Trademarks, trade names and domains

This article was first published in IPRinfo 2/2012. Games and the gaming industry have progressed in leaps during the last 30 years. From simple storytelling via computers, we have come to a compelling and multilateral form of entertainment drawing from literature, movies and sports. Games offer an unprecedented possibility for human creativity in storytelling, and sweep the audience along to the storytelling, and to the production of the game’s content. According to estimates the global game industry was valued at 65 Billion USD in 2011. Currently the time and money spent on games is increasing, and the upward trend seems permanent. This article presents the basis of an IPR strategy of a gaming company. It gives an overview on how the choices made in an IPR strategy may affect a company’s practical choices, taking into account the company’s industrial environment. The Basis of an IPR Strategy An IPR strategy consists of (i) the identification of the central business elements to be protected, (ii) the tools – such as intellectual and industrial property rights (IPRs) – available to be used in such protection and (iii) the application of the tools within the business of the company. A strategy aims to…