COMMUNICATIONS

1. D.C. Circuit Casts Doubt on FCC’s Authority to Impose Merger Conditions
2. Yet Another Study Shows U.S. 5G Is Far Slower Than Many Other Nations
3. SpaceX seeks FCC broadband funds, must prove it can deliver sub-100ms latency 
4. U.S. Cable Broadband Monopolies Close In On 70% Broadband Market Share 
5. Small Satellite Operators’ C-Band Challenge Rejected by FCC
6. Wireless Carriers Once Again Fight Efforts At More Accurate Wireless Availability Maps
7. Bankrupt OneWeb gets FCC approval for another 1,280 broadband satellites
8. AT&T Now Trying To Ditch DirecTV After Bungled Merger Spree
9. AT&T reportedly trying to sell DirecTV after massive customer losses
10. No Miracles Here: FCC Denies Wakefield’s Request to Vacate ViSalus Waiver Order But $925MM Judgment Still Stands
11. Government Grant Recipients May Not Acquire Certain Chinese Telecommunications Products
12. FAR Council Amends Interim Rule on Chinese Telecommunications Ban to Update Certification Requirements 

DIGITAL

1. French language requirements in Québec: Language used in commercial publications, including websites and social media
2. Internet terms of use: Ninth Circuit enforces arbitration agreement accessible through browsewrap hyperlink
3. Third Circuit Upholds Public School Student’s First Amendment Rights
4. Infringing Polish Website Isn’t Subject to Personal Jurisdiction in the United States–AMA v. Wanat
5. Why potential claimants should take care with DMCA takedown demands
6. Are Changes to the DMCA on the Horizon?
7. AT&T backs Trump plan, demands “neutrality” on Facebook, Amazon, and Google
8. Hypocritical AT&T Makes A Mockery Of Itself; Says 230 Should Be Reformed For Real Net Neutrality
9. Supreme Court To Courts And Federal Agencies Trying To Rewrite Section 230: Knock It Off
10. Section 230 Preempts Another FOSTA Claim–Doe v. Kik (Eric Goldman)
11. Lindsey Graham Says We Need To Get Rid Of Section 230 To Sue ‘Batshit Crazy’ QAnon. That’s Not How Any Of This Works.
12. My Comment To The FCC Regarding The Ridiculous NTIA Petition To Reinterpret Section 230
13. A Paean To Transparency Reports
14. Content Moderation Best Practices for Startups
15. Content Moderation Case Study: Amazon Alters Publishing Rules To Deter Kindle Unlimited Scammers (April 2016)
16. Calif. App. Court (4th Dist) Rejects Jurisdictional Challenge in Website Accessibility Case
17. TikTok CEO quits as company reportedly plans sale to Microsoft, Walmart
18. Sway House TikTokers Bryce Hall, Blake Gray Charged With Throwing Parties In Violation Of L.A. Health Orders
19. Native TikTok Tools May Create Liability for Brands and Influencers
20. TikTok: now to the copyright and political issues
21. Facebook threatens to block news-sharing in Australia
22. Facebook Says It Will Block News Sharing In Australia If Murdoch’s Social Media Tax Becomes Law
23. Trump administration forces Facebook and Google to drop Hong Kong cable
24. Amazon deletes anti-union listing, watches workers’ “secret” social groups
25. iOS 14 will “severely impact” monetisation opportunities, Facebook says: Changes in privacy policy on Apple devices could mean a 50% drop in ad-driven revenue coming from Facebook’s Audience Network
26. Sordid genealogies: a conjectural history of Cambridge Analytica’s eugenic roots
27. Top Republican deletes tweet with doctored Biden video footage
28. The Market for Fake Reviews
29. Facebook apologizes to users, businesses for Apple’s monstrous efforts to protect its customers’ privacy: New iOS update will rob people of personalized ads, wails antisocial giant
30. Apple won’t let Facebook tell users about 30-percent Apple tax on events
31. Facebook Will Open Beta Of VR Social Platform ‘Horizon’ To (Some) Public Users In Coming Weeks
32. Facebook and Other Tech Giants ‘too Big to Fail’
33. Australian Court Says Using a Zipper-Mouth Emoji Can Be Defamatory–Burrows v. Houda (Eric Goldman)
34. Australian Court Says Zipper Mouth Emoji Might Be Defamatory
35. Google Declines to Remove Ads that Contain Election-Related Misinformation
36. Google Maps now shows traffic lights at intersections
37. We Ran Our Online Election Disinformation Simulation Game And There’s Plenty To Be Worried About
38. As Speakers At The RNC Whined About Big Tech Bias, You Could Only Watch The Full Convention Because Of ‘Big Tech’
39. Elon Musk is one step closer to connecting a computer to your brain: Neuralink has demonstrated a prototype of its brain-machine interface that currently works in pigs.
40. Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready? (Rand Corporation)
41. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Insanely Stupid Lawsuit Against Facebook
42. The internet of protest is being built on single-page websites
43. Content Moderation Case Study: Facebook Responds To A Live-streamed Mass Shooting (March 2019)
44. Snapchat Is The Biggest Media Company Whose Content You’ve Never Watched–But That’s About To Change
45. Patreon Raises $90 Million At $1.2 Billion Valuation: “The Stigma Of The Starving Artist Is Going To Fade Away”
46. Global Digital Pandemic Responses: Reflections on Four Country Case Studies
47. Fairphone users can buy new camera without replacing the phone itself
48. Xiaomi’s “third-generation” under-display camera looks nearly invisible
49. Going all-in on remote work: The technical and cultural changes
50. TikTok And Teespring Team Up For Creator Merch Sales Integration
51. TikTok Tells Users To Treat Themselves With Second Wave Of Free ‘Small Gestures’
52. China announces new export rules that could prevent sale of TikTok
53. Franchesca Ramsey Tapped To Host IAB’s ‘Podcast Upfront’, Which Has Registered 2,500 Attendees
54. Rhett & Link Launch ‘Vote Like A Beast’ Registration Campaign Ahead Of Presidential Election
55. SuperBam To Reclaim 10 Billion Views’ Worth Of AdSense For YouTube, TikTok, Twitch Creators By End Of 2020
56. YouTube Reverses MoistCr1TiKaL, Markiplier Community Guidelines Strikes, Says They Were “An Over-Enforcement Of Policies”
57. Top 50 Most Viewed US YouTube Channels • Week Of 8/31/2020
58. Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 8/31/2020
59. David Blaine’s Balloon-Powered YouTube Stunt Postponed To Sept. 2
60. How to Approach Legal Issues With CGI Influencers — Keep in mind virtual endorsements and brand sponsorships
61. In Savvy Brand Deal, Charli D’Amelio Gets Signature Drink On Dunkin’ Donuts Menu
62. Emma Chamberlain Premieres ‘Styled By Emma’ Makeover Series On IGTV
63. Netflix Un-Paywalls ‘Bird Box,’ ‘The Two Popes,’ First Ep Of ‘Stranger Things’ To Tempt More Subscribers
64. What the History of TV Can Teach Us about Netflix
65. “This is the day”: Disney+ announces The Mandalorian season 2 premiere date
66. The evolution and accountability of Diversity and Inclusion within the tech industry
67. ASA finds numerous code breaches following monitoring operation on children’s websites
68. After Years of “Silencing, Repression, and Retaliation” at This Software Company, Workers Decided to Organize
69. Risk Shifts in the Gig Economy: The Normative Case for an Insurance Scheme against the Effects of Precarious Work
70. Collaboration Houses: How Technology & A Pandemic Have Created Entirely New Ways To Go To College

