Gaming, media and entertainment
Studios, developers, publishers, creators and platforms. The work here is almost entirely transactional, and the money is usually decided by clauses that look boring on the page.
What makes this sector different
Very little of the value here is patentable, and almost all of it is contractual. A game or a channel is a stack of licences: the engine, the middleware, the music, the voice performances, the storefront terms, the platform revenue share. Each one has terms that decide what you own and how much of the revenue you keep.
The other distinctive feature is that your users create value too. Mods, skins, fan content and streams all raise ownership and moderation questions, and if your platform hosts anything users upload, the safe harbour that protects you has procedural requirements you have to satisfy in advance rather than after a complaint arrives.
Typical matters
Engine, middleware and asset licensing
Terms for the engines and third party assets your build depends on, and what those licences require of you at ship and at scale.
Publishing and co development deals
Who owns the IP at the end, how recoup works, what happens to the sequel rights, and what a publisher can do if the milestone slips.
Storefront and app store distribution
Console, PC and mobile storefront agreements, plus the compliance review that can block a launch at the worst possible moment.
Talent, voice and performer agreements
Performer contracts and releases, including synthetic voice and likeness terms, and the consents you need for AI generated performances.
User generated content and moderation
Mod and skin licensing, platform terms, repeat infringer policy and the moderation practices that keep your safe harbour intact.
Creator, sponsorship and branded content
Influencer and branded content deals with the disclosure terms regulators expect, plus syndication and revenue share structures.
Services used most in this sector
Tech Transactions
Engine, publishing, storefront, talent and revenue share agreements across the whole production stack.
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Gaming, Media and Entertainment
Registration, DMCA and platform strikes, user generated content policy, and synthetic voice and likeness rights.
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Trademark
Studio names, game titles and branded visuals cleared and registered before the marketing spend starts.
View serviceQuestions from this sector
A publisher offered us a deal. What should we look at first?
Three clauses, in this order. Who owns the IP when the term ends, because some deals quietly transfer it. How recoup is defined, because a generous royalty rate against a wide recoup basket can mean you never see money. And what triggers a termination or a step in right for the publisher, particularly around milestones. The headline advance is usually the least important number in the document.
Can players make and sell mods of our game?
Whatever your terms say, and the default position if you say nothing is messy for everyone. A clear mod policy that grants players a licence to create while reserving your rights, and addresses whether they may monetise, prevents most disputes before they start. It also protects you: without a licence back from the modder, popular community content can become something you cannot ship officially.
We used an AI voice for a character. Is that a problem?
It depends on what the model was trained on and whose voice it resembles. If it was trained on a specific performer’s recordings, you likely need that performer’s consent, and several states now have specific digital replica statutes on top of ordinary right of publicity law. Performer agreements should address synthetic use explicitly, because older contracts almost never do.
Start with a 30 minute consultation.
A $50 video call covering your goals, your timeline and the documents you send ahead. The $50 is credited toward your fee when the firm takes your matter on.
