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如何应对游戏开发合同中的2大问题

发布时间:2014-08-13 11:25:59 Tags:,,,,

作者:Zachary Strebeck

根据我的经验,人们在面对游戏开发合同中总是会遇到一些可怕的问题,并且这些问题有可能导致他们陷入一些不必要的麻烦中。我写了一些与网页或手机应用的服务条款有关的内容。今天我想说说一些出现在授权协议或独立合同协议中的致命问题。

2_contract_mistakes(from gamasutra)

2_contract_mistakes(from gamasutra)

 问题1:不能适当定义范围

合同中的“范围”只是代表合同条款的意义到底多深。假设你正在开发一款获得成功Kickstarter集资的游戏,并即将面向Steam所发行。你与设计师签订了协议将由对方完成游戏的UI工作。你起草了一份独立合同协议将明确付费结构,包括前期费和版税(游戏邦注:将以净利润进行支付)。

让我们设想该合同对协议的范围保持了沉默。如此美术师是否有资格享有来自Kickstarter销售(已经发生了)的一部分利润?还有续集,扩展包和可下载内容?以及“重新创造的”版本或向主机或手持装备移植的内容?

根据当时对于合同上的内容的理解,各方将会对净利润的定义产生不同的看法。如果走上法庭的话,各种元素都可能被考虑进去,包括标准的产业管理以及双方间过去的交易等等。然而,避免麻烦的最佳方法便是一开始便将这一点规划好。因此,合同中必须写清楚所有的这些内容,最好是由清楚产业如何运行以及如何通过产品盈利的游戏律师进行编写。

问题2:出现问题时没有逃离方法

当关于Yogscast中的一名美术师事先得到了35000美元的支付,但却在开始工作后2周离开的新闻被爆出时,Yogscast在Kickstarter上的集资遭遇了失败。该美术师所签订的合同并未通过终止协议而让开发者拿回一些钱。而这一点便是一个疏忽。

大多数合同都包含了一些能够阻止这种情况发生的条款。

首先,支付条款并不会事先支付全部费用。相反地,费用将分开支付,可能是每周,每月或按照季度。其它协议可能会按照各个任务的完成进行支付。基于这种方式,开发者将始终掌握着钱,直至越来越多任务完成后。

其次,合同应该包含终止协议的条款。当一些不同的情况出现时,如未能真正完成协议上的条款或者当其中一方破产时,这一条款便能发挥作用。这让开发者可以因为对方未履行条款而不支付费用,并且有权利拿回已付出的钱。

在游戏律师的引导下,开发者将能够确保自己在协议中保护自己的正当利益。

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

2 DEADLY Game Development contract mistakes – Are you making them?

by Zachary Strebeck

In my experience, there are a few terrible mistakes that some people make in their game development contracts that can lead to serious trouble down the road. I’ve written about a few that have to do with a website or mobile app’s Terms of Service before. Today I want to talk about a few deadly mistakes that crop up in licensing or independent contractor agreements.

Mistake #1: Failing to properly define the scope

The “scope” in a contract simply means how far-reaching the terms of that contract are. Suppose that you are developing a game that has had a successful Kickstarter, to be later published on Steam. You have an agreement with a designer that you’ve contracted to do the game’s UI. You draft an independent contractor agreement that sets up a payment structure, including an up-front fee and royalties that will be paid out of net profits.

Imagine, though, that the contract is silent on the scope of the agreement. Is the artist entitled to part of the profit from the Kickstarter sales that have already happened? What about sequels, expansion packs and DLC? A “remastered” version or a port to a console or handheld?

Depending on the understanding at the time the contract is written, the various parties could have different views on just how far the definition of net profits goes. If it were to go to court, various factors would be taken into account, including standard industry practice and the past dealings between the parties. However, the best way to avoid trouble is to plan for it in the first place. Therefore, it is vitally important to get this all in writing, preferably by a game lawyer who understands how the industry works and monetizes its products.

Mistake #2: Failing to get an escape route if things go wrong

The recent Yogscast Kickstarter failure brought up an interesting issue when news came out that one of the artists was paid $35,000 up front, but left after two weeks of work. The contract under which that artist was working presumably failed to allow the agreement to be terminated in order for the developer to get some of the money back. This, as you can imagine, is usually a BIG oversight.

Most contracts include a few clauses that can protect against this happening.

First, the payment terms will not give all the money up front. Rather, the money is paid in installments, whether weekly, monthly or quarterly. Other agreements make payments upon the completion of various milestones. That way, the money stays in the hands of the developer until more and more work is completed.

Second, the contract includes a provision for terminating the agreement. This is usually enacted when a few different events occur, such as failing to substantially complete the terms of the agreement or if one party or the other goes bankrupt. This allows a developer to stop payment due to non-performance and have the legal power to get money back (usually minus the reasonable value of work already performed).

It may be helpful to have the guidance of a game lawyer that can walk the developer or contractor through the various contract clauses to help ensure that they get the right protection in their agreement. Set up a free consultation today. Also, check out my FREE legal eBook for an overview of this and other game development issues.(source:gamasutra)

 


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