A.I.

1. Algorithmic policing risks intensifying systemic racism, harm privacy and Charter rights: report
2. To Surveil and Predict: A Human Rights Analysis of Algorithmic Policing in Canada
3. Tesla with Autopilot hits cop car—driver admits he was watching a movie
4. Algorithms and the impact of decisions made using AI
5. Reckoning and Judgment the Promise of AI
6. Computer Says No: Can Algorithms Be Fair?
7. The Paradox of Algorithmic Transparency
8. The politics of algorithmic governance in the black box city
9. Google offers to help others with the tricky ethics of AI
10. Remedies for Algorithmic Tacit Collusion
11. Musk says that Neuralink implants are close to ready for human testing
12. Facing Novel Legal Issues Concerning Facial Recognition Technology in 2020
13. What do organisations thinking of using facial recognition software need to do following the Court of Appeal judgment in R (Bridges) v CC South Wales ?
14. Faceoff! UK appellate court finds police use of facial recognition technology contravenes laws
15. Court of Appeal hands down judgment in facial recognition case
16. Automated facial recognition: a controversial future tool for fighting crime
17. AI analysis: How traffic works in Cities: Skylines
18. Algorithms and employment law: what do you need to know?
19. Law and Tech Collide: Foreseeability, Reasonableness and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
20. SAL Law Reform Committee Reports on Artificial Intelligence
21. Robot Will Take Your Job: Innovation for an Era of Artificial Intelligence 
22. NIST looks to shine a light on the ‘black box’ with its white paper on explainable AI
23. NIST Seeks Comment on Proposed Framework for “Explainable” Artificial Intelligence 
24. Is AI part of the new sports media landscape? 
25. Philosophy in The Light Of AI 
26. Podcast: Explaining Artificial Intelligence with Terry Bergin QC and Quentin Tannock 
27. Don’t Miss: Bringing Washington D.C. to life – The AI of The Division 2 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1.  Arts On (the) Line: Copyright Protection of Digital Performances for Presenters, Agents & Managers
2. Word To Politicians: “Please [Do] Stop The Music”
3. Fleshing out the copyright in a tattoo 
4. Bad Faith Scraping of Photos carries a Big Cost
5. Liability for Copyright Infringement Attaches if Conduct Exceeds Scope of License
6. Regulations and the surge of software patent applications in the U.S. 
7. Grey Market Goods – Coty and Costco Battle it Out in Québec 
8. Tiffany v. Costco: the use of a trademark not as a trademark but in a descriptive sense
9. Costco wins appeal against Tiffany – Tiffany and Co et al v Costco Wholesale Corp, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 17-2798. 
10. KFC Presses Pause on IT’S FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD Slogan
11. Aldi, Brewdog Brand War Ends In The Best Possible Way: Collaboration
12. Comparing Apples to Pears 
13. TENET: a twist in Time 
14. Beyoncé’s BLUE IVY CARTER Mark in the Pink as TTAB Dismisses Opposition
15. The Terrible Towel Is A Formidable Foe: Steelers’ Licensor Sues Maker of Terrible Masks
16. The Land Rover Defender: a classic shape certainly, but a “badge of origin”?
17. Difficult terrain: trade mark protection for 3d shapes
18. Don’t Fall Victim to Bogus Trademark Registries
19. Food Industry Insight – Overcoming Trademark Genericism with D’Ingenuity and Le Creativity
20. Why you should designate Canada – and a Canadian agent – in your next Madrid application 
21. The future of global licensing for digital standards?
22. What’s in a name? Global brand owners make socially-conscious changes
23. Strategic Considerations at the Intersection of Patent and Trade Secret Protection
24. Delaware Court of Chancery: Companies Must Maintain Trade Secret Confidentiality in a Remote World
25. Seventh Circuit Sends Health Care Software Company Plaintiff Back to District Court for $660 Million (or More) Reduction in Damages Award in Trade Secrets Case
26. Pot Got Your Tongue? Company Alleges Former COO Disclosed Trade Secrets to Competitors
27. You can’t do that! Federal Court quashes the “problem-solution” basis for rejecting claims
28. No Solution? No Problem! The Federal Court of Canada puts a dagger in the “Problem-Solution” Approach to Patent Claims Construction
29. “Problem-Solution” Claim Construction by Patent Office Does Not “Compute” 
30. Federal Court clarifies Canadian approach to subject-matter eligibility for computer patents 
31. Federal Court clarifies the assessment of patent-eligible subject matter in Canada
32. What the Choueifaty Decision Means for Software Patents in Canada 
33. Court Dismisses Intel’s and Apple’s Federal and State Antitrust Claims Against Patent Assertion Entities, Albeit with Leave of Court to Amend the Complaint
34. UK Supreme Court affirms courts’ rights on IP licensing issue
35. Dismissal on Procedural Grounds May Bar Claims for Later Infringement Under Res Judicata
36. Res Judicata on Procedural Grounds Precludes Similar Claims Arising After Prior Judgment
37. Inventorship, Unlike a Claim, is a “Nose of Wax”
38. Landmark UK Supreme Court decision grants UK courts power to set the global royalty rate for standard essential patents
39. Unwired Planet v Huawei – UK courts can determine global FRAND licensing terms
40. Unwired Planet v Huawei – Supreme Court decision
41. Unwired Planet vs Huawei – is it a victory for SEP holders?
42. U.K. Supreme Court Affirms Global FRAND Rate-Setting Procedure in U.K. National Courts 
43. UK Supreme Court Upholds Power of the UK Courts to Determine Global FRAND Licenses
44. Last Week in the Federal Circuit (August 24-28): No Judicial Estoppel from Inventorship About-Face 
45. Pointed Tip is Not a Substantially Flat Surface
46. Clear Claim Language Trumped Written Description in Construction
47. USPTO Sued Over Discretionary Denials 
48. USPTO Issues Guidance on “Applicant Admitted Prior Art” in IPRs
49. Canceled Patent Claims Do Not Entitle Former Patent Owner to a Refund 
50. Antitrust Plaintiffs Complain of Patent “Thickets”
51. Upper and Lower Claim Limitations Leave Patent Owner Feeling Down
52. How Administrative Law Became the Hottest Topic in Patent Disputes at the Federal Circuit
53. Valuing Patented Inventions in Litigation
54. 5 developments you may not have realised are potentially patentable
55. In review: key recent IP developments and trends in Canada 
56. Intellectual Property Enforcement at the International Trade Commission

