The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled with mobile advertiser Tapjoy, Inc. (“Tapjoy”) over allegations that it misled consumers by failing to provide in-game rewards that users earned by completing its advertising offers. According to the FTC’s complaint, Tapjoy offered users in-game virtual currency for completing advertising offers like purchasing products or services, signing
Gaming
SCOTUS Grants Review of Federal Ban on Sports Gambling
In one of its final acts of the October 2016 term, the Supreme Court of the United States recently agreed to hear a New Jersey challenge to the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PAPSA”), a federal statute banning states from authorizing and regulating gambling on sporting events.[1]
As we reported…
Skin in the Game: Video Game Publisher Dodges Teenage Gambling Suit, But Must Address State Regulator Concerns
On October 4, 2016, a federal court dismissed a putative class action against Valve Corporation (“Valve”) regarding its popular eSports game, Counter Strike Global Offensive (“CS:GO”). Specifically, the class claimed Valve violated a host of state laws and the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”).
In their complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that Valve’s…
Is the United States ready to put its bets online?
U.S. States may soon have the ability to run full scale on line gambling activities based on a 180 degree turn by the United States Department of Justice, the regulator that has historically held that any online gambling is illegal in the United States.
For more information, please visit our Legal Bytes blog or read the issued Client Alert here: U.S. Federal Government Reverses its Stance on Online Gaming.
Continue Reading Is the United States ready to put its bets online?
Use of Bot Raises Copyright Question
Reed Smith attorney Brad Newberg recently wrote on the topic of “Use of ‘bots’ in Game Play Questionable Under Copyright Law.” This article first appeared on our sister-blog, Legal Bytes, and subsequently in the Media & Entertainment – USA newsletter of the International Law Office (ILO). Joe Rosenbaum was involved in editing the…
(In)Game Advertising: The European Perspective on Related Legal Problems
This post was written by Avv. Felix Hofer.
1. When I came around ‘game advertising’ for the first time my attitude as a lawyer, not necessarily familiar with what I – snobbishly – considered as basically being “kid’s or nerds’ stuff”, was obviously extremely skeptic. Running more and more frequently into articles published on…