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论述游戏发行合约背后的潜在法律后果

作者:Jovan Johnson

你的工作室开发出一款有趣的游戏,一发行商对此充满兴趣。你猜测此发行商定清楚市场动态,持有你没有的资源。签订发行协议似乎易如反掌。不要这么快做决定。在这之前,你需要清楚几点事项。

发行商给出什么条件?

发行商的主要目标是推广你的游戏,提高产品销量。要实现这一目标,开发者也许会提供若干完善游戏作品的建议。很多开发者都会对此给出负面反应,但这些建议应该认真对待。发行商也许并不认同你的创意抱负,但他们和你的创收目标一致。

发行商还应该争取媒体报道,激发消费者的兴趣。你可以考虑借助PR活动。若发行商承诺拨出营销资金,那么合约应标明具体金额及约定的营销渠道。

发行商不应承诺具体的销售数量,因为没有人能够保证最终结果。在我看来,除表示会积极进行宣传外,其他承诺只会带来负面结果。

需要做出什么让步?

你和发行商将共同分成收益,你还给予他们营销活动支配权限。你的收入分成将落实到各种游戏衍生内容中,包括移植版本和续作。虽然我不赞成开发者给予发行商超过40%的收益,但在有些情况下,超过40%的分成有其可行性。从理想角度看,我希望发行商分成的收益不要超过25%。

举例:这是我手中的一个咨询案例,某新成立的手机发行商提议和开发商五五分成。此开发者还没有什么知名度,所以对此分成提议没有什么疑义。幸运的是,发行商计划在游戏营销中投入4万美元。在这种情况下,五五分成就具有可行性。发行商的丰富营销预算不仅让游戏得到合理推广,还让工作室获得重要的PR宣传活动。

legal calc from gamasutra.com

legal calc from gamasutra.com

同发行商的收入分成是基于净收入(游戏邦注:即总收入-支出)。应用商店的30%分成是净收入计算公式中的支出。支出还包含哪些费用?唱片公司通常是在回收所有支出后才支付歌唱艺人报酬。手机游戏发行公司无法参照这一运作模式,因为游戏工作室需要补丁及其他更新内容的经营资本。开发者需确定净收入,这样工作室方能获得充足的经营资本,计算发行商需要追回的现款支付资金。

除非你在此具有优势,否则发行商通常在媒体渠道、营销机构,甚至是预告片长度方面享有最终决定权。除决策权外,合约应标明,用于宣传游戏的所有标语、图像及预告片资产为你所有。

选择发行商

在提高销量方面,没有什么方式比得上应用商店的显眼推广位置。许多开发者都将目光锁定苹果App Store,但你不要低估Google Play、Amazon的Appstore及Windows Mobile Marketplace的重要性。有些发行商和主流应用商店的工作人员有交情。由于每周新问世的应用不胜枚举,凭交情并无法让你获得榜首位置。游戏获得推荐的机会不大,因此你应该考虑发行商能够给出其他什么有利条件。

过去的表现并无法预测未来结果,但这是个重要参照。严格评估需要你深入调查公司。向曾和发行商合作过的开发公司了解情况。再来就是搜索谷歌新闻及行业具体网站,从中获取有用信息。

不要过快低估新发行公司。相比有知名度的发行公司,你也许能够从中得到更多重视及有利合约条款。乔治亚州的Developer Drowning Monkeys开发商特地飞到旧金山和发行公司Ayopa Games进行面谈,衡量自己的总体感觉。这最终取得可喜结果。

虽然Ayopa 2011年末才推出自己的首款手机作品,但这些游戏在各媒体平台及苹果App Store都获得很高曝光度。6款游戏中,有5款获得“推荐”,3款被“New and Noteworthy”版块提及,而另外2款则出现在轮替横幅广告中。

Drowning Monkeys的首款作品《Dungeon Crawlers》不仅显示在苹果游戏首页的New and Noteworthy版块,还在轮替横幅广告中出现,获得iPhone的推荐。

legal dungeon from gamasutra.com

legal dungeon from gamasutra.com

所以假设你打算和游戏发行商合作。下面就来看看几个常被忽略的发行合约问题。

会计标准

坦白来说,商业交易并不总是一帆风顺。通过长期合作,你和你的发行商有可能建立起和谐的关系。但作为协议合同,你的发行合约可能存在些许问题。

若你有理由相信发行商无法支付帐款该怎么办?你多半会想要审核他们的账簿。你的发行合约应包含具体审计事项,谁负责审计费用,什么费用算是合理。

若出现轻微缴费不足情况,那你就遇到审计费用麻烦。重要数据过低代表存在问题,你可以派遣会计人员查看发行商的账簿。就具体数据达成一致不是难事,所以确保谈及这一事项,避免出现后续问题。