PRIVACY

1. Ontario government launches consultations on establishing provincial privacy regime for private sector
2. Ontario Government Seeks Input for Private Sector Privacy Legislation
3. Privacy developments: OPC Privacy Guide for Businesses and Ontario privacy consultation
4. China’s Efforts To Hide Its Muslim Concentration Camps Helped Reporters To Find Them
5. The Fourth Amendment Downs ‘Video Voyeurism’ in Kraft SpaGate Case
6. Can individuals claim damages for loss of control over their personal data
7. U.S. Customs Opens Mass Searches of Data on Confiscated Traveler Smartphones, Computers
8. Feds can’t ask Google for every phone in a 100-meter radius, court says
9. Wait, Amazon’s New Wearable Needs to See Me in My Underwear?: Amazon says your semi-nude pictures will be automatically deleted from its servers after 3D body images are rendered.
10. Amazon Halo will charge a subscription fee to monitor the tone of your voice
11. The EU Is Launching a Market for Personal Data. Here’s What That Means for Privacy
12. What Are GeofenceWarrants?
13. Financial Data Aggregator Faces Consumer Privacy Suit over “Surreptitious” Collection of Banking Information
14. U.S. issues warning on North Korean hackers targeting banks worldwide
15. Bridgefy, A Messaging App Hyped As Great For Protesters, Is A Security Mess
16. Mass Biometric Scanning Of Students Is COVID-19’s Latest Dystopian Twist
17. If A College Is Going To Make COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps Mandatory, They Should At Least Be Secure
18. Social Media Data Leak Raises Concerns Over Data Scraping
19. Bad Faith Scraping of Photos carries a Big Cost
20. CCTV and data privacy
21. Hackers are exploiting a critical flaw affecting >350,000 WordPress sites
22. Children’s Privacy Check-Up
23. Back to School Special: But I’m Just an Ad Network! Am I Subject to Children’s Privacy Laws?
24. Back to School Special: Is My Multi-Age Platform Subject to Child Protection Requirements?
25. App Law and Future Changes to iOS Privacy
26. The Dark Side of the Mooc?: the Rise of Edtech in Times of Covid-19: a Data Protection Challenge for Universities
27. Remote Learning During Pandemic Brings Privacy Risks
28. Schrems Strikes Again: Battery of New Data Privacy Complaints Raise Compliance Questions for EU-U.S. Data Transfers

CREATIVITY

1. Judge Rakoff Clears Sarah Palin’s Defamation Lawsuit Against NY Times for February Trial
2. Appeals Court Says Not Allowing Federal Officers To Pepper Spray Journalists Makes Law Enforcement Too Difficult
3. The First Amendment Protects the Marketing Term “Vegan Butter”–Miyoko’s v. Ross (Eric Goldman)
4. Covid Is Accelerating a Global Censorship Crisis
5. Tinpot Administration Is Apparently ‘Building Dossiers’ On Journalists Who Criticize Trump
6. Trump Wants To Replace FTC Chair Whom He Can’t Replace, Because The FTC Is Reluctant To Go After Trump’s Social Media Enemies
7. How to (not) get rich quick: factors used to quantify damages awards in defamation cases
8. Sixth Circuit Considers Public Employee’s Off-the-Clock Social Media Post in First Amendment Case
9. Legal battle over artist’s legacy begins in London’s High Court
10. TV Ratings for Biden and Trump Signal an Increasingly Polarized Nation: Fox News dominated ratings for the Republican convention, and MSNBC was the clear No. 1 for the Democrats’ gathering.
11. Planning to Show a Toddler in Your Distilled Spirits Advertising?
12. Burger King Wins “Whopper” of a Case: Federal Court Finds No Promise of Method of Preparation in Advertisements for Meatless Burger
13. Picasso painting vandal who was “seeking fame” is jailed for 18 months
14. “Stonehenge Lego” scale model reveals the pagan monument’s unique soundscape

