News of the Week; October 16, 2019

GAMES

1. US Hearthstone players banned for Hong Kong protest: Team that held up a “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizz” sign punished “for engaging in behavior disruptive to” tournament broadcast
2. College Hearthstone team hit with 6-month ban after showing ‘Free Hong Kong’ sign
3. Nintendo NYC Overwatch launch event cancelled by Blizzard
4. Blizzard cancels Overwatch live event at Nintendo World in New York: Launch event for Overwatch on Nintendo Switch cancelled amid hostility over Chinese censorship furore
5. Blizzard employees organise walkout following Hong Kong controversy: Popular caster Brian Kibler also withdrew his participation to the Hearthstone Grandmasters final
6. Thanks Blizzard: Riot Games Forced To Let Everyone Know They’re Allowed To Use Hong Kong’s LoL Team’s Name
7. Blizzard’s Face Plant Creates Marketing Opportunity For Companies With A Spine
8. The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast: Can Blizzard recover from Blitzchung?: We discuss the wider impact of the backlash against the World of Warcraft publisher
9. Blizzard reinstates Hong Kong protestor’s prize, says “China had no influence”
10. Blizzard reduces ban for Hearthstone player, but stands by its initial reasoning
11. Blizzard: Chinese interests “had no influence” on Blitzchung ban – Hearthstone developer reduces punishments for pro player’s support of Hong Kong protesters
12. Publishers risk being trapped between the US and China | Opinion: Publishers are on the frontline of a battle that goes beyond trade — and will far outlast the Trump administration
13. Blitzchung says he will “be more careful” following Blizzard statement: The Hearthstone pro player says he has “no idea” if he’ll still want to compete after his six months ban
14. More Fallout From The Hong Kong Protests Hitting eSports
15. Riot calls for esports casters, players to avoid ‘sensitive topics’ during its broadcasts
16. Riot Games: “We aren’t telling anyone to avoid saying ‘Hong Kong'” – League of Legends firm clarifies confusion as rumours spread it is censoring esports team name Hong Kong Attitude
17. Riot Games directs casters and players not to discuss politics on air: Global head of League of Legends esports says it wants “to keep broadcasts focused on the game”
18. After a decade of League of Legends, Riot to expand with new games
19. Riot Games files trademark lawsuit against esports organisation Riot Squad: The League of Legends developer says the copyright infringement has caused “irreparable damage”
20. Paradox takes Stellaris: Galaxy Command offline over stolen Halo 4 artwork
21. Two Hat: Stop tweaking your game and start fixing your community – Security expert Two Hat teams up with Image Analyzer to tackle harmful online content and toxic communities
22. A case for ethical game design from BioWare’s Åsa Roos
23. A guide for devs to battle (and convert) their online haters
24. German regulator begins process to ban Coin Master game: Review board considers blacklisting game with gambling-like elements as harmful to minors, decision could set precedent for other titles
25. FTC Takes a Peek at Loot Box Regulation
26. Ustwo Games accused of union busting: Independent Workers Union of Great Britain has taken legal action against Monument Valley developer
27. Gay World of Warcraft guild forced to change name because of user complaints
28. Blizzard forces name change for gay guild: Publisher renames “Gay Boys” as “Guild ZFXPK” in response to player reports, changes it back but says it can’t stop it happening again
29. Video games help people with disabilities find friends and transcend real-world limitations
30. Rocksteady and Creative Assembly under fire over Video Game Tax Relief: TaxWatch UK highlights ways multinational companies are using scheme to shift profits
31. Changing mental health depictions in games: Developers say the industry is getting better at incorporating real conditions into their stories, but more progress is needed
32. New charity Safe In Our World focuses on mental health in the games industry: Organisation aims to raise awareness of mental health issues among both gamers and developers
