newell placed new headset alongside Half-Life and Steam as a “milestone” for the company
- Valve to release Index 3D models to aid VR headset and controller mods
- Valve Index makes VR prettier, but it’s the controllers that steal the show
- Valve releases CAD files for Index headset: Modeling, design files aim to encourage mod-ability, including “frunk” accessories
- Digital Minister wants UK Games Fund to continue: James declares £5m financing initiative a success but extension depends on next government spending review
- South East, London, North West, and Scotland are largest UK dev centres, TIGA reveals: Over half of UK industry based outside London and South East
- Series: Your Story Universe developer Endless Entertainment lays off 7 staff
- Entrepreneurs educate by gamifying the law
- U.S. Patent No. 4,738,451: Multi-player, multi-character cooperative play video game with independent player entry and departure
- Why Clint Hocking wanted every NPC in Watch Dogs: Legion to be playable
- Tilting Point promises more than $20 million for UA costs in CookApps publishing deal
- Artifact’s pricing and value didn’t quite line up, says consulting designer
- Zachtronics games are now free for public schools and educational nonprofits
- The complicated process of porting Graveyard Keeper to consoles and mobile
- Blog: Charting the pacing of Uncharted 2 – Part 2
- Blog: Historians discuss Total War: Three Kingdoms
- Blog: How game developers can get the most out of Discord
- Blog: MVP like Nintendo in 1980
- Summer Games Done Quick closes 2019 event with $3 million raised for MSF
DIGITAL
- Twitter Will Now Hide, Suppress Spread Of Government Officials’ Tweets That Violate Its Guidelines
- Twitter clarifies special rules for tweets by world leaders like Trump
- Boris Johnson, UK’s Answer To Trump, Offers A Masterclass In How To Use The Dead Cat Strategy Combined With A Google Bomb
- Chinese Border Agents Now Installing Malware On Foreigners’ Cellphones
- Deceptive marketing in the spotlight: Ticketmaster to pay Competition Bureau penalty of $4.5 million
- Retailers all but beg FTC to take action against Google, Amazon
- D-Link agrees to new security monitoring to settle FTC charges
- Amazon confirms it keeps your Alexa recordings basically forever
- Amazon can be held liable for defective third-party products on its platform, court rules: A potentially damaging precedent for the company
- Amazon Might Be Liable for Defective Marketplace Items (But Only When It Tries to Warn Consumers)–Fox v. Amazon (Eric Goldman)
- Taylor Swift To Headline Amazon’s Prime Day Concert Livestream
- It’s not that we’ve failed to rein in Facebook and Google. We’ve not even tried: The tech giants use our data not only to predict our behaviour but to change it. But we can resist this attack on democracy (Shoshana Zuboff)
- Researchers crack open Facebook campaign that pushed malware for years: Facebook removes pages following discovery of a campaign that hid in plain sight.
- Facebook Defeats Alabama Injunction for Lack of Jurisdiction–Facebook v. KGS (Eric Goldman)
- Ninth Circuit Rejects Facial Recognition Claim Against Facebook
- Facebook To Start Handing User Info To French Government So It Can Start Punishing People For Being Stupid
- Facebook’s new terms of service explains how ads get targeted: There are also new details on user rights to uploaded content and when you can appeal a ban
- As Facebook cracks down on hate speech, it’s also re-evaluating another policy: Nipples
- Libra: A centralised wolf in decentralised sheep’s clothes
- Facebook gets more official pushback on Libra
- BuzzFeed’s ‘Good Advice Cupcake Show’ To Be Facebook Watch’s First Animated Series
- Senator Lindsey Graham To Host Special ‘But Think Of The Children Online!’ Moral Panic Hearing
- We Should Probably Stop Blaming Technology For The Failings Of Human Beings
- Google announces new subsea cable ‘Equiano’, connecting Africa and Europe
- Gmail’s API lockdown will kill some third-party app access, starting July 15
- The End Of The Open Internet: Cory Doctorow’s Op-Ed From The Future
- CNIL Publishes Action Plan Regarding Online Targeted Advertising
- Bringing competition to the digital age: Commissioner Matthew Boswell intends that the Competition Bureau be a leading enforcement agency in the digital economy
- Is ‘This Time Different’ Concerning Big Internet Dominance?
- State Judge Prefers Prior Restraint To The First Amendment, Orders Blogger To Delete Supposedly Defamatory Posts
- Crazy Copyright Suit Over Gigi Hadid Posting A Photo Of Herself To Instagram Shows Absurdity Inherent In Photo Copyrights
- Gigi Hadid “Obliterates” copyrights with fair-use bazooka
- “But It’s on the Internet!” You Still Need a License to Use that Photo!
- Are GIFs Subject to Copyright?