GAMES

1. Want to Write a Story About Tardigrades in Space? Make It So!–Abdin v. CBS (Eric Goldman)
2. Abdin v. CBS (USCA 2^nd Cir., August 17, 2020)
3. Bugs in Space? Star Trek Plotline Does Not Infringe Tardigrade Video Game
4. Gaming emote litigation: plaintiffs test different causes of action as battle ensues over Fortnite emotes
5. Atlanta Rapper Claims “Soul Jah Boi” Dance in NBA 2K19 Infringes His Copyright
6. China-linked mobile games including PUBG Mobile have been banned in India
7. Apple terminates Epic’s developer account as promised: However, Unreal Engine on iOS remains unaffected thanks to restraining order
8. Apple has terminated Epic Games’ App Store account
9. Apple terminates Epic’s App Store access following Fortnite dispute
10. iOS users no longer able to update Fortnite following App Store altercation
11. ‘Fortnite’ maker Epic faces uphill antitrust battle with Apple
12. On Monopolies, Apple, and Epic
13. Today, Apple made changes to its app review process to save face with devs
14. App Store tweaks ease bug fix process, let devs pitch App Store Guidelines changes
15. Ubisoft removes Black Lives Matter image from Tom Clancy game’s terror group
16. Ubisoft apologizes after Tom Clancy mobile game co-opts BLM movement
17. Ubisoft apologizes for ‘insensitive and harmful’ Elite Squad imagery: Publisher says it will remove “raised fist” from cinematic portraying protest movement as terrorist organization
18. Marvel’s Avengers sets new beta download record on PlayStation
19. Ubisoft (temporarily) suggests no PS1, PS2, or PS3 backwards compatibility for PS5
20. 2K Games supports NBA protests in the wake of Wisconsin shooting: “We strongly support the players and leagues using their platform to demonstrate against the shooting of Jacob Blake”
21. Fall Guys cheating loophole leads to blanket Family Sharing ban
22. Consumers Sue Mobile App Maker Over Loot Boxes
23. More Video Game Art Is Being Sanitized, Likely To Appease China
24. Opinion: Why Ronald Reagan’s appearance in Call of Duty is drawing criticism
25. Accessibility in games with AbleGamers’ Greg Haynes – GDC Podcast ep. 12
26. Big Fish Games lays off 250 staff
27. Xbox brings in Bungie veteran to keep delayed Halo Infinite on track: Joseph Staten, who worked on the original trilogy, now leading work on the upcoming shooter’s campaign
28. 343 Industries appoints Halo veterans to ensure Infinite launches in 2021
29. We need to take Steam wishlist quality more seriously
30. Steam Labs’ latest experiment brings Chat Filtering to Steam and participating games
31. Electronic Arts’ subscription service EA Play is live on Steam
32. Unity debuts new tool to help devs submit games to multiple Android storefronts
33. Microsoft Flight Simulator players are flying into Hurricane Laura: Virtual storm chasing
34. Sony begins invite-only, one-per-customer PS5 pre-orders: But platform holder still offers no indication of release date or price
35. Ratchet & Clank is the unlikely star of the PS5 line-up | Opinion: The 18 year-old series has become the poster child for what a new generation can do
36. New PlayStation exclusives and first-party studios key in Sony’s PlayStation strategy
37. Sony ponders potential PS to PC ports
38. PlayStation 5’s paltry back-compat stance seemingly confirmed by Ubisoft
39. Report: AT&T no longer looking to sell off Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
40. European market generated €21.6 billion in revenue in 2019: The best selling game of 2019 in Europe was FIFA 20, the ISFE reported
41. The finer points of Mario Kart 8 on the Switch, explained by a pro
42. Rocket League won’t require PS Plus or Nintendo Switch Online after free-to-play shift
43. Gamezop raises $4.3m in Series A financing: Funding round led by Bitkraft Ventures to be used toward Southeast Asian, Latin American expansion
44. Deep Silver parent company Koch Media opens two publishing offices in Asia
45. Koch Media opens publishing offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong: New subsidiaries will allow Koch to publish games in Japan, South Korea, China and Southeast Asia
46. Crayta’s cloud-driven dream to democratize game development: Unit 2 Games and Crayta’s Indie Fund developers discuss the platform’s inception and hopes for an accessible future
47. Craft, art, and science: Three ways of teaching game design – How can educational institutions best teach prospective designers in a way that prepares them for work in the industry?
48. New Dragon Age still on track to exist, no release date given
49. Incredible Ratchet & Clank gameplay demo reveals PS5’s SSD difference
50. When should we expect launch prices and dates for 2020’s new consoles?
51. UK Charts: Soft week for physical sales despite new releases – Madden and Project Cars fail to ignite boxed market as Animal Crossing reigns again
52. Biden campaign launches official Animal Crossing: New Horizons yard signs
53. Biden presidential campaign rolls out yard signs in Animal Crossing
54. Animal Crossing Continues To Be An Innovative Playground As Biden Campaign Begins Advertising On It
55. Sweden’s MAG Interactive acquires mobile trivia dev Sventertainment
56. Planet Zoo dev Frontier has a new publishing label: Frontier Foundry
57. CD Projekt Red climbs to record market cap on Witcher mobile AR game: Pokémon Go-style title drives 8% jump, leaves CDPR’s market cap €1b higher than Ubisoft
58. Huuuge Inc. preparing for an IPO: Polish free-to-play gaming company looking to go public on the Warsaw Stock Exchange
59. Eiyuden Chronicles Kickstarter raises more than $4.5m: Suikoden developers’ crowdfunding campaign for a new JRPG brings in site’s third highest video game total ever
60. Keywords acquires game marketing agency Maverick for $4.7 million
61. What hypercasual mobile game publishers look for in developers: Supersonic Studios’ Nadav Ashkenazy explains what it takes to get your hypercasual game published
62. Shaping a warm welcome for wholesome games: Matthew Taylor and James Tillman explain how the Wholesome Games Direct came about, and why curating games based on feeling was a success
63. Interactive storytelling platform Dorian raises $3.25 million in funding
64. Tencent and Ziff Davis partner to relaunch IGN China: Chinese games giant will operate media outlet, site will be editorially independent of Tencent Group
65. Leyou Technologies confirms ongoing acquisition talks with Tencent: If completed, Tencent will privatise parent of Warfare developer
66. CAA Signs Prominent Gamers Alpharad And The Completionist
67. StreamElements unveils recipients of Creator Diversity Fund: The $100,000 fund was divided between 20 Twitch content creators from underrepresented backgrounds
68. David Dobrik Launches Twitch Channel By Giving Away $1,000 For Every ‘Warzone’ Win
69. BitKraft Ventures raises $165m VC fund: The games- and esports-focused VC firm already has a portfolio of 50 companies
70. Dota 2’s The International 10 prize pool has hit a record-breaking $34,396,000 (and counting): The most lucrative esports tournament ever held
71. First Cycling Esports World Championships announced
72. Game devs and eSport teams — how to protect your brand assets with trade marks
73. Facebook Halts Sale of Rift & Quest in Germany Amid Regulatory Concerns
74. Oculus halts headset sales in Germany: Facebook says it’s a temporary move and will continue supporting existing owners in the country
75. Facebook renames its AR/VR studio collective to Facebook Reality Labs: Oculus Studios will retain its name, and Oculus branding remains
76. Crusader Kings 3 | Critical Consensus: Paradox Interactive updates its defining franchise, and the critics are hailing the result as a potential Game of the Year
77. Cyberpunk 2077 lands 5 awards including top honors at Gamescom 2020
78. Cyberpunk 2077 tops Best of Gamescom awards: CD Projekt Red cleans up with five wins for upcoming title, including Best of Show, Best PC Game, and Best RPG
79. Blog: The key features of stealth games 
80. Blog: Cloudpunk creator Marko Dieckmann talks cyberpunk, voxel art, and indie development
81. Blog: The hidden art of pacing – Part 1
82. Blog: Why knowing how to focus and not to scope creep is an essential skill
83. Blog: Democratizing PySpark for mobile game publishing
84. Blog: Finding retention influencers in Destiny
85. Video: Robin Hunicke’s Q&A about working together, apart, in dynamic times
86. Video: An inside look at the making of Hardspace: Shipbreaker
87. Video: How procedural environmental destruction works in Control
88. Video: Making the designer-writer collaboration work in game dev
89. Video: Crafting the crafting system in Astroneer
90. Don’t Miss: The nuts and bolts of Fable III
91. Fall Guys costume auction raises $1 million for UK charity Special Effect
92. Fall Guys bidding contest raises $1 million for SpecialEffect: Aim Lab, G2 Esports, Mr Beast, and Ninja won the Fall Guys bidding contest and will get in-game skins
93. U.S. Patent no. 9,597,601: Method for displaying chat window applied to network game

