Features of the Legal Status of a Video Game as an Object of Intellectual Property Rights: Comparative Legal Research
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Features of the Legal Status of a Video Game as an Object of Intellectual Property Rights: Comparative Legal Research
Abstract
PII
S1991-32220000622-3-1
Publication type
Article
Status
Published
Authors
Vladislav Khlapotin 
Occupation: Postgraduate Student
Affiliation: Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation
Address: Moscow, Russia
Edition
Pages
107-119
Abstract

Currently, one of the most dynamically developing areas of the creative economy is the video game industry. The increase in turnover and popularity of this industry necessitates its detailed legal research. There are a number of objective problems that arise in determining the relevant legal regime for video games and in the field of legal protection and management. Taken together, these problems demonstrate the relevance of the research, which is aimed at substantiating at the theoretical level the place of video games in the existing system of intellectual property objects, and practice-oriented generalization, analysis and systematization of the current law enforcement practice in this area.

Research objectives: to study the determinants of the complexity of developing a universal concept of “video games” as an object of intellectual property rights; to identify the range of potential subjects of intellectual property rights to video games; to form criteria for the protectability of the constituent elements of a video game; to consider the features of judicial protection of intellectual property rights to video games in domestic and foreign law.

Conclusion: in the research and scientific literature, it is more correct to use the term “video game”. The application of the norms of domestic legislation on programs to relations regarding the development, protection and management of video games is currently not relevant. The subjects of copyright for individual elements included in the video game are the persons who directly created these elements. On the basis of the provisions considered and the examples given from domestic and foreign doctrine and practice, it follows that each of the audiovisual elements of a video game can receive protection if it meets the necessary criteria for protection. The use of civil law methods to protect intellectual property rights to a video game may vary depending on the strategy chosen by the copyright holder. Under the current conditions, for many video game developers in Russia, it would be optimal to use the trade secret regime or protect their developments as a production secret (know-how).

Keywords
intellectual property law, copyright, patent law, trademarks, gaming industry, video game, video game legal regime, complex object
Date of publication
11.09.2023
Number of purchasers
12
Views
185
Readers community rating
0.0 (0 votes)
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References



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