33. G2A: “There’s no place in a business like ours for shadiness or fraud” – Communications boss Maciej Kuc addresses the biggest complaints against the divisive marketplace
34. Steam will soon let users play local-multiplayer games over the internet
35. Steam to add ability to play local co-op games with friends online: Support will be added automatically week of October 21 for all applicable games
36. Steam’s next big feature will make any “local multiplayer” game work online
37. Case study: Steam’s ‘Deal Of The Day’ and DLC attach rates4
38. Untitled Goose Game passed 100,000 sales in first two weeks
39. “Troll Factory” turns disinformation campaigns into teaching game
40. PlayStation 5 to Launch Holiday 2020, Including New Controller with Improved Haptics
41. After All That, Sony Unceremoniously Rolls Out PS4 Remote Play To All Android Devices
42. World of Warcraft sees Q3 streaming rise – StreamElements: WoW Classic interest persists as Fortnite continues to dip
43. Sony Reveals AR Headset Prototype in New Ghostbusters Location-based Attraction
44. DIY thumbsticks and clay creations: How Google designed its Stadia gamepad
45. Google Stadia finally has a concrete launch date
46. Google Stadia launching at 9am PST, November 19 for pre-orderers
47. Google backs away from Daydream VR due to a general lack of interest
48. Google ending Daydream: Company will stop selling View VR headset holder, citing decreasing usage and lack of adoption by developers and consumers
49. Nintendo Switch sales in Europe pass 10m: Since launch, 36 million Nintendo-published games have been shifted
50. Blizzard calls off public event to promote Switch Overwatch launch
51. Video: How (and why) Blizzard finally ported Overwatch to Switch
52. “The Switcher” is real: Witcher 3 on Switch is a blurry, tolerable compromise
53. Apple now sells Xbox controllers on its official store
54. Apple is selling Xbox controllers: Microsoft’s GamePad available through mobile giant’s online store following Apple Arcade launch
55. Mixer’s other co-founder also leaves Microsoft
56. Mixer co-founder Matt Salsamendi departs Microsoft
57. Microsoft introduces swear filters for Xbox: Platform holder will roll out four levels of filtration later this year to all Xbox devices and apps
58. Both Co-Founders Of Microsoft’s Twitch Competitor Mixer Are Departing The Business
59. The public preview for Xbox’s streaming service Project xCloud is now live
60. Analogue shows off Pocket retro portable: $199 handheld hardware set for 2020, will play original carts from Game Boy family, Game Gear, Lynx, and Neo Geo Pocket Color
61. $199 Analogue Pocket promises FPGA accuracy for portable retro gaming
62. The Analogue Pocket offers a modern way to play and make Game Boy games
63. Snapchat partnered with Adidas to launch its first shoppable mobile game
64. Hitman dev IO Interactive partners with Warner Bros. on ‘new game experience’
65. Warner Bros partners with IO Interactive for new game: Hitman partnership transformed into multi-IP deal with both IO studios involved in development
66. Niantic wants players to help expand location-games with new ‘Wayfarer’ tool
67. Niantic announces Wayfarer program to improve in-game play locations: Program currently in beta for Ingress players, coming to Pokemon Go players later
68. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery reaches $150m in revenue – Jam City’s title has been downloaded 54.6 million times across iOS and Android
69. FIFA 20 tops EMEAA charts for second week since launch: Just Cause 3 makes surprise appearance in top ten, climbing from No. 123 last week
70. Busy September charts see FIFA 20 take No.1: A strong slate of new releases battle for top five, with Borderlands 3 in second place
71. FIFA 20 retains No.1 as Grid reaches Top Five: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair debuts at No.31
72. Daybreak Games lays off multiple employees in company ‘realignment’
73. Daybreak Game Company suffers more layoffs: Company “realignment” leads to third round of redundancies in 18 months
