News of the Week; March 11, 2020

COMMUNICATIONS

1. The Cancon Conundrum: Why Policies to Promote “Canadian Stories” Need an Overhaul (Michael Geist)
2. Bains’ Other Wireless Affordability Problem: The Broadcast Panel Plan for WhatsApp, Skype and Other Internet Services to Pay Canadian Broadband Taxes (Michael Geist)
3. A CRTC Without the West: Why an MP Is Calling a Broadcast Panel Recommendation “Discriminatory” and Warning it Could Further Alienate Western Canada (Michael Geist)
4. FCC Proposes Over $200 Million in Fines to Big Four Wireless Carriers for Allegedly Selling Customer Data Without Safeguards
5. FCC Proposes Over $200 Million in Fines to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint for Not Protecting Customers’ Location Data
6. Cable Sector Likely To Freak Out At New Service That Streamlines Streaming TV Password Sharing
7. Congress Forces FCC To Go Beyond Its Tame, ‘Voluntary’ Anti-Robocalling Plan
8. AT&T Can’t Get Out Of Its Own Way As It Tries To ‘Disrupt’ Traditional TV
9. Comcast, Charter expand broadband domination as cable hits 67% market share: Cable soars again as telcos fail to deploy enough fiber to offset DSL losses.
10. Comcast accidentally published 200,000 “unlisted” phone numbers
11. FCC to require anti-robocall tech after “voluntary” plan didn’t work out
12. FCC Opens Proceeding to Reinvigorate Opportunities for TV White Space Devices
13. ICO Issues Record Fine for Nuisance Calls
14. Huawei expects a 20% drop in phone sales, thanks to lack of Google apps
15. Wireless Carriers Are Training Consumers To Equate “5G” With Bluster And Empty Promises