Jon

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Trump, Big Telecom Continue Quest To Ban States From Protecting Broadband Consumers
2. Chip and phone supply chain shaken as Huawei faces mortal threat
3. Verizon Forced To Back Off Charging Extra For 5G
4. Want Verizon or AT&T 5G? You’ll have to buy an expensive unlimited plan
5. FCC beats cities in court, helping carriers avoid $2 billion in local 5G fees
6. Court Largely Rules in Favor of FCC in Small Wireless Facility Orders Disputes
7. FCC asks for more public input on whether to let Charter impose data caps
8. Charter can charge online video sites for network connections, court rules
9. Charter Spectrum Tells FCC Broadband Caps Are ‘Popular’ As It Tries To Kill Merger Conditions Preventing Them
10. AT&T Fires Hundreds Of DC, HBO Execs In Latest Example Of ‘Merger Synergies’
11. Sharp Elbows and Profit-Maximizing Licensing Ruled Insufficient Evidence of Anticompetitive Conduct in FTC v. Qualcomm, Inc.
12. Ninth Circuit Reverses FTC Win in FTC v. Qualcomm, Finding No Antitrust Violations from Qualcomm’s Licensing of its Standard-Essential Patents
13. NAB Announces that a Majority in Congress Have Signed on to the Local Radio Freedom Act – A Look at the Broadcast Performance Royalty Debate

DIGITAL

1. It’s Not Too Late to Save the Internet
2. Google Warns Australians That The Government’s Plan To Tax Google To Give Money To Newspapers Will Harm Search & YouTube
3. Court Says First Amendment Protects Ex-Wife’s Right To Publicly Discuss Her Ex-Husband On Her Personal Blog
4. Facebook says it will crack down on QAnon conspiracy theory but stops short of full ban
5. Anti-vaccine group sues Facebook, claims fact-checking is “censorship”
6. Oh Snap! Employee Lawfully Terminated For Profanity-Laced Facebook Post
7. Facebook Messenger starts taking over Instagram Direct messages
8. What if Facebook goes down? Ethical and legal considerations for the demise of big tech
9. Not A Good Look: Facebook’s Public Policy Director In India Files A Criminal Complaint Against A Journalist For A Social Media Post
10. Muting Misinformation: What’s the role of social media companies?
11. Why Chicago’s Mayor should reconsider social media monitoring
12. Antitrust and Platform Monopoly (Herbert Hovenkamp)
13. Big Tech Funds a Think Tank Pushing for Fewer Rules. For Big Tech
14. Tweeters Were Criminally Charged For The Crime Of Trying To Identify A Police Officer… Who The Police Revealed In The Charging Docs
15. Report: 2015 Twitter breach targeted Saudi dissidents, led to arrests
16. Devin Nunes Is Still Suing A Satirical Cow & A Political Consultant, But Judge Rejects Attempt To Bring Twitter Back
17. Gambling advertisements – how to get approval from Facebook to run gambling ads
18. The Globar War: the EU’s Apple Tax Case
19. Apple’s value soars to a record $2 trillion
20. Apple bundles CBS and Showtime with Apple TV+, announces new Music radio stations
21. TikTok Integrates With Music Distributor UnitedMasters, Will Let Artists Boost Their Songs From Its App To Spotify, Apple Music, More
22. President Trump Orders Chinese Company ByteDance to Divest Its Holdings in TikTok (formerly Musical.ly)
23. So Now We Needed Another Ridiculous Executive Order About TikTok That Goes Beyond The President’s Authority?
24. Oracle enters race to buy TikTok’s US operations
25. Microsoft takes one more step toward the death of Internet Explorer
26. WarnerMedia Looking To Sell Anime Service Crunchyroll For Reported $1.5 Billion
27. Indiana Cities File Doomed Lawsuit Against Disney, Netflix, Demand 5% of Gross Revenues
28. Disney+ will show a Lego Star Wars Holiday Special on Wookiee Life Day
29. Apple’s Prime equivalent “Apple One” will launch in October
30. People Spend 25% Of Their TV Time Streaming Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ (Report)
31. Cities sue Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, claim they owe cable “franchise fees”
32. Netflix Rolls Out Content Shuffle Feature, Wants Viewers To Feel More Like They’re Watching Traditional TV
33. YouTube Comes Out Swinging Against Proposed Australian Law Requiring It To Pay News Publishers
34. Lilly Singh Lands Primetime Comedy Show At NBC, Bringing Her YouTube Sketches To Primetime
35. Studio71 Signs Supermodel — And Burgeoning YouTube Personality — Naomi Campbell
36. Google/Fitbit deal runs into competition issues
37. Google Defeats Account Termination Case on Section 230 Grounds (Mostly)–Enhanced Athlete v. YouTube (Eric Goldman)
38. It Doesn’t Make Sense To Treat Ads The Same As User Generated Content
39. Confused Critic Of Section 230 Now In Charge Of NTIA
40. If Oracle Buys TikTok, Would It Suddenly Change Its Tune On Section 230?
41. Why Keep Section 230? Because People Need To Be Able To Complain About The Police
42. Content Moderation Case Study: Amazon’s Attempt To Remove ‘Sock Puppet’ Reviews Results In The Deletion Of Legitimate Reviews (November 2012)
43. Google Responds To Hong Kong’s New National Security Law By Rejecting Its Government’s Requests For Data
44. Gmail’s big merger with Google Chat and Meet starts rolling out today
45. Google Maps gets “more detailed, colorful map”
46. Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 8/17/2020
47. Top 50 Most Viewed US YouTube Channels • Week Of 8/17/2020
48. YouTube Will Let Creators Prevent Channel Editors From Seeing Revenue Data
49. Amid YouTube Channel Exodus, Bon Appétit Taps Marcus Samuelsson As Advisor, Guest Editor
50. Quibi Tries To Spur Second (Or First?) Wave Of Hype On Social Video
51. Jake Paul Signs With New Management — Shots Studios CEO John Shahidi
52. Retailers use influencer marketing while commercial photo shoots are shut down 
53. Social Media Influencers and FTC Lawsuits
54. Influencer Law and Contract Disputes
55. Fanjoy Teams With Apparel Giant ‘Mad Engine’ To Bring Influencer Merch To Physical Retailers
56. Snapchat Will Let Users Share Original Shows Off-Platform, Is Rebranding Its ‘For You’ Feed (Report)
57. Spotify Is Hiring A Head Of Audiobooks, Signaling Its Ambitions In The Space
58. Is Bitcoin money?
59. Bitcoin Is “Money” for Purposes of D.C. Money Transmission Law, Says Federal Court
60. Texas State Securities Board halts cryptocurrency debit card investment scheme
61. How the Custom Ringtone Industry Paved the Way for the App Store – and Then Vanished: Why I miss Crazy Frog
62. COVID-19 Mobile Phone Apps Fail the Most Vulnerable (Susan Erikson)
63. Europe Proves Contact-Tracing Apps Aren’t a Coronavirus Cure-All .
64. Bit by (Twitch) Bit: “Platform Capture” and the Evolution of Digital Platforms
65. When Technology Meets Ideology: Frame Analysis of Ideological Discourses on the Nature of the Internet in American Magazines of Opinion (1995-2019)
66. The Golden Age of computer user groups

