GameDev Industry
Contracts with creators, IP protection for the universe, distribution, AI in production. In each of these areas there is a moment where a single legal oversight can halt the entire project. We know where that moment is and how to get ahead of it.
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We know your business model
GameDev is not a monolith. An independent studio, a publisher, a studio with its own IP, F2P with microtransactions. Each of these models raises entirely different legal questions. A lawyer who does not understand this difference will slow you down instead of speeding you up.
Small, agile, often working with external creators on contracts. The biggest risk is unclear IP ownership and B2B contracts that do not effectively transfer rights. One carelessly written clause can mean the graphic designer keeps the rights to the assets even after payment.
You fund or distribute other people's games. What matters most are the revenue share terms, the scope of the license, and the split of IP rights between the publisher and the studio. Standard publishing contracts are written with the platform's interests in mind, not the studio's.
You are building a universe with potential for a series, merchandise, and adaptations. Protecting this world requires a layer of trademark, copyright, and trade dress working together. The earlier this layer is created, the more tools you have when imitators appear.
The free to play model requires special attention to consumer terms, randomized mechanics, and the Omnibus directive. A mistake in this area is not just the risk of a fine, it is the risk of losing the distribution platform's trust.
Problems we know
Who owns the world you created? Copyright, trademark, and trade dress must work as a coherent strategy, not as separate documents. Protection built after a game's success is more expensive and full of gaps. We build the universe's value before imitators appear.
Work for hire, assignment of rights, confidentiality clauses. Every contribution, whether graphics, music, code, or narrative, should have a clear owner. No asset in the game should have an unclear legal status at the moment of launch or when an investor comes in.
Contracts with Steam, GOG, Epic, Bundle. We read them before you sign. You know exactly what you are agreeing to and where the negotiation points are. Many studios sign platforms' standard terms without reading them and only learn the consequences too late.
Generative assets, LLM-driven NPCs, procedural content. Each of these tools raises questions about ownership of the input and output, the base model's license, and liability for the content. These are three different problems requiring three different approaches. We know all three.
An audit of licenses and assets, meaning GPL, MIT, open libraries. GPL licenses can require disclosure of source code, which is unacceptable for commercial games. Zero surprises at launch and zero risk that a license will block commercialization.
New platforms, new markets, new language versions. Every port and every localization raises separate questions about rights, assets, and liability. You expand the title's reach and commercialize it in new markets, without legal gaps in the distribution channels.
Why dotlaw
We are your partner. We do not describe legal risk in the abstract and we do not leave you with "on the one hand... on the other hand." We close every matter with a concrete recommendation. Our legal solutions are meant to grow your business.
We work with GameDev companies in a model that fits their growth stage: from project support on a specific contract, through ongoing subscription service, to a fractional in-house role that works like an internal legal department. A form of collaboration tailored to you.
We have backed our services with GenAI from the very beginning. In line with the European guidelines we helped author, we shift efficiency into sixth gear. This lets us work effectively even on the most complex matters.
We design contracts, manuals, and guidelines so that your team can read and understand them without trouble. Legal documents that cannot be understood will never be effective.
No briefs, no forms. You tell us what you are building and what is blocking you. You get a concrete answer: Go or No Go.
Whatever the scale, within 48 hours you know how we will define the scope of work, how we will approach the problem, and when you will get a quote. No dragging it out. No "we'll get back to you."
One week from the signing date is enough. Our lawyers are fully onboarded into your project and we start working. There is no warm-up period.
FAQ
Ideally before the universe goes public. Every presentation, trailer, or demo is a moment from which competitors can start watching. Protection built after success is more expensive and full of gaps.
No, a B2B contract alone does not transfer rights. An explicit assignment clause for economic rights is required, specifying the fields of use. Without it, a freelancer can retain rights to the assets even after payment.
Game mechanics, as a rule, are not subject to patent or copyright protection. Protection is built through trade dress, a distinctive visual style, and the brand. We help you design this layer before the game reaches the market.
The range of possible actions depends on what was registered and documented earlier. The broader your IP protection before launch, the more tools you have after it.
The key areas are the scope of the license granted to the platform, the termination terms, revenue split, and the rules for handling refunds. Many studios sign standard terms without reading them. We read them and point out the risk areas.
Yes, GPL licenses can require disclosure of source code, which is unacceptable for commercial games. A dependency audit before launch is a mandatory step that many studios skip.
Three main areas: ownership of the output (who owns the generated asset), the base model's license (whether the training data does not infringe third-party rights), and liability for the content. Each requires a different approach.
The key is defining the scope of the transferred rights, including synchronization rights, adaptation rights, and the ability to use the work in promotional materials. Standard contracts with artists often do not cover these areas.
Yes, under an employment contract the economic rights to works created within the scope of job duties pass to the employer. This requires precisely defining the scope of duties in the contract. We help you design this correctly.
Before an investment round, you need to make sure the IP belongs to the company, not to its founders or external creators. An investor's due diligence is the moment when every gap comes to light. It is better to close it earlier.
We work with studios from a few to a few hundred people, from independent creators to mature studios with their own IP. If you do not fit our profile, we will tell you so directly in the first conversation.