DIGITAL

1. Facebook Hit with Anti-Trust Lawsuit
2. Facebook pulls Trump campaign ads for fake census claims
3. Twitter, Facebook Target Trump Campaign’s Latest Biden Video, Labeling It “Manipulated,” “Partly False”
4. Facebook slaps “partly false” label on Trump-endorsed video of Biden
5. How new rules at Facebook and Twitter led to a warning beneath a Trump retweet: The spread of the video shows how even clear warnings can be little match for the power of the social media infrastructure.
6. President Trump Prohibits Chinese Acquisition of U.S. Software Company
7. Why Is Fox News Acting As State Media, Announcing Trump’s Lawsuits Before They’re Filed And Failing To Point Out How Frivolous They Are?
8. Donald Trump And Charles Harder Continue Their Assault On The 1st Amendment, Suing The Washington Post
9. Trump Campaign Suing All His Media ‘Enemies’: Files Another Silly SLAPP Suit Over CNN Opinion Piece
10. Study: Facebook’s fake news labels have a fatal flaw
11. Facebook Still Can’t Admit That Launching Libra During An International Privacy Scandal Is Idiotic
12. Facebook Brings Suit against Mobile Marketing Firm for Siphoning User Data without Authorization
13. Surge of Virus Misinformation Stumps Facebook and Twitter: Secret labs. Magic cures. Government plots. Despite efforts by social media companies to stop it, false information about the coronavirus is proliferating.
14. Facebook Bans Ads for Face Masks
15. Facebook’s experimental Stories feature lets users cross-post to Instagram: An older tool released in 2017 can only cross-post Stories from Instagram to Facebook.
16. Containing the Infectiousness of Fake News: Developments in Singapore’s Online Falsehoods Laws Amidst the COVID-19 Outbreak
17. Before it sued Google for copying from Java, Oracle got rich copying IBM’s SQL
18. How China is using QR code apps to contain Covid-19
19. ‘This may be the last piece I write’: prominent Xi critic has internet cut after house arrest
20. Content Moderation At Scale Is Impossible; Naughty Kids In Wuhan Edition
21. Online Harms White Paper – UK government publishes its initial consultation response
22. COPPA Author Senator Ed Markey Introduces KIDS Act Targeting Sponsored Content, Unboxing Videos
23. Quibi Accused Of Stealing Technology, Trade Secrets From Interactive Video Company Eko
24. Senate Democrats Introduce Legislation to Ban Certain App Features and Types of Advertising Aimed at Children Online
25. New Bill Seeks to Impose Design Restrictions on Kids’ Online Content and Marketing
26. Bad Ideas: Newark Stupidly Threatens ‘Criminal Prosecution’ Against Anyone Who Reports ‘False’ Info About Covid-19
27. Reddit ran wild with Boston bombing conspiracy theories in 2013 and is now an epicenter for coronavirus misinformation. The site is doing almost nothing to change that.
28. Twitter expands hateful conduct rules to ban dehumanizing speech around age, disability and now, disease
29. Full Count: Retweet Copyright Dispute Against Cubs Moves Forward
30. Twitter Reaches Deal With Activist Fund That Wanted Jack Dorsey Out
31. Jack Dorsey To Stay CEO After Twitter Reaches Deal With Investors Elliott, Silver Lake
32. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Backpedals On Africa Plans Amid Reports He’s Being Pushed Out
33. NBCUniversal Has Sold Its $500 Million Stake In Snap, But Will Continue On As Content Partner
34. So Wait, People Seriously Think Bill Barr Will Rein In Tech Monopoly Power?
35. Sorry, Tulsi Gabbard, Google can’t violate the First Amendment
36. Court Explains 1st Amendment To Tulsi Gabbard In Dismissing Her Ridiculous Lawsuit Against Google
37. First Voters Reject Tulsi Gabbard, Then a Judge Does–Gabbard v. Google (Eric Goldman)
38. Google tells employees to work from home to prevent coronavirus spread
39. How Wikipedia’s volunteers became the web’s best weapon against misinformation
40. Insights: The Death Of Cookies Opens New Opportunities For Influencer Marketing
41. Celebrity Influencers Receive Warning Letters From Federal Trade Commission
42. FTC Settlement Provides Detailed Guidance on Influencer Campaigns
43. FTC Action Says Influencers Made False Claims and Failed to Include Proper Disclosures
44. Will New FTC Endorsement Guidelines Make A #Hashtag of Influencer Advertising?
45. Marketers Beware: Deceptive Health Claims and Social Media Influencer Practices Remain High Priorities for FTC Enforcement
46. Despite Some Naysayers, Influencer Marketing Set For Big Growth In 2020
47. FTC Puts Influencers and Sponsors on Notice with $15.2 Million Judgment
48. FTC targets Teami’s Unsupported Health Claims and Use of Social Media Influencers
49. Cannabis Company is Sued for Showing Mural in Advertising Campaign
50. A Legal Fissure Appears To Be Taking Shape Among Early Members Of ‘The Hype House’
51. OG Pet Influencer And Senior Adoption Activist ‘Marnie The Dog’ Has Passed Away
52. Quibi Reveals Launch Slate Of 51 Shows And Movies, Offers 90-Day Free Trial