A.I.

1. UK ditches exam results generated by biased algorithm after student protests: Protesters chanted ‘Fuck the algorithm’ outside the country’s Department for Education
2. England’s Exam Fiasco Shows How Not To Apply Algorithms To Complex Problems With Massive Social Impact
3. Court rules AI breaks equality laws
4. Algorithmic Colonization of Africa
5. The Whiteness of AI
6. Data, AI and Society – What is ‘Race in Algorithmic Discrimination on the Basis of Race?
7. AI in Life Sciences
8. From Pool to Profile: Social Consequences of Algorithmic Prediction in Insurance
9. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence releases Second Quarterly Report
10. NSC on Artificial Intelligence releases Second Quarterly Report Includes recommendations to update export controls, screen foreign investment, accelerate research, and establish a National Reserve Digital Corps
11. UK ICO issues new guidance on AI and data protection
12. Designing or buying in AI? 5 things to minimise GDPR risk
13. Evaluating Patentability of AI Inventions
14. US Patent Office Sued For Requiring Human Inventor on Patent Applications
15. Could robots replace humans in mediation?

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. Judge Denies Copyright Troll Malibu Media’s Request For A Default Judgment
2. Media Co. Ordered To Stop ‘Cartoon Classics’ DMCA Notices
3. Don’t use my music! Neil Young sues Donald Trump for copyright infringement
4. More Rockin’ In The Free World
5. S.D. Florida Refuses To Toss Artist’s Claims Over Alleged Knock-off Art Installation
6. Copyright in photographs – not such monkey business
7. Copyright Reforms to Better Support the Digital Environment
8. Should Massachusetts extend its right-to-repair law to connected cars?
9. EUIPO joins WIPO DAS for EU registered design applications
10. False Claim of Exclusive Distributorship results in Injunction and Forced Recall of Grey Market Goods
11. Boston University Applies For Trademark On Offensive COVID-19 Awareness Slogan For Some Reason
12. UK High Court rejects Land Rover’s appeal for registration of Defender shape marks
13. Costco Gets Trademark Judgement Overturned, Defeating Tiffany And Co.
14. Second Circuit Overturns Tiffany’s $21M Judgment Against Costco in Trademark Battle
15. Three Keyword Advertising Decisions in a Week, and the Trademark Owners Lost Them All (Eric Goldman)
16. An apple is an apple, a pear is a pear. Don’t Compear!
17. Yes, You CAN Trademark Cannabis Products and Services in Maryland
18. Are Valentino’s Rockstud® Shoes as Distinctive as the Red Soles?
19. If You Coexist, You Need Not Desist (Part One): TTAB Grants Laches Defense After 4 Years Coexistence
20. Atomic Café Trademark Litigation Against LeanBox and Cold Brew Does Not Trigger Travelers Indemnity’s Duty to Defend or Indemnify, Judge Green Rules
21. 3D trade marks: it’s all in the gömböc
22. Supreme Court Lets Booking.com Reserve Its Brand: Generic.com Terms Can Now Be Registered as Trademarks
23. Generic Trademarks in a Digital World
24. General Court refuses registration of ‘XOXO’ mark in relation to fashion goods
25. The conception of a drinks brand – innovation and IP
26. Jurisdictional Toss Gives Sommeliers Reason to Whine
27. Tips for Defendants Litigating Software Disputes at the Intersection of Trade Secret, Copyright and Patent Law
28. Self-Driving to Federal Prison: The Trade Secret Theft Saga of Anthony Levandowski Continues
29. Protecting Trade Secrets: Lessons Learned From the Levandowski Case
30. Not so Pretty: Cosmetic Company Acquisitions Lead to Contentious Trade Secret Spat
31. Keeping up With the Kardashian-[Jenner]’s Trade Secret Battle
32. Appeals court ruling for Qualcomm “a victory of theory over facts”
33. It Was Nice While It Lasted: 9th Circuit Rejects Lower Court Ruling On How Abuse Of Patent Monopolies Can Violate Antitrust
34. New Federal Court Decision Provides for Greater Protection of Combination Drugs Under CETA
35. Glass Half Empty: Patent Reciting “Half Liquid” Is Indefinite
36. “Method of Preparation” Claims Still Patent Eligible Under § 101 in Modified Opinion
37. Explain Yourself: “Untethered” Obviousness Determination Reversed
38. Court Upholds Patent Eligibility of “Method of Preparation” Claims in Modified Opinion
39. Lack of inventive step: reading v appreciating
40. Patent Quality, Ranking and Valuation
41. Limiting the Use of Applicant Admitted Prior Art
42. Federal Circuit Directs Transfer Of Patent Suit From Western District Of Texas To Northern District Of California
43. Casting a New Light on Diagnostic Patents: “Methods of Preparation” Patent-Eligible
44. Fighting Counterfeits at the U.S. Border: The Counterfeit Goods Seizure Act of 2019 Would Expand Customs and Border Patrol Enforcement to Design Patents
45. Key Considerations and Tools for IP Protection of Computer Programs in Europe and Beyond
46. The Expanding Scope of Patentability of Computer related Inventions: A Welcome Development