74. Report: 50 workers laid off at Bendy and the Ink Machine developer Kindly Beast
75. Bendy and the Ink Machine studio Kindly Beast lays off just under 50 – CEO Mike Mood: “All current projects will continue as planned”
76. PUBG Mobile is highest-grossing smartphone game in Q3: Sensor Tower report shows growth across all metrics in the mobile game sector
77. Fortnite’s latest narrative turn has taken the entire game offline
78. Fortnite “shuts down” ahead of battle royale’s Chapter 2: Latest live event sees iconic island devoured by black hole in livestream, game currently unavailable
79. Fortnite is back after suddenly going dark for days to hype a big content update
80. Don’t Miss: The unconventional launch of Fortnite
81. Esports-focused mobile dev Meta Games nets $2 million in funding
82. Nerd Street Gamers raises $12m for building esports facilities: Will start by constructing 3,000 square foot spaces for Five Below stores
83. Esports’ ongoing data competition: PCU v. ACU v. AMA – Newzoo’s new head of esports Remer Rietkerk on the challenges of finding good data for the right occasion
84. Millennial Esports acquires YouTube channel LetsGoRacing: The channel, created by Grand Central Entertainment, focuses on motorsports and, recently, esports racing
85. Hiro Capital is “determined to fill the post-seed gap” with new €100m fund: Industry veterans will invest in around 20 promising games, esports and digital sports companies by 2021
86. What we can learn from… successful game teams: Crunch and financial rewards don’t work, says Department of Play’s Will Luton, but there are strategies that can lead to more effective teams and projects
87. Curve Digital owner Catalis Group acquired by NorthEdge Capital for $113 million
88. NorthEdge Capital acquires Curve Digital parent Catalis: Company invests £46.6m in games group, deal values Catalis at £90m
89. Summerfall Studios breaks new ground with Chorus: An Adventure Musical – Australian startup has assembled David Gaider, Austin Wintory, Troy Baker and Laura Bailey for its “interactive musical”
90. The enduring appeal of simulation games: Simulation games find their audience among maturing gamers and wild-eyed influencers alike
91. Divinity: Fallen Heroes placed on indefinite hold by developer Larian Studios
92. How Ubisoft designed and refined its Assassin’s Creed VR escape rooms
93. Owlchemy’s audio wizard offers tips on making the most of music in VR
94. Using body language to create more compelling VR game characters 
95. Fine-tuning for the ‘action hero’ feel in PlayStation’s VR game Blood & Truth
96. How to get your game on the front page of Imgur: A practical guide
97. Don’t Miss: An in-depth look at the physics of trains in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
98. Don’t Miss: 10 video game production lessons learned the hard way
99. Don’t Miss: How the Surviving Mars devs built a city-builder on a barren planet
100. Blog: Making games is easy – selling them, not so much
101. Blog: The problem with the indie game pedestal9
102. Blog: A look at scavenger hunts in two modern adventure games
103. Blog: Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress, and procedurally generated storytelling
104. Blog: The simple difficulty of bringing Frostpunk to consoles
105. Blog: Accessibility and difficulty as barriers to art
106. Blog: An exploration of map region-based narrative
107. Video: The math behind predictable projectiles in games
108. How Raw Data dev Survios succeeds by recycling its own tech
109. Adi Shankar working on another video game TV series, this time for Far Cry 3 – Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Vibe to be a part of a greater Ubisoft multiverse of shows
110. Ubisoft is making animated shows based on Rayman, Watch Dogs, and more
111. Ukie releasing advice pack to help UK games industry prepare for no-deal Brexit
112. UKIE prepares no-deal Brexit advice: Trade body to release free written, audio, and visual content as Britain prepares to leave EU
113. Thousands of DOS games have been added to the Internet Archive
114. U.S. Patent no. 9,180,378: Conditional access to areas in a video game