53. Quibi Sued by Eko for Patent Infringement, Theft of Trade Secrets
54. ByteDance Launches Standalone Music Streamer In India Armed With Sony, Warner, T-Series Licensing Deals
55. Rihanna Launches TikTok Collab House For Her Fenty Beauty Brand
56. Markiplier Blasts Unauthorized Biography Being Sold Without His Consent
57. Canadian court awards significant ‎defamation damages — are online ‎platforms immune?‎
58. Proposed bill would end “likes” for young teens’ online content
59. YouTube Will Allow “A Limited Number Of Channels” To Monetize Coronavirus Content, CEO Susan Wojcicki Says
60. YouTube children’s content faces a new threat from the KIDS Act: The KIDS Act could dramatically affect kids’ channels
61. YouTube Cancels ‘Impulse’, One Of Its Last-Remaining Scripted Series, After 2 Seasons
62. YouTube To Stream This Year’s Brandcast Due To Coronavirus, As NewFronts Recommends Other Presenters Do The Same
63. Senators Hawley & Feinstein Join Graham & Blumenthal In Announcing Bill To Undermine Both Encryption And Section 230
64. Why Does The NY Times Seem Literally Incapable Of Reporting Accurately On Section 230?
65. Privacy Issues in the Ongoing Controversy Over Section 230
66. DOJ’s Latest Ideas For Section 230 Reform Dumber Than Even I Expected
67. 46 Academics Encourage Congress To Consider Section 230’s Benefits (Eric Goldman)
68. The EARN IT Act Partially Repeals Section 230, But It Won’t Help Children (Eric Goldman)
69. Recap of the USDOJ’s Section 230 Roundtable (Eric Goldman)
70. Are Cuts Coming to the “Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet?”
71. Amazon, counterfeits and memes: Online IP developments
72. Amazon offers no-checkout technology to other retailers
73. YouTube will slowly start monetizing coronavirus videos following creator anger: Weeks after YouTube declared automatic demonetization
74. YouTube Is Demonetizing Coronavirus Videos Under Its Long-Standing “Sensitive Events” Policy
75. YouTube To Stream This Year’s Brandcast Due To Coronavirus, As NewFronts Recommends Other Presenters Do The Same
76. YouTube’s New Subscriber Notification Metrics Show Creators Exactly How Many Are (And Aren’t) Sent Per Upload
77. YouTube TV Drops 3 Fox Regional Sports Networks Amid Contract Kerfuffle With Sinclair
78. YouTube To Introduce Themed Content Shelves Within Nascent ‘/Fashion’ Hub
79. Bernie Sanders’ Social Video Lead Shrinks As Joe Biden Overtakes Delegate Count
80. Spotify is working on voice activation for its apps: You’ll be able to summon the app with ‘Hey Spotify’.
81. Spotify rolls out a more personalized home screen to users worldwide
82. Spotify Unveils New Radar Global Emerging Artist Program
83. Spotify, Amazon to Argue Against Songwriter Rate Hike in Court of Appeals
84. Instagram Reportedly Toying With ‘Video Response’ Feature For IGTV
85. Netflix Continues To Release CYOA Content, Doesn’t Refer To It As ‘CYOA’…For Now
86. The Obamas’ Next Netflix Feature To Tackle Refugee Crisis With Russo Brothers
87. Sonos decides bricking old stuff isn’t a winning move after all: Software support for the products is ending, but you can still pass them along.
88. You Don’t Own What You Buy Episode 9,000: Philips’ Light Bulbs Lose Functionality
89. eBay bans sale of masks and hand sanitizer over gouging concerns
90. Microsoft asks employees to work from home over coronavirus fears
91. City of Austin cancels SXSW 2020, citing COVID-19 concerns
92. Apple, Netflix, WarnerMedia, and LinkedIn pull out of SXSW appearances
93. Apple warns staff of product shortages, but IT workers have already seen them
94. Apple’s new App Store policies fight spam and abuse but also allow ads in notifications
95. Hulu’s live TV doesn’t work on T-Mobile home Internet
96. .eu domain names, the transition period and update on GDPR restricted ICANN registrant data
97. The grandfather of distributed computing projects, SETI@home, shuts down
98. Interaction Between Privacy and Competition Law in a Digital Economy Part-2
99. The economic cost of major tech events canceled due to coronavirus has passed $1 billion: Some of the industry’s biggest events have been postponed, moved online, or canceled altogether.
100. Kiva Partners With Mari Malek, Shahrzad Rafati And Others To Redefine What A “Powerful Woman” Is And Drive Loans To Over 12,000 Women During International Women’s Day
101. 16 women in tech who are driving BC forward
102. Deported By Silicon Valley
103. Ancient animistic beliefs live on in our intimacy with tech
104. Voluntary Parting Exclusion Bars Coverage for Social Engineering Scheme
105. Administering Estates With Digital Assets
106. Environmental activism goes digital in lockdown – but could it change the movement for good?
107. Chinese beauty bloggers: amateurs, entrepreneurs, and platform labour (Zexu Guan)
108. How Dictators Control the Internet: A Review Essay (Eda Keremoglu, Nils Weidmann)
109. Disruption, embedded. A Polanyian framing of the platform economy (Gernot Grabher)