PRIVACY

1. Cops in Miami, NYC arrest protesters from facial recognition matches
2. Secret Service buys location data that would otherwise need a warrant
3. Bill 64: Mirroring the GDPR?
4. Bill 64 and The Exportation of Personal Data From Quebec: Complications In Sight
5. Ontario Government Launches Consultation to Enhance Privacy Protections
6. Hopping on the Bandwagon: The Council of the European Union Imposes its First Sanctions for Cyber-attacks
7. Judge Forbids Facebook Users Being Sued By A Cop From Publishing The Cop’s Name On Social Media
8. CBP Privacy Impact Assessment Says It Can Pull All Sorts Of Data And Communications From Peoples’ Devices At The Border
9. Capital One to Pay $80 Million Fine for 2019 Data Security Hack
10. Booze and cruise providers are the latest to be hit by ransomware scourge
11. WM Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants – Supreme Court rules on vicarious liability for unlawful disclosure of personal data by rogue employee
12. Clearview Hires Prominent First Amendment Lawyer To Argue For Its Right To Sell Scraped Data To Cops
13. ICE Signs $274,000 Contract With Clearview
14. DC Police Union Sues To Block The Release Of Names Of Officers Involved In Shootings
15. Search Company Slammed by FTC for Fake Salacious Reports
16. Disney/Viacom/Kiloo Settlements Creating a Future Trend Exceeding Federal Privacy Rights Under COPPA
17. LinkedIn Seeks Supreme Court Review of Data Harvesting Dispute
18. The California Consumer Privacy Act Regulations Are Finally Here, But Wait There’s More…
19. CCPA Regulations Take Effect, Six Weeks After CCPA Enforcement Begins
20. California Approves Final CCPA Regulations
21. The CCPA Regulations Are Final – Summary of OAL’s Changes
22. Finally, the CCPA Regulations Are Finalized…For Now
23. CCPA Final Regulations, with a Few Unexpected Changes
24. NSA and FBI warn that new Linux malware threatens national security
25. Hackers can eavesdrop on mobile calls with $7,000 worth of equipment
26. An Alexa bug could have exposed your voice history to hackers
27. Schrems II: Reflections on the Decision and Next Steps (Daniel Solove)
28. Schrems II: 7 practical steps on what to do next
29. Impact of Invalidation of US-EU Privacy Shield on Share-Based Incentive Programs
30. Is it legal to record video meetings?

CREATIVITY   

1.  B.C.’s new vaping regulations may breach Charter rights: Canadian Constitution Foundation
2. Did Vape Maker Smear Competitor With Nonexistent Lawsuit?
3. China’s National-Security Law Reaches Into Harvard, Princeton Classrooms: Professors at elite U.S. universities turn to code names, warning labels to protect students
4. Spooky action at a distance: The future magic of remote collaboration
5. AMC Theaters: Risk Death And Disability To Watch Movie Reruns For 15 Cents!
6. Legendary Berlin nightclub to open for all as art gallery
7. “These are not my grades”: could downgraded A-Level results be defamatory?
8. “Moralistic Preening” and Broken Commitments Under the Washington Principles—Ninth Circuit Chastises Spain for Keeping Nazi-looted Pissarro but Rules Painting Will not Return to Cassirer Family
9. Ricky Byrdsong And The Cost Of Speech