DIGITAL

1. Livestream of Germany shooting removed from Twitch: Streaming site is still investigating, will permanently suspend any accounts reposting footage
2. Self-Regulation Of Social Media Platforms Failing To Curb Disinformation, Says New Report
3. Political ads can lie if they want, Facebook confirms
4. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s private meetings with conservative pundits
5. Warren escalates Facebook fight with ad targeting Zuckerberg
6. #DeleteFacebook trends after report Zuckerberg secretly dined with conservatives
7. Facebook can be forced to remove content on a global scale after landmark CJEU ruling
8. Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and eBay all quit Facebook’s Libra in one day
9. Facebook launches Libra Association—and says 180 companies could join
10. Third Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of Sprawling Anti-Competitive Conduct Complaint Against Facebook
11. Facebook’s new Portal has a refined design but familiar limitations: It’s a better Portal, but it’s still a Portal
12. Grace Helbig To Sit Down With Powerful Women In Studio71 Facebook Series
13. Instagram’s latest security feature lets you better manage third-party app permissions: See who has your data at a glance
14. How Pinterest Built One of Silicon Valley’s Most Successful Algorithms
15. Rent-a-troll: Researchers pit disinformation farmers against each other
16. In flip-flop, Apple bans app used by Hong Kong protestors
17. Apple Signs Overall TV Deal With Oscar-Winning Auteur Alfonso Cuarón
18. 10 Risks Associated with Inaccessible Websites and Mobile Apps
19. Feds hit GirlsDoPorn owners with criminal sex trafficking charges
20. Top Myths About Content Moderation (Eric Goldman)
21. UK porn blacklist is dead after government abandons age verification
22. Elizabeth Warren’s Feud With Facebook Over ‘False’ Ads Just Highlights The Impossibility Of Content Moderation At Scale
23. Section 230 Helps Tumblr Defeat Nonconsensual Pornography Suit–Poole v. Tumblr (Eric Goldman)
24. The PLAN Act Proposes to Amend Section 230 to “Protect”…Landlords and Hotel Chains? (Eric Goldman)
25. New Paper Explains Why Technologists Should Rally Behind Section 230 (Eric Goldman)
26. ASA rules Casumo ad was targeted irresponsibly
27. Attorney Who Sued Grindr Responds Extremely Poorly To The Supreme Court’s Rejection Of Her Section 230 Lawsuit
28. Why International Human Rights Law Cannot Replace Content Moderation
29. How Photos of Your Kids Are Powering Surveillance Technology
30. Avatar Alert! ASA uses child avatars to tackle irresponsible ads targeted at children
31. The do’s and don’ts of sharing about your children online
32. The Ellen Show Issues Copyright Takedown On Transformative Video Commenting On Her Friendship With President Bush
33. Techdirt Podcast Episode 229: Pirate Shaming Lists Don’t Work
34. ‘The Irishman’ Ban Once Again Shows Hollywood’s Disdain For Netflix is Stupid & Counterproductive
35. Infamous Police Interrogation Firm Sues Netflix For Defamation Over Criticism Of Its Interrogation Technique
36. How to protect your brand on social media — seven top tips
37. Disney Bans Netflix Advertising on Most of Its Networks
38. James Murdoch reportedly bought a stake in Vice, as his new company begins to make media investments
39. OECD Publishes Digital Tax Draft Proposal
40. Government Tells Supreme Court Not to Review Copyright Fair Use Decision In Long-Running Oracle-Google Dispute over Software Copyrights
41. Supreme Court Passes on Challenge to Extension of Title III to Websites and Mobile Apps
42. Supreme Court Denies Review in Website Accessibility Case Against Domino’s Pizza
43. US Supreme Court denies review of Robles v. Domino’s Pizza, opening door to more lawsuits on website and mobile app accessibility claims
44. Supreme Court Passes On Domino’s ADA Website Case
45. The Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Businesses Regarding Accessibility of Their Websites and Mobile Applications
46. Wild West of Website Accessibility Lawsuits Continues
47. Mobile App Sweepstakes and the Law
48. Gathering social media as evidence in e-discovery