A.I.

1. ACLU Sues ICE Over Its Deliberately-Broken Immigrant ‘Risk Assessment’ Software
2. AI Company Has Access To Pretty Much Every Piece Of Surveillance Tech The State Of Utah Owns
3. Much ado about Clearview: Facial recognition is here to stay
4. Engineer at the center of Waymo/Uber legal battle declares bankruptcy
5. Blog: Designing the enemy AI of The Division 2
6. Does my AI own the IP that it creates? If not, who?
7. The Social Life of Robots: The Politics of Algorithms, Governance, and Sovereignty
8. Political warfare in the digital age: cyber subversion, information operations and ‘deep fakes’ (Thomas Paterson, Lauren Hanley)
9. The Robots Are Coming: Ethics, Politics, and Society in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Kenneth Taylor)
10. The Social Lives of Generative Adversarial Networks (Michael Castelle)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. How Explaining Copyright Broke the YouTube Copyright System
2. NYU Law School’s Video Teaching Copyright Completely Flummoxed YouTube’s Copyright Filters
3. Protective Orders Alive and Well in Canadian IP Litigation: The Federal Court of Appeal has recently put to rest concerns about the availability of “protective orders” in IP litigation.
4. Managing Canadian Trademark Applications Under CIPO’s New Restrictions on Extensions of Time
5. Led Zeppelin wins latest battle in Stairway to Heaven legal fight
6. 9th Circuit Gets It Right: Says Led Zeppelin Didn’t Infringe; Dumps Dumb ‘Inverse Ratio’ Rule
7. Ninth Circuit Affirms Non-Infringement Judgment for Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven
8. Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin: 9th Cir. reinstates jury verdict that Stairway to Heaven did not infringe copyright to song Taurus, ruling that sound recordings of Taurus were properly excluded at trial.
9. Ninth Circuit Watch: En Banc Court Overturns Rule That a High Degree of Access to Copyrighted Material Reduces Plaintiff’s Burden to Show Substantial Similarity
10. Fantasies About a Formula for Fair Use
11. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Litigation Update: Virtual Immersion Technologies Litigations
12. Hugo Boss – aka comedian Joe Lycett – takes on Hugo Boss
13. In New 5Pointz Decision, Second Circuit Concludes That VARA Trumps The Constitution
14. Street artists spray paint legal victory across walls
15. No success for Questor in its quest for an injunction
16. NFL Gets Shopify To Take Down Clear NY Jets Parody Merch Site With Trademark Complaint
17. A Bite in the Apple: Apple Inc. v. California Institute of Technology, Appeal Nos. 2019-1580, -1581 (Fed. Cir., March 5, 2020)
18. Gender inequality — How many patent offices does it take to fix a leaky pipeline?
19. It might be good enough to eat, but is your product good enough to protect?
20. Software Can Make Non-Abstract Improvements to Computer Technology Just as Hardware Can (But Didn’t Here)
21. Haptic feedback assisted text manipulation: technical
22. UK opts out of Unified Patent Court regime
23. UK will not be part of the Unified Patent Court or Unitary Patent system
24. Will I be able to enforce my European intellectual property rights in the UK?
25. Key Estate Planning Considerations for Individuals with Intellectual Property (Part III: Patents)
26. Key IP trends to watch for in 2020
27. Intellectual Property Protection Strategies for Successful Business in the US and Canada
28. Intellectual Property Issues for Foreign Enterprises Acquiring Chinese Companies
29. Mastering the patent application process
30. Publicity Rights and Its Scope in Intellectual Property Laws

PRIVACY

1. Vermont sues Clearview, alleging “oppressive, unscrupulous” practices
2. Clearview Sued By Vermont Attorney General For Violating The State’s Privacy Laws
3. Justice Department Issues Guidance on Online Intelligence Gathering for Cybersecurity
4. Proposed US law is “Trojan horse” to stop online encryption, critics say
5. Porn, gore, and gambling habits aired in Virgin Media breach
6. Some mobile ad-blockers and VPNs siphoning user data, report finds
7. Intel SGX is vulnerable to an unfixable flaw that can steal crypto keys and more
8. UK Government announces plans to strengthen the security of internet-connected devices
9. Vegas Casinos Are “Cash Only” After Suspected Ransomware Attack
10. 5 years of Intel CPUs and chipsets have a concerning flaw that’s unfixable
11. The Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity: key challenges and new regulation
12. Hackers can clone millions of Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia keys
13. What percentage of websites actually deploy a cookie banner?
14. What percentage of websites utilize a banner that seeks opt-in consent before deploying cookies?
15. Mitigating Cybersecurity Risks Related to the Coronavirus
16. GDPR-ish Wisconsin Privacy Bills Go Together Like Beer, Bratwurst and Polka
17. Austria, EU privacy and the ongoing Schrems v Facebook case
18. Expect Increased Privacy Regulatory Enforcement in 2020
19. Ad Industry Split on Cookies and CCPA
20. The end of anonymity