GAMES

1. FTC Issues Staff Perspective on Video Game Loot Boxes
2. FTC Staff Issue Perspective Paper on Video Game Loot Boxes Workshop
3. FTC Video Game Loot Box Workshop (Staff Perspective)
4. ‘Fortnite’ Battles Big Tech: Why Epic Games Is Suing Apple, Google Over Their App Store ‘Monopolies’
5. Epic Games v. Apple Inc. (Complaint for Injunctive Relief, August 13, 2020, United States District Court Northern District of California)
6. Epic’s Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite video is an irresponsible piece of corporate propaganda | Opinion: Fortnite’s operator is demonstrating it’s fully prepared to weaponize its young audience of millions for its own monetary gain
7. Insights: The Teachable Moments In The TikTok/’Fortnite’ Teenpocalypse 
8. Epic Games sues Apple to end what Epic calls ‘unfair and anti-competitive actions’
9. Fortnite takes on Apple’s App Store in Epic antitrust battle royale
10. The Fortnite App Store Battle: A Real Antitrust Conundrum, Or Just A Carefully Planned Out Contract Negotiation?
11. Epic files suit against Apple after Fortnite pulled from iOS App Store
12. Apple to revoke Epic’s dev tools, including those used for Unreal Engine 
13. Apple terminating Epic developer accounts, tools access: Epic files motion in US courts for a temporary restraining order in response 
14. Apple threatens to boot Epic and Unreal Engine off Mac and iOS 
15. Epic asks court to block Apple’s ‘retaliation’ as Fortnite, Unreal Engine face consequences 
16. Epic offers discount to Fortnite players on mobile, but only if they dodge platform fees
17. Apple, Google pull Fortnite from App Store over Epic’s new in-app payment option 
18. Fortnite removed from App Store after it dodges Apple’s rule on direct payments: Epic Games has filed a legal complaint against Apple, taking the fight over the 30% cut to US courts 
19. Sensor Tower: Apple’s removal of Fortnite cuts off $1.2b in player spending – Data firm’s estimates show huge disparity in monthly spending between iOS and Android versions of Epic’s game 
20. Epic Games Deploys Viral #FreeFortnite Campaign As It Sues Apple, Google For Removing Game From App Stores
21. Epic, Creator of Fortnite, sues Apple and Google Over App Store Altercation 
22. Florida landmark Coral Castle suing Epic Games: Company behind the tourist attraction demands damages and removal of in-game castle 
23. Apple eyes rolling Apple Arcade into bundles with other Apple-exclusive services 
24. Fortnite has also been kicked off of Google Play: And, as with Apple, Epic Games is now also suing Google for anti-competitive practices 
25. Epic Games is now also suing Google over ‘anti-competitive’ Android policies
26. Epic’s battle for “open platforms” ignores consoles’ massive closed market
27. In 2018, women came forward about misconduct at Rocksteady – and were ignored
28. Rocksteady releases employee letter defending it from accusations: Multiple women who co-signed 2018 letter about sexism at Arkham Knight studio say recent report of management’s response misrepresented the situation
29. Ex-Rocksteady writer asks for name to be left off Suicide Squad credits: Senior scriptwriter says she wrote the original 2018 letter alerting management to sexual harassment problems and was pushed out for it 
30. IGDA issues statement on human rights violations in Belarus: County’s recent disputed election spurred protests, with protesters reporting being arrested, beaten, and tortured
31. Gree is suing Supercell for patent infringement in Clash Royale and Brawl Stars 
32. Infernal Technology and Terminal Reality Sue Ubisoft, Epic Games, Take-Two, Sony, Crytek, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts for Patent Infringement
33. Valve forbids developers to promote other platforms on Steam: Valve clarified that the new language on the FAQ was just a “reminder of existing rules for developers exploring the boundaries of the existing policies”
34. Game refunds & the hidden costs of ‘getting to net’ on Steam 
35. Former Assassin’s Creed Valhalla creative director fired after misconduct investigation 
36. Ubisoft’s Ashraf Ismail fired following misconduct investigation: The creative director had stepped down from his role on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in June
37. New allegations show the cycle of abuse and misconduct runs deep at Ubisoft 
38. Creative Europe wasn’t aware of Alexis Kennedy accusations when it gave The Weather Factory money: Industry hits back at the EACEA’s decision to award the studio a €150,000 grant
39. Games dominated UK entertainment sales during initial months of lockdown: Entertainment Retailers’ Association reports 21 of the top 40 best-selling projects were games
40. UK Charts: EA Sports UFC 4 battles to No.1 – Animal Crossing New Horizons down to No.2
41. Ghost of Tsushima was the best-selling game in the US in July – NPD: However, rankings this month do not include Take-Two digital sales data
42. Take-Two Interactive acquires mobile studio Playdots for $192 million
43. Game companies have claimed £444m in UK tax relief since 2014: 1,375 games have claimed VGTR over the last six years, with UK expenditure reaching £3.7 billion 
44. State of Games: What happens to the industry when the pandemic is over? –  Newzoo’s Candice Mudrick explores the impact of COVID-19 on cloud gaming and other platforms, and forecasts what comes next
45. COVID-19 drives first-half mobile app spending to $50b – App Annie: Mobile analytics firm says pandemic “has changed consumer behavior on mobile forever” 
46. A Total War Saga: Troy was downloaded 7.5m times in 24 hours: Epic Games Store giveaway brought a huge number of players “new and old” into Creative Assembly’s new game
47. Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios is going fully remote 
48. Tera publisher En Masse is shutting down after over a decade 
49. Stacking the deck against the new console launches | Opinion: Halo Infinite’s delay is a watershed moment — between economic recession and development disruption, the climate is looking tougher than ever 
50. Only Control Ultimate Edition owners will receive its free next-gen upgrade: Those who purchased the regular edition of Control on consoles will not automatically get the game on PS5 or Xbox One X
51. Menus on Xbox Series X will look a lot like those on Xbox One
52. Microsoft has unveiled the new look of the Xbox Series X dashboard
53. Microsoft: We’re Not Trying To Sell More Consoles Than Sony And The PS5, We’re Doing Something Else
54. Forza Horizon 3 reaches the end of its life: Players will still be able to play the racer after September 27
55. Wildlife raises $120m, valuation now reaches $3bn: The mobile games company has raised $250 million to date
56. Bandai Namco: How long can we sustain working with independent studios? – Hervé Hoerdt on the impact of acquisitions on finding AAA partners, and the challenge of finding new IP for the coming console transition 
57. How EA turned The Sims into a reality TV show: During GamesIndustry.biz digital conference Changing Channels, EA talked about how to evolve a brand into a concept for another medium 
58. EA unifies EA Access and Origin Access branding as EA Play
59. EA Access and Origin Access Basic become EA Play: EA’s annual summer event, EA Play, will now be called EA Play Live 
60. EA Play, formerly EA Access, launches on Steam on August 31: Subscription service includes franchises such as The Sims, Battlefield, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and others
61. Electronic Arts’ EA Play subscription service arrives on Steam this month
62. PUBG Corp invests $10 million into 1Up Ventures to support indies
63. PUBG Corporation invests $10m in venture capital firm: Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds developer “looking to foster the next generation of video game developers around the world” 
64. THQ parent company Embracer has purchased Metro dev 4A Games and others
65. RektGlobal has acquired Fearless Media: Acquisition puts digital advertising agency in company with Greenlit Content, Rogue, and Fullcube 
66. Sega will “aggressively” focus on PC ports after Steam strength during lockdown: Strong sales of Persona 4 Golden port will lead to more Sega catalogue titles on PC
67. Embracer Group acquires multiple studios, including 4A Games: THQ Nordic parent company also acquires New World Interactive, Pow Wow Entertainment, and Deca Live Operations
68. Paradox posts record Q2 revenue and profits: “We leave an operational as well as financially successful quarter behind us,” says CEO
69. Amplifier Game Invest buys three studios, extends investment in another: Acquisitions include Palindrome Interactive, Rare Earth Games, and Vermila Studios
70. Lazlow Jones left Rockstar Games to work on Disney and Netflix shows: Former GTA writer and in-game radio DJ also consulting with an unknown games company 
71. Licensing lessons from Hello Neighbor’s success: During GamesIndustry.biz’s Changing Channels, Alex Nