IP Protection for Entertainment & Gaming Leaders

Services we offer:

Business structuring
Contracts and transactions
Dispute resolution
Personal data protection
Fighting piracy
Content Audit
Representation before institutions and organizations

About us

BGL (Balkans Gamedev Lawyers) is an international team of IP lawyers from Russia, Serbia and the wider Balkans region. We speak fluent Russian, Serbian and English and are ready to offer creative, reliable and working solutions for the gaming industry.

Our team has 15+ years of experience in the field of intellectual property protection, with notable clients from entertainment and gaming sectors including Mundfish (Atomic Heart), Rovio Entertainment (Angry Birds), ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope), Outfit (Talking Tom and Friends), Alpha Group Co. (Super Wings), Entertainment One UK Limited (PJ Masks, Peppa Pig) and many others

Services we offer

Structuring
your business

The legal structure of your company and a robust contractual framework to formalise your relationship with developers are vital for the security of the business and for the protection of the end product. Taking care of these basics from the outset helps prevent unpleasant surprises in the future, such as the loss of an investor, a hostile takeover or additional tax assessment.

Our team will be happy to assist with:

· Choosing the optimal legal structure for your business, as well as setting up the new company
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· Assessing the status of intellectual property rights in your product and overseeing their registration, as well as perfecting relationships with developers and other contractors

If your plan is to publish a game, find an investor or enter the international market, you will want to present your project in the best possible light – which means, among other things, that you can prove you own the product. The commercialisation of the game may prove difficult if the registration of your rights is overlooked from the outset.

Our team will be glad to:

· Run a detailed check and systematisation of your data and other information assets, including source code, graphics, design, logo and script, as well as advertising materials for games and studios. We can also conduct a due diligence of your contracts and offer recommendations for their improvement
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· Assist with the registration of transfer of rights in the product from developers to your company in Serbia, Russia or abroad
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· Assist with the registration in Serbia, Russia and beyond, of the rights in the game and various intellectual property objects used as part of it, including patents, trademarks, computer programs and databases
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· Provide expert legal advice to aid your international expansion and help transfer the ownership of the product to your company, including by way of capital contribution

Contracts & Transactions

· Documenting your rights in the game (commissioning agreement, licence or assignment). Our team will help ensure the proper documentation of your rights, negotiating and drafting everything from employment contracts and job descriptions to external contracts with third-party contractors - and advising as to the correct use of open source licences.

· Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). We draft non-disclosure agreements, develop a package of internal company documents, and also advise on what other measures to be taken to maintain confidentiality.

· Contracts with publishers. We will help you understand the implications of the terms your publisher suggests and negotiate bespoke provisions that are most beneficial for you and your business.

· Terms of Use. We will assist with the drafting of a comprehensive user agreement, taking into account the specifics and needs of your project.

Dispute
Resolution

Gaming business is a multi-layered system of relationships between developers, publishers, distributors, marketers and gamers, and that system revolves around the game proper, a complex intellectual property object. Just as with any complex subject matter, misunderstandings happen. Our team will be happy to help your business in any dispute and, if necessary, represent your interests in court, and before any other state authority.

We have successfully represented developers and other right holders in litigation and other court or administrative proceedings around copyright, neighbouring rights, patent rights, and brand identity rights protection.

Representation
before institutions
and organizations

We can represent you before state authorities, organizations with public authority, and other institutions regarding your intellectual property rights. Our services include representation before the Innovation Fund of Serbia, the Intellectual Property Offices of relevant countries, the Tax Administration, and any other entity aimed at protecting your rights and interests.

Personal Data Protection

Multiplayer computer games are becoming more popular each day, which makes the issue of players’ privacy even more pressing. Unfortunately, companies are not always able to ensure the safety of gamers´ names, account keys, addresses, email addresses and bank accounts, which inevitably leads to reputational risks and financial losses.

We can help by:

· Advising studios and developers on the lawful collection and processing of personal data pursuant to Russia’s Federal Law No. 152-FZ, Serbian Law on Personal Data Protection and in compliance with the GDPR (European Data Protection Regulation)

· Drawing up Privacy Policies to ensure that the site or application complies with the target data protection legislation

· Assisting with your processing of official Roskomnadzor information requests, and helping prepare for any inspection initiated by the regulator

Content audit

We help clients analyze video game content for compliance with age labels and child protection legislation. It is also important to check both game content and marketing campaigns for compliance with advertising laws. Moreover, individual advertising platforms have their own policies and requirements that advertising must comply with. With the growing popularity of misleading and provocative advertising, the rules for its placement are becoming stricter.

Fighting Piracy

We help companies find and block pirated game content on torrent trackers, UDG, cheat and hack sites, in social media groups, public platforms and specialised accounts.

We work in two directions:

· Pre-trial removal of content: we use a technical solution to scan and detect pirated content online. The system automatically detects the illegal use of intellectual property, sends formal letters to offenders demanding the removal of the content, and monitors the offenders’ compliance with the demand

· Permanent block applications: we regularly protect the interests of our clients in courts through applications for permanent blocks of unauthorised websites

People

Roman Lukyanov

Roman has more than 20 years of advising companies in the entertainment and gaming sectors. His clients include Atomic Heart (Mundfish Studio), Rovio Entertainment (Angry Birds), ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope), Outfit (Talking Tom and Friends), Alpha Group Co. (Super Wings), Entertainment One UK Limited (PJ Masks, Peppa Pig) and many others. He is recognized by local and international legal ratings, including Best Lawyers, Pravo-300, Kommersant and Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Irina Guschina

Irina has more than 6 years of experience in IP consulting. Irina started her career as inhouse lawyer in gamedev company and later moved to consulting. She specialises in the field of IT development, music, advertising, cinema, as well as transaction support and preparation of legal opinions. She regularly advises clients in relation to game development, support of marketing campaigns, creation of online policies and work with large platforms, and has expertise in drafting and verifying agreements for the processing of personal data under Russian and European legislation.

Milica Makevic Stanojevic

Milica is a Serbian attorney with 10 years of experience specializing in IT law and Intellectual Property Law in general. She holds an LLM in Intellectual Property Law and is pursuing her PhD.

She is admitted to the Bar Association of Serbia and is also qualified in Montenegro.

She regularly represents and advises clients in IT and IP law, along with various general legal matters.

Contact

Address: Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 6, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia

Phone: +381 11 785 68 20

E-mail: milica.makevic@msa-iplaw.com