CREATIVITY   

1. Radio Hosts Aren’t Liable for Online Attacks Against Beleaguered Referee–Higgins v. Kentucky Sports Radio (Eric Goldman)
2. Lt. Governor Of Texas Gets Offended By An Anti-Police Shirt, Decides He Needs To Start Violating The First Amendment
3. UK ASA Bans Coronavirus-Related Ad for Causing “Serious and Widespread Offense”
4. Sen. Wyden And Rep. Khanna Introduce Bill That Would Protect Journalists And Whistleblowers From Bogus Espionage Prosecutions
5. Japan Approves New Law To Make Manga Piracy A Criminal Offense
6. False Advertising: What You Need to Know
7. New York Court Halts Dog Food False Ad Suit
8. Tate’s racy exhibition debuts Aubrey Beardsley’s double-sided painting
9. Art fair drops New York dealer for inciting coronavirus prejudice
10. Do Your Sponsorship Agreements Address Event Cancellation?
11. Creative industries shocked by UK withdrawal from £1.3 billion EU arts fund
12. Challenging the media on coverage of a personal nature – Part 1
13. Challenging the media on coverage of a personal nature – Part 2
14. Challenging the media on coverage of a personal nature – Part 3

GAMES

1. Take-Two: Another step in the High Court’s battle against cheating in video games
2. Bold: Matthew Storman, Sans Lawyer, Counter Sues Nintendo For False Allegation Of Copyright Infringement
3. Joy-Con drift lawsuit denied dismissal, but referred to arbitration: 18 plaintiffs have joined suit against Nintendo, claiming unfair and deceptive business practices
4. Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift class action lawsuit paused as case moves to arbitration
5. Australian Parliamentary committee recommends loot box regulation: Also suggests mandatory age verification for purchases toward any simulated gambling elements in games
6. Bungie will no longer sell randomized loot boxes in Destiny 2: Bright Engrams will still be available through the game’s free season pass
7. APA warns against linking violent video games to real-world violence
8. APA: Video games’ link to aggression doesn’t tie games to violent behavior
9. APA reaffirms stance on video games and violent behaviour: “Attributing violence to video gaming is not scientifically sound and draws attention away from other factors,” says APA president
10. ESA’s Game Generation leads us down a dark path of denial | Opinion: Amid threats of regulation, the games industry still fails to recognise the importance of honesty and transparency
11. How to approach mental health issues in the workplace: Games studios championing mental health awareness tell the GamesIndustry.biz Academy about how to support and safeguard your staff’s emotional well-being
12. 2K Games is the latest publisher to pull games from GeForce Now
13. 2K pens deal with the NFL to develop multiple new football games
14. The next “NFL2K” won’t be a simulation—here’s what that might mean
15. Mod.io raises $1 million to help game devs support user-generated content
16. Tim Sweeney says Epic will throw support behind Nvidia GeForce Now
17. Nvidia’s GeForce Now loses 2K games, gains Epic support: Another publisher pulls from streaming service as Tim Sweeney declares it most “developer and publisher-friendly” option
18. Epic Games Store adds wishlists: Steam’s biggest rival adds essential marketing tool for independent developers
19. Unity acquires AI-driven art software company and ArtEngine maker Artomatix
20. Unity acquires Artomatix: Engine maker picks up creator of ArtEngine AI-assisted art tool promising time-saving texture techniques
21. 2K partners with the NFL to create multiple, non-simulation football titles: Publisher looks to create football games that are “accessible and approachable” to a broader audience
22. Playing To Win: The Post-Alice Video Game Patent Landscape
23. A video game is being used to help fight coronavirus: “We’re calling on YOU to help design antiviral proteins against coronavirus.
24. Pay to watch play: Florida DOR concludes that video game streaming site subscriptions are subject to Florida communications services tax
25. Learning the lessons of the PlayStation 2 | Opinion: Twenty years after it arrived in Japan, the most successful console of all time still has lessons that are relevant to the industry today
26. Horizon Zero Dawn confirmed for PC: But PlayStation committed to dedicated consoles
27. First-party PlayStation exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn arrives on PC this summer
28. The world’s only known Nintendo PlayStation has sold for $300,000 [Updated]