纠纷

合理、快速解决争议非常重要。这意味着你的发行合约不应包含上诉州法院或联邦法院选项。相反,仲裁应该是解决纠纷的唯一约定渠道。就下述方面来看,仲裁能够带来一定的确定性:

1. 你和发行商可以选择审核纠纷的仲裁人;

2. 有些仲裁人专门研究知识产权;

3. 不当裁决会破坏企业形象;

4. 审判结果很难得到遵循,陪审员多半不会在现场;

5. 你的发行合约应该设定仲裁框架,包括可接受举措、截止日期及约束条件,要在纠纷出现前就事先确立条款。这意味着,你将能够省掉很多麻烦,很快做出决策,投入更少费用。

赔偿金

下面就来看看一个情形。你和游戏发行商King签订协议,他们将负责推广你的热门作品。之前曾推出过几款作品的Bitter Developer就版权侵犯问题起诉你和King。法院判Bitter胜诉,要求你和发行公司赔偿他们220万美元。

你没有这么多钱,但King有,他们支付所有赔偿金。Bitter满心欢喜地离开,但你的问题才刚刚开始。King因版权问题终止和你的发行合约,他们向你索要自己被迫支付的赔偿金。按照规定,你需要负责King的法律费用。

赔偿条款令你担负有经济责任,若出现状况,你的发行商需要赔偿第三方。赔偿条款在游戏领域有标准模式,很少有商量的余地。

通过保险保护自己

错误与遗漏险承保你的游戏诉讼风险。这早就在电影行业发挥重要作用(游戏邦注:如今游戏投保错误与遗漏险变得越来越普遍)。除标准表单外,保险公司会要求开发者提交清算律师的意见书,他们会查看游戏存在的潜在法律问题。

只要在投保单上保持诚实,你面临的最主要经济诉讼问题就是提出免赔额度。赔偿金通常包含律师费的余款。

所有权

确保产权文书的完整性能够有效避免不必要的所有权纠纷。让所有员工和外部人员(包括美工、配音演员和音乐家)签字移交所有权限?否则他们就需要签订承保/转让合同,表明自己将所有权限转移给你。你可以从网上找到承保/转让合同范本,但我不建议你采用这些模板——这里你不能出现丝毫差错。

举例:我的伙伴和我曾遇到一位刚推出杰出娱乐项目的绅士。虽然他的利润分成有16.5万美元,但他最终分文未得,因为他制作的美工所有权条款存在失误。若他聘请优秀律师制作合同,那么他在项目的所有权收益及利润分成将相当可观。

简单来说,所有权证书是保护IP最便捷的方式。虽然代码形成后,你会自动享有它们的所有权,但花费35美元,将信息上传至美国版权局,能够让你在发现有人盗用你的代码内容时,提出侵权诉讼。

只要游戏在市场上出售,你就可以通过美国专利商标局注册游戏的商标。也就是说,通过以Intent-To-Use(ITU)形式存档,开发者就可以在游戏发行前预先保留作品的商标。若你知道项目的具体制作内容,以ITU形式存档商标并不困难。但若商品类型选择有误,你就需要重头开始。在这种情况下,你的存档费就白白贡献给美国专利商标局。建议采取这一措施。

总结

越早计划不同平台的营销策略越好。发行商是否有义务在此给予援助?若没有,不妨考虑PR公司和手机营销机构。尽早展开对话,你定不希望自己的团队匆匆进行宣传推广或购买广告位置。腾出充足时间,让他们替你开展杰出的宣传活动。

大家都知道,和合适的发行商合作,能够让你的开发工作室提高辨识度,取得丰厚收益。聘请法律顾问能够让你避开可能会摧毁你开发计划及发行交易的问题。我发现,开发者倾向忽略被视作所谓“标准语言”的合同条款。不要让自己陷入这一误区。要进行创造性思考,提出问题,聘请顾问。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Understanding the Legal Impact of Publishing Your Game

by Jovan Johnson

[Jovan Johnson, a California attorney and partner at Johnson & Moo, examines the important legal issues that may arise when you sign your mobile game up with a publisher for distribution, and explains how you can take steps to insulate yourself from negative outcomes.]

