Boston Indies: Legal Issues in Game Development

Do I need to trademark my game name?
Is this non-compete agreement legal in MA?
Should my company be an LLC or an S-Corp?

As game makers we frequently encounter complex legal questions; to help us understand them, we'll be joined by lawyers from the firm Holland & Knight who will give a presentation on some common legal issues in games, then open the floor for a Q&A. This is a rare opportunity to get free legal info from a reputable source, so please bring your questions!

The presentation will cover basic corporate law, tax planning and intellectual property considerations for small and mid-size game developers.

Tax topics will include choice of income tax classification for a business, including differences among organizing a company as an S corporation, partnership or C corporation for income tax purposes, issuances of compensatory equity to key employees of a business and sell side tax structure considerations in a sale of a game development business to an acquiror.

Corporate law topics will include tradeoffs among different choices for organizational forms for a business, corporate law formalities with respect to such different organizational forms and general contracting considerations for counterparty agreements.

Intellectual property law topics will include copyright and trademark considerations for a start-up business and licensing considerations for publisher agreements.

Speakers:
Christopher Marotta https://www.hklaw.com/en/professionals/m/marotta-christopher-fiore
Emily Kaiser https://www.hklaw.com/en/professionals/k/kaiser-emily
Ieuan Mahony (https://www.hklaw.com/en/professionals/m/mahony-ieuan-g).

Following the talk, we'll head over to Flat Top Johnny's for some pinball and beers!

Monday November 18
6:30 - 9 pm

Room 32-155
MIT Stata Center
32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Please note that MIT locks their exterior doors at 7pm, which is when the talk will begin. Please arrive before 7pm: if you are late, you'll need to use MIT's Tim Tickets app to enter the building, or message an event organizer to let you in. Instructions are below.

By attending, you agree to adhere to the MIT Game Lab harassment policy visible here:
http://gamelab.mit.edu/harassment-policy/

You also agree to the Boston Game Dev Code of Conduct:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eaPSefOp4rFtVl2Rhb0jcf20UFpqrJfZHWy6KfzBpVg

Boston Indies is committed to creating a safe, inclusive environment for our community. If you experience any harassment or other disrespectful behavior, please report it to the organizer of this event (either in person at the event, on the Boston Game Dev slack channel, or via the messaging feature on Meetup), email us at admin@bostonindies, or speak with any MIT staff at the event.

Tim Tickets / Entry Information
Please try to arrive before 7pm; the Tim Tickets system is a bit unpredictable, and must be set it up in advance.

To register with the system, use the link below:
https://tim-tickets.atlas-apps.mit.edu/bGAfNsyqBET6sAN1A

1. For an event pass, click the event link

Result*:*** The Tim Tickets app or website opens***.***Click on Visitor.
2. Enter your mobile number.
Result: A PIN code will be texted to that number and sent to email on record.
3. Enter the PIN code sent to your mobile device.
4. Enter your contact details.
5. At the Tim Ticket Registration acknowledgment, click on, I’m ready! Let’s get started
6. Review the acknowledgment form and click Accept.
7. Follow the in-app instructions to activate an MIT visitor ID
8. It will require installing a Mobile app to your device (iOS or Android, via Google Play)
9. You will need to use the app to create a profile with a photo
10. Once a profile is created, you can add the Mobile ID to your phone for door access