29. UK Charts: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon debuts at No.1: Nintendo Switch remake beats out Call of Duty Modern Warfare
30. Call of Duty: Warzone offers a free-to-play, cross-platform battle royale mode
31. Pokémon Sword and Shield remain top-sellers in Japan months after release: Persona 5 Scramble – The Phantom Strikers tops Japanese charts for February with over 160,000 units sold at retail
32. PlatinumGames raises over $2.2m for The Wonderful 101 Remastered: Kickstarter campaign closes well above $50k goal
33. Sega invests in music startup Flutin: Sonic publisher’s efforts to expand into other areas of entertainment continue with indie artist discovery app
34. Steam Labs’ latest addition is a dedicated News Hub for news and events
35. Apex Legends dev says Forge stab-and-switch was meant to foil data miners 
36. Disruptor Beam lays off devs as it transitions to a game tech provider
37. Disruptor Beam lays off nine as it pivots away from game development: Final game project canceled, company to focus solely on Disruptor Engine platform
38. Game Informer non-editorial staff hit by layoffs: Business unit restructuring sees long-time publisher Cathy Preston retire as six others lose jobs
39. Coronavirus delays TG-16 Mini launch, are PS5 and Xbox Series X next?
40. E3 2020 cancelled due to ‘overwhelming’ coronavirus concerns
41. E3 2020 has been canceled
42. Xbox plans digital event to replace E3 conference
43. Microsoft confirms more Xbox Series X details: Console will feature quick resume for multiple games, 12 teraflops GPU, first-party games can be bought once and played on Xbox One or Series X
44. Xbox boss calls for greater transparency on key issues: Phil Spencer says the industry should lead public discussion of problems like crunch and “game loops that are exploitative”
45. E3 cancelled: Troubled event postponed due to coronavirus concerns
46. E3 2020 Canceled After ‘Overwhelming Concerns’ About Coronavirus
47. TurboGrafx-16 Mini indefinitely delayed due to coronavirus: Impact on manufacturing and shipping in China means Konami’s classic console will not arrive this month as planned
48. Take-Two CEO: COVID-19 may make believers out of remote work skeptics in games
49. Elite developer Frontier now making F1 management games: Gear change.
50. HTC hosting conference in virtual reality to mitigate coronavirus risk: This year’s Vive Ecosystem Conference will have ‘cloned rooms’ so no limit for attendance
51. Bungie activates remote work policy in response to COVID-19 outbreak
52. Microsoft aims to give hourly staff their full pay despite COVID-19 cutbacks
53. Microsoft asks employees to work from home over coronavirus fears: Nintendo also encourages remote working for staff based in Washington and California
54. Streamline: COVID-19 will delay games and not just consoles – Reliance on Chinese outsourcing for game development is likely to cause delayed launches, says Streamline Media Group CEO Alexander Fernandez
55. COVID-19: Bungie activates remote work policy – “This includes delivering on our current content plans, the maintenance and upkeep of Destiny 2, as well as continuing development of the game,” says developer
56. GDC offers talks for free following event cancellation: Previously-accepted talks will be streamed via Twitch next week, and archived for free in the coming weeks
57. Game Developers Conference 2020 announces virtual awards and talk schedule 
58. Salvaging the opportunites lost by GDC’s cancellation: We speak to the people offering financial relief to indies, or alternatives for those forced to still travel to San Francisco
59. Game Informer lays off 6 staff in restructure as publisher Cathy Preston retires
60. Activision Blizzard cancels March and April Overwatch League events over COVID-19
61. Mojang and EA cancel live events in response to COVID-19: Minecraft Festival cancellation joined by Apex Legends and FIFA 20 esport events
62. Game Connection America 2020 postponed due to COVID-19 concerns: Last-minute decision made following updated health recommendations from San Francisco leadership
63. Psyonix cancels Rocket League World Championship over coronavirus concerns: Remainder of Season 9 League will play as scheduled, but all broadcast coverage will be completely online
64. Esports Players League raises $1m in seed round: 500 Startups led investment in the amateur-focused esports firm
65. WME Hires 2 Former FaZe Clan Execs As Gaming Agents
66. FaZe Clan Teases New Los Angeles Mansion With Rumored $10 Million Pricetag
67. PUBG CEO reportedly will also lead parent group Krafton Game Union
68. Pokimane Becomes Twitch’s Latest Talent Lock-In With Multiyear Exclusive Livestreaming Deal
69. Twitch streamers make thousands by literally just sleeping
70. GameOn Technology scores $10.5 million in financing for sports and gaming chat platform
71. Report: Twitch viewership drops, while YouTube and Facebook Gaming rise
72. TinyBuild says traditional indie publishing unsustainable, opens new studio with HakJak
73. GameStop’s concept stores: A “laboratory,” not a Hail Mary: In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the gaming retailer is taking its time trialing new, interactive store experiences focused on the local community
74. Reggie Fils-Aimé to join GameStop board of directors
75. Discord loosens streaming limits to help teams work remote during COVID-19
76. Frontier Developments signs exclusive license for multiple F1 management games: A total of four games are planned, with the first anticipated in F1’s 2022 racing season
77. Building Ori and the Will of the Wisps with 80 people working from home: Moon Studios’ Thomas Mahler reveals the challenges and solutions to managing a distributed development team
78. HBO, PlayStation announce Last of Us TV series—the “first of many shows”
79. Writing, directing, and designing FMV censorship simulator Not for Broadcast
80. The Last of Us is being adapted into an HBO series: Creative director Neil Druckmann onboard as executive producer with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin
81. Annapurna signs multi-year deal with Simogo: Sayonara Wild Hearts publisher and developer re-team to make more games across all platforms
82. The Strong Museum and Kongregate partner to preserve Flash games
83. Team17’s full-year profits rise to £30m: Indie publisher enjoyed record growth in 2019, expanded headcount to 200
84. Playrix acquires Armenian casual mobile game developer Plexonic
85. Call of Duty: Mobile devs scrap Zombies mode due to quality concerns
86. Activision unveils standalone Call of Duty battle royale: Warzone launches tomorrow, will be free-to-play with microtransactions including $10 battle pass
87. That time Activision dishonorably discharged Call of Duty’s star dev duo – 10 Years Ago This Month: Jason West and Vince Zampella were marched out of Infinity Ward right into the eager arms of EA
88. Call of Duty’s free-to-play, cross-platform battle royale launches March 10
89. Fortnite removes abusable “legacy” aim assist for controller players: Tracking hidden players with “left trigger spam” will soon be a thing of the past.
90. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is getting a live action adaptation courtesy of HBO
91. An upcoming UI tweak will make The Outer Worlds infinitely more accessible
92. Bethesda wants to bring humanity to Fallout 76 through NPCs: Wastelanders designer Ferret Baudoin on why a game populated with real people needs fake ones for a more human experience
93. How an unlikely Tencent project is helping China’s indie scene
94. “Where should you put your time in marketing? Fun fact: emails”: Crows Crows Crows founder on how an email newsletter became a more effective marketing tool than Twitter, Facebook and Instagram combined
95. Conducting the interactive opera of Evergreen Blues: David Su and Dominique Star on the musical design of their free, co-op song suite
96. Creative Chronicles: A balancing post-mortem of Total War Three Kingdoms – GamesIndustry.biz Academy &  Creative Assembly to publish its Creative Chronicles video series, today focusing on strategy game balancing
97. Creative Chronicles: tutorials and insights into game development – Total War developer Creative Assembly share its tips on all aspects of building games, in its game development tutorial series Creative Chronicles
98. Op-ed: The upsides, downsides, and future of AAA game development
99. Blog: Making particles twice as fast through cache optimization
100. Blog: How I built a game studio from the ground up
101. Don’t Miss: The shape of God of War III
102. Don’t Miss: A Game Design Deep Dive into Amnesia’s ‘Sanity Meter’
103. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Litigation Update: Virtual Immersion Technologies Litigations
104. How ‘classical game mechanics’ and physics converge in VR hit Boneworks
105. U.S. Patent no. 10,286,299: Transitioning gameplay on a head-mounted display
106. U.S. Patent no. 10,286,307: Game controller with removable faceted finger pad

Jon