You’re a developer with a fun game and a publisher is showing interest. You presume this publisher knows the market’s pulse and has resources you don’t. Signing a publishing agreement seems like a no brainer — and it is. Or is it? Not so fast! There are a number of things you must understand before moving forward.

What is the Publisher Offering?

The publisher’s main goal is to promote your game and sell units. To accomplish this goal, the publisher may provide tips to improve your game. Many developers might have a negative reaction, but this advice should be considered. The publisher may not share your creative aspirations, but it does share your financial aspirations.

The publisher should also generate media coverage and consumer interest in your game. You can probably count on a PR campaign. If marketing dollars are promised, the contract should make clear the amount of money being spent and authorized marketing channels.

The publisher should not promise a particular sales figure because results cannot be guaranteed. Anything beyond a promise to work hard to promote your game would raise red flags for me.

What Do You Give Up?

You and the publisher will split revenue and you also give it control over marketing. Your revenue split will probably cover all variations of your game, including ports and sequels. While I wouldn’t normally be comfortable with one of my clients giving the publisher more than 40 percent of the income, there are circumstances where going beyond 40 percent makes sense. Ideally, I like to see the publisher agree to take no more than 25 percent of the income.

Example: I was counsel on a deal that involved a new mobile publisher who proposed splitting revenues 50 / 50 with the developer. The developer was not yet established, and so was comfortable with that split. Luckily, it turns out the publisher planned to spend $40k marketing the game! In that case, a 50 / 50 deal made a lot of sense. Not only did the publisher’s ample marketing budget allow the game to be marketed properly, it also provided vital corporate PR for the game studio.

Your revenue split with the publisher is based on net income, which is gross income minus expenses. The app store’s 30 percent is an expense that will be included in all net income formulas. What other expenses should be included? Record companies typically recoup all of their expenses before paying recording artists. Mobile game publishers cannot function that way because game studios need operating capital for patches and other updates. Net income must be defined so that your studio has adequate operating cash while accounting for the publisher’s need to recover out-of-pocket expenses.

Unless you have leverage, the publisher makes final decisions on media outlets, marketing agency, and maybe even the footage used in the trailer. Regardless of decision-making authority, your contract should state that you own all slogans, images, and trailers created to market your game.

Choosing A Publisher

Nothing drives sales like prominent app store positioning. Many developers focus on Apple’s App Store, but you cannot underestimate the importance of Google Play, Amazon’s Appstore, and the Windows Mobile Marketplace. Some publishers have relationships with key app store personnel. With hundreds of new app releases weekly, a relationship doesn’t guarantee your app will get a top spot. Since the odds are against your game being featured, you should consider what else your publisher brings to the table.

Past performance doesn’t predict future results, but it is an important factor to consider. Due diligence requires you look deeper into the company. Ask questions of developers who have worked with the publisher. Search Google News, along with industry-specific sites, to uncover helpful information.

Don’t discount new publishers too quickly. You’ll probably get more attention and more favorable contract terms than with an established publisher. Developer Drowning Monkeys, a Georgia-based client, flew to San Francisco to have a face-to-face meeting and gauge feelings for publisher Ayopa Games. The results were positive.

Although Ayopa published its first mobile titles in late 2011, those games have received favorable coverage in various media outlets and in Apple’s App Store. Out of six games, five were “Featured,” three were “New and Noteworthy,” and two received main banner rotation.

Dungeon Crawlers, Drowning Monkeys’ first title, was not only New and Noteworthy on the App Store’s front and games pages, it was in banner rotation and Featured on iPhone.

So… let’s assume you’re now comfortable moving forward with a publisher. Let’s review publishing contract issues that don’t get enough attention.

Accounting Standard

Stated plainly, business deals don’t always go well. Hopefully you and your publisher share a warm and fuzzy feeling for each other for the length of your relationship. As a legal agreement, however, your publishing contract should anticipate things going wrong.