- Trump Thinks That The Government Can And Should Sue Internet Companies Because He Doesn’t Like The People Who Work There
- Inside Story On The War On Backpage Raises All Sorts Of Legal Questions
- California’s Bot Transparency Law Goes into Effect on July 1, 2019
- Will California’s New Bot Law Strengthen Democracy?
- California Court Finds Section 230 Protects Decision to Suspend and Ban Twitter Account
- Section 230 Protects Snapchat from Liability for Cyberbullying–Grossman v. Rockaway Township (Eric Goldman)
- WSJ Op Ed Warns: Killing Section 230, Kills The Internet
- Yes, The EU Copyright Directive Does Have A Few Good Ideas — But They Need To Be Implemented Properly
- Latest Linkwrap on FOSTA’s Aftermath (Eric Goldman)
- Reddit ‘Quarantines’ Pro-Trump Subreddit Over Anti-Police Threats: Users allegedly threatened law enforcement ordered to find Republican senators
- The Trump Campaign Spent Hundreds Of Thousands To Take Over YouTube’s Masthead
- YouTube promises users more control over recommendations
- YouTube Vet Philip DeFranco Hits Play On ‘Rogue Rocket’ Channel With New Correspondents, Deeper Dives
- 30,000 followers makes you an Internet “celebrity,” says UK ad regulator
- The Internet broke today: Facebook, Verizon, and more see major outages
- FTC, FDA Caution E-Cig Companies About Influencer Marketing
- FTC Continues Enforcement of Unfair and Deceptive Online Activities
- FTC Announces First Actions Enforcing The Consumer Review Fairness Act
- Netflix Pledges to Cut Back Smoking Depictions in Original Productions After Group Blasts ‘Stranger Things’
- Gabby Douglas, Dashawn Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo To Attend VidCon As Part Of First Nike Sponsorship
- Jony Ive will depart Apple to start his own company
- Apple Design Guru Jony Ive to Depart to Form Independent Firm
- iPhone and iPad designer Jony Ive is leaving Apple after 27 years
- Report describing Jony Ive’s Apple exit gains a sharp response from Tim Cook
- Apple Music Tops 60 Million Subscribers, Including Users on Free Trials
- Samsung CEO calls Galaxy Fold launch failure “embarrassing”
- Russell Simmons’ All Def Digital Is Shutting Down, According To Sources
- Spotify Shuts Down Ability for Independent Artists to Upload Music Directly
- Spotify Signs Deal To Get Footloose With Kevin Bacon In Upcoming Comedy Podcast
- Tidal Launches Enhanced Credits Feature
- Instagram Will Integrate Ads Into ‘Explore’ Tab Over Coming Months
- The Streaming TV Sector Still Doesn’t Realize Exclusives Will Drive Users Back To Piracy
- Quibi Snags ‘Hunger Games’ Alum Liam Hemsworth For Thriller Amid $1 Billion Content Push
- Patenting Trends in Blockchain Innovations
- You too could now 3D print a Lamborghini Aventador at home: If you had some impressive STEAM physics, engineering and manufacturing skills, that is
- ICANN eliminates .org domain price caps despite lopsided opposition
- eSignature and ePayment News and Trends
- Tech competence should be required
- Batten Down the Hatches: Digital Tax Nor’easter Coming This Fall
- Microsoft is teasing Windows 1.0 and other 1980s software
- You Don’t Own What You’ve Bought: Microsoft’s Books ‘Will Stop Working’
A.I.
- When it comes to AI regulation, Canada can do better: Countries are considering the guiding philosophies
- Are You Talking To A Bot? – New CA Law Makes Disclosure the Best Option
- Is There Anybody Behind That Bot?
- Schools Are Using ‘Aggression Detecting’ Mics That Are Set Off By Coughing, Slamming Locker Doors To Head Off The Next School Shooting
- The first AI capable of simulating the universe works so well it’s scary
- FaceTime feature in iOS 13 feigns eye contact during video calls
- Mini neural networks mimic the human cerebrum
- I Welcomed Our New Robot Overlords At Amazon’s First AI Conference
- Signs from above: Drone with projector successfully trolls car AI
- AI Isn’t Making The Criminal Justice System Any Smarter
- Endless AI-generated spam risks clogging up Google’s search results: A ‘tsunami’ of cheap AI content could cause problems for search engines
- The future of AI research is in Africa: In the last few years, the machine-learning community has blossomed, applying the technology to challenges like food security and health care.
- The hidden labor supporting algorithms: “Ghost Work” reveals labor structures masked by technology
- Blog: Creating the the AI of Sea of Thieves – Part 4
COMMUNICATIONS
- What is the Point of the Broadcast and Telecom Legislative Review if the Government Has Already Decided What It Intends To Do? (Michael Geist)
- Canadian CEO Penalized for His Company’s CASL Breaches
- Sinclair Faces Expanded Probe For Shady Behavior During Tribune Merger
- Supreme Court Declines to Decide whether FCC Orders Bind District Courts
- House votes to block Ajit Pai’s plan to kill San Francisco broadband law
- Former Head Of Ajit Pai’s Broadband Advisory Council Is Headed To Prison For Fraud
- Pai’s FCC Crushes Rules That Brought More Broadband Competition To San Francisco
- T-Mobile enemy Dish could help save the T-Mobile/Sprint merger: Dish could resell T-Mobile/Sprint network access in deal to save merger.
- Frontier customer bought his own router—but has to pay $10 rental fee anyway
- NASA, NOAA, and the Navy Tell The FCC Its 5G Plan Will Harm Weather Forecasting
- The Press Needs An Intervention When It Comes To Over-Hyping 5G
PRIVACY
- Now TikTok is facing a UK investigation over children’s data
- SCHREMS 2.0 – the demise of Standard Contractual Clauses and Privacy Shield?
- Superhuman says it will disable email read receipts by default after privacy controversy: Pixel tracking is still an option, but it’ll be limited
- Taser maker says it won’t use facial recognition in bodycams
- Axon Ethics Board Pulls Plug On Facial Recognition Tech Being Added To Its Body Cameras
- Deepfake revenge porn distribution now a crime in Virginia
- Deepfakes and Other Disinformation Pose Growing Business Threats, Say WilmerHale Lawyers
- Author pulls software that used deep learning to virtually undress women
- Somerville, Massachusetts Becomes The Second US City To Ban Facial Recognition Tech
- These are a few of our favorite IoT: NIST finalizes Internet of Things cyber guidance
- Watching Me, Watching You – IoT Camera Hacks Surge
- Another Report Shows The GDPR Benefited Google And Facebook, And Hurt Everyone Else
- New York Data Privacy Law
- New York Senate Considers Sweeping New Privacy Bill That Would Create a Fiduciary Duty to Consumers
- Maine Enacts Broadband Privacy Law
- Hackers Have Been Stealing User Data From Global Cell Networks Since 2012
- Benefit of the but-for bargain: Assessing economic tools for data privacy litigation
- Ryuk, Ryuk, Ryuk: Georgia’s courts hit by ransomware
- Georgia courts (mostly) shrug off ransomware attack
- Florida LAN: Someone clicks link, again, giving Key Biscayne ransomware
- New ransomware infections are the worst drive-by attacks in recent memory
- “We need to up our game”—DHS cybersecurity director on Iran and ransomware
- Documents Show The NSA’s Abuse Of Its Phone Records Collection Continued Right Up Until Its Decision To Pull The Plug
- Department of State Requests Social Media Profile Identifiers
- Smile, Your City Is Watching You: Local governments must protect your privacy as they turn to “smart city” technology.
- Here We Go Again: Trump Administration Considers Outlawing Encryption
- Standard Contractual Clauses and EU-US Privacy Shield – Under scrutiny
- Cookie consent – What “good” compliance looks like according to the ICO
CREATIVITY
- SCOTUS: Lanham Act’s Ban on Registration of “Immoral or Scandalous” Marks Unconstitutional
- Why the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision to Allow Federal Registration of FUCT Impacts Every Day Businesses
- UMG Tries To Block O-Town’s Trademark Application Over Its Motown Record Label
- Gibson Guitar Declares Shift In IP Enforcement After Most Recent Public Backlash
- NBC and Carrie Underwood Face Lawsuit Over NFL Sunday Night Football Theme Song
- Banning harmful gender stereotypes in advertising – what you should know
- Brazilian court bans subway performers
- College Forgets How The First Amendment Works; Targets Its Own Student Newspaper With A Public Records Request
- The Root weeds out ebony’s Lanham Suit
- Zion Williamson’s Legal Battle with His Former Marketing Agency
- Andy Warhol’s “Prince Series” Ruled Fair Use
- Second Circuit Holds New York’s Met Museum Can Keep Picasso’s The Actor
- Who Owns the Law? Supreme Court to Decide if State Governments Can Copyright Legal Texts
- U.S. Supreme Court to Review Copyrightability of Privately-Produced Annotated State Statutory Compilations
- Inaccurate Copyright Application, Without a Plausible Excuse from the Copyright Owner, Leads to Invalidation of Registration
- Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreements and the Harmonisation of Copyright Law at International Level: Lessons to be Learned from the TTIP (Christophe Geiger)
- 1H 2019 Quick Links, Part 1 (Copyright & More) (Eric Goldman)
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