49. Comments on Social Media about an Employee’s National Origin Could Lead to Allegations of Discrimination
50. Electronic signatures – no new law required, says Law Commission
51. Twitter releases new Catalyst app for macOS Catalina
52. Whoops, Twitter The Latest To Use Two Factor Authentication Phone Numbers For Marketing
53. Influencer Advertising: How Brands Can Successfully Navigate Using Influencers or Dealing With Employees Posting About Work on Social Media
54. David Dobrik, Joey Graceffa, Brandon Rogers Lead This Year’s Streamy Awards Nominations
55. HBO Max Taps YouTubers LaurDIY, Michelle Khare To Host Kids’ Competition Series
56. Pocket.watch Greenlights Shows With The Onyx Family, Eh Bee Family, Expands Hulu Pact
57. Viral Video Upstart ‘Doing Things Media’ Appoints Former Group Nine Exec President, Taps Starry Advisers
58. YouTube Continues Crackdown On ‘Pick-Up Artist’ Vloggers Globally
59. YouTube Drops Trailer For Original Series ‘BookTube,’ Featuring All-Star Authors Chatting With Creators
60. ‘Bon Appétit’ Magazine Is Making Cover Stars Out Of Its Beloved YouTube Crew
61. YouTube Star Jordyn Jones Drops Self-Titled EP, Will Embark On ‘Eyes On Me’ Tour
62. YouTube Pacts With Michelle Obama On Third Series To Spotlight Global Girls’ Education Initiatives
63. YouTube Pacts With MerchBar To Help ‘Official Artist Channels’ Drive Merch, Vinyl Sales
64. YouTube Drops Trailer For Latest Learning-Focused Original, Starring VSauce3’s Jake Roper
65. Man agrees to pay $25,000 for abusing YouTube’s takedown system
66. Guns N’ Roses Lays Claim To Only Music Videos From The ’90s — And Now The ’80s — With 1 Billion Views
67. Sardonic Twitter Account ‘Dril’ Nabs Weekly Web Series On Adult Swim
68. Jenna Marbles Celebrates 20 Million Subscribers By Taking A Well-Deserved Nap
69. After Near-Death Experience, ‘Threadbanger’ Star Says Merch Sales Helped Pay Off Hospital Bills
70. Shane Dawson Launches Online Store With Jeffree Star’s Killer Merch, All Items Promptly Sell Out
71. Gigi Gorgeous To Launch Eponymous Makeup Brand In Collaboration With Ipsy
72. Rooster Teeth’s Podcast Network, The Roost, Unveils Slate Of 3 Scripted Series
73. Trump Signs Up For Twitch, Will Livestream Campaign Rallies
74. Amazon Pacts With Howard University On College Program To Diversify Entertainment Pipeline
75. Amazon’s massive investment in food delivery startup Deliveroo faces further delays thanks to a formal antitrust probe
76. EU orders Broadcom to halt exclusivity deals while investigation deepens
77. Hulu Finally Adds Download Feature, But Only For $11.99-Per-Month Subscribers
78. Adobe backtracks, will refund customers after canceling their accounts
79. LinkedIn Data Scraping Case—9th Circuit’s Trigger for CFAA Liability
80. Alert: IRS Issues New Guidance and FAQs on Virtual Currencies
81. U.S. Internal Revenue Service Takes on “Hard Fork” and “Airdrop” as Part of New Guidance on Virtual Currency
82. Cryptocurrency Industry and Investors Receive New Guidance on Key Tax Issues: Hard Forks, Airdrops and Other Virtual Currency Transactions Addressed by IRS
83. The legal challenges of Blockchain and smart contracts according to a recent EU Flagship report
84. Why it’s time to start talking about blockchain ethics: Blockchain technology is changing the nature of money and organizations. We should probably start pondering the potential consequences.
85. Patent Attacks Against Open Source Intensify!
86. Riot will use League of Legends as springboard for deluge of new games
87. After a decade of League of Legends, Riot to expand with new games
88. Legal Research Services Are Struggling With Emojis and Emoticons (Eric Goldman)
89. The Lines of Code That Changed Everything: Apollo 11, the JPEG, the first pop-up ad, and 33 other bits of software that have transformed our world.
90. The biggest lie tech people tell themselves — and the rest of us: They see facial recognition, smart diapers, and surveillance devices as inevitable evolutions. They’re not.
91. Ethical Open Source: Is the world ready? – Open source status quo is challenged by developers unsatisfied with current state of ethics, writes Lisa Lifshitz

A.I.

1. Digital dystopia: how algorithms punish the poor
2. Is a popular machine learning text tool trained using copyrighted material? (Andres Guadamuz)
3. Is A.I. The Next Step For Influencer Marketing? Meet Lil Miquela. 
4. The Next Word: Where will predictive text take us?
5. Microsoft wants to use AI to bleep out bad words in Xbox Live party chat
6. Video: Using data-informed design to make more accessible games
7. Ethics and Governance of AI at Berkman Klein: Report on Impact, 2017-2019

COMMUNICATIONS

1. CBC Sues the Conservative Party of Canada for Copyright Infringement Citing Campaign Video, Posting Debate Excerpts on Twitter (Michael Geist) 
2. What Was the CBC Thinking?: A Closer Look at the Video Clips in its Copyright Lawsuit Against the Conservative Party (Michael Geist)
3. CBC vs. CPC: Why the CBC’s Attempt to Use Copyright to Stifle Expression Backfired Badly (Michael Geist)
4. Platforms or People?: The Liberals and Conservatives Outline Competing Visions of Internet Responsibility (Michael Geist) 
5. CNN Rejects Trump Campaign Commercials
6. Washington State keeps enforcing net neutrality as it hails FCC court loss
7. T-Mobile and Sprint get FCC approval to merge in 3-2 party-line vote
8. AT&T raises prices 7% by making its customers pay AT&T’s property taxes
9. AT&T charged customers for a corporate tax that it doesn’t have to pay
10. AT&T and other carriers want to hide detailed 5G maps from FCC and public 
11. Wireless Industry Is Trying To Hide Where 5G Is Actually Available
12. A Brief Overview of the EU Electronic Communications Code 

PRIVACY

1. Why Political Parties + Mass Data Collection + Religious Targeting + No Privacy Laws = Trouble (Michael Geist)
2. US claims cyber strike on Iran after attack on Saudi oil facility
3. Federal Trade Commission Hosts Workshop to Review the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule
4. Court of Justice of the European Union rules on Cookie Consent
5. The Cookie Consent Form Crumbles as EU Now Requires Users to Opt In to Website Tracking
6. EU’s Highest Court Crumbles Cookie Consent Via Pre-Checked Box
7. Forum cracks the vintage passwords of Ken Thompson and other Unix pioneers
8. Activists’ phones targeted by one of the world’s most advanced spyware apps
9. Low Cost Phones Are Turning Privacy Into A Luxury Option
10. Data for a whopping 26 million stolen payment cards leaked in hack of fraud bazaar
11. New French Mandate Will Use Facial Recognition App To Create ‘Secure Digital IDs’
12. Planting tiny spy chips in hardware can cost as little as $200
13. After Jack Hack, Government Starts Taking Wireless ‘SIM Hijacking’ Seriously
14. The European Court of Justice Issues Two Important Decisions Clarifying the Scope of the Right to Be Forgotten and ISPs’ Liability
15. How A Right To Be Forgotten Stifles A Free Press And Free Expression
16. New Draft ePrivacy Regulation Released
17. Cyber and data breaches: the questions that always arise
18. New Bill Would Force Hardware Makers To Disclose Hidden Mics, Cameras
19. The Long Arm of UK Law Enforcement Reaches a Handshake Deal with U.S. DOJ on UK-U.S. Electronic Data
20. The City Of Baltimore Blew Off A $76,000 Ransomware Demand Only To Find Out A Bunch Of Its Data Had Never Been Backed Up

CREATIVITY

1. Can You Copyright a Powder? Charlotte Tilbury Wins Over look-a-like Contender from Aldi
2. Banksy’s Fake Store Is An Attempt To Abuse Trademark Law To Avoid Copyright Law
3. Harry and Meghan take on the press – what is the likely outcome?
4. Copyright fit for a princess
5. New guidance on works of joint authorship under the Copyright Act
6. CJEU and German Courts Rule on the Copyrightability of Non-Fictional Literature
7. The Latest: Hollywood Writers Guild and Talent Agencies Entangled in Labor/Antitrust Lawsuits and Countersuits
8. Anti-Safe Space Crusader Bret Stephens Apparently Needs A Safe Space: Backs Out Of Bedbug Debate
9. True North and Rebel News seek judicial review on press accreditation denial for debates
10. How A Key Story About The 1919 Black Sox Scandal Was Completely Made Up… Due To A Confused Understanding Of Copyright
11. Portland Police Review Board Says It’s OK For Officers To Lie To Get Someone To Stop Filming Them
12. Tax Preparation Patent Directed to an Abstract Idea
13. GMR Sues Entravision for Royalty Payments – Looking at the Issues Raised By This New Development in the Music Royalty Wars

Jon