What happens if you have reason to believe your publisher has failed to make proper payments? You will probably want to audit your publisher’s books. Your publishing agreement should include details regarding the notice required for an audit, who is responsible for audit expenses, and the percentage that is considered consequential or “material.”

You’re stuck with the audit expense if an underpayment is found but it’s not material. A material figure that is too low is a problem because it gives you a license to send an accountant fishing through the publisher’s books. Agreeing on a figure shouldn’t be difficult, so be sure this is addressed so as to avoid problems down the line.

Disputes

It’s important that disputes are resolved properly and quickly. This means your publishing contract should not include an option for going to state or federal court. Instead, arbitration should be THE ONLY acceptable venue for resolving disputes. Arbitration can provide a fair level of certainty when considering the following factors:

1. You and the publisher can choose the arbitrator who oversees your dispute;

2. Some arbitrators specialize in intellectual property;

3. Incorrect rulings are bad for business;

4. Trials are difficult to follow and jurors rarely want to be there; and

5. Your publishing contract can set the framework of the arbitration, including acceptable activity, deadlines, and other constraints, long before a dispute arises. This means less hassle, a quicker decision and lower costs.

Indemnification

Let’s review a scenario. You sign a deal with Game Publishing King (“King”), which markets your hit game. Bitter Developer, who created Some Old Game, sues you and King based on copyright infringement. The court sides with Bitter, issuing a judgment against you and the publisher for $2.2 million.

You don’t have that kind of money, but King does, and it pays the entire judgment. Bitter goes away happy, but your problems are just beginning. King, who already terminated your publishing contract because you claimed to own your IP, is coming after you for the money it was forced to pay. If found liable, you’re responsible for King’s legal expenses.

The indemnification clause holds you financially responsible if something goes wrong and your publisher has to pay a third party. Indemnification clauses are standard in the game industry and leave little room for negotiation. That doesn’t mean your mistake has to end in financial ruin for you and your game studio.

Protecting Yourself With Insurance

Errors and Omissions (“E&O”) insurance covers your risk of being sued for your game. Long a mainstay in the film industry, E&O policies covering games are becoming more common. In addition to the standard application, insurers require developers submit a letter of opinion from a clearance attorney, who reviews (plays) games to find possible legal issues.

As long as you are honest in your insurance application, your biggest lawsuit-based financial issue is coming up with the deductible. Insurance pays the balance of legal fees.

Ownership

Making sure your intellectual property (“IP”) paperwork is complete will help prevent needless ownership challenges. Have all of your employees and contractors, including artists, voice actors, and musicians, signed over their rights to you? If not, they need to sign work-for-hire / assignment agreements saying that they are transferring these rights to you. You can find work-for-hire and assignment agreements on the Internet but I do not recommend using them — you cannot afford getting this wrong.

Example: My partner and I consulted with a gentleman who launched a successful entertainment project. Although his profit share should have been $165k, he was going to wind up with zero because the ownership provision in the artist agreement he created was flawed. His ownership interest in the project, along with his profit, would have been fine if he hired a good attorney to create the agreement.

Cheap and straightforward, copyright registration may be the easiest way to protect your IP. Although you automatically own the copyright to your game’s code once it is created, paying $35 and uploading your information with the U.S. Copyright Office preserves your right to pursue an infringement claim against anyone who steals your code. Take advantage.

You can obtain a trademark for your game through the US Patent and Trademark Office once your game is available for sale. That said, a trademark can be reserved prior to a game’s release by filing an Intent-To-Use Form (ITU). Filing an ITU isn’t difficult, provided you know what you’re doing. However, choose the wrong class of goods and you will have to start over from the beginning. In that case your filing fee is transformed into a donation for the US Patent and Trademark Office. Get help with this.

Moving Forward

It’s never too early to plan your marketing strategy for different platforms. Is your publisher required to help you with that? If not, consider PR firms and maybe even mobile marketing agencies. Start a dialogue early. You don’t want your team rushing to get the word out or buy ad space. Give them time to create a great campaign for you.

Everyone knows working with the right publisher can help your development studio achieve recognition and financial success. Understanding this article, and hiring legal counsel, will help you avoid problems that could ultimately sink your development efforts and publishing deal. I have observed a tendency among developers to overlook contract clauses that may be presented as “standard language.” Don’t find yourself in that trap. Think critically, ask questions, and hire counsel.(Source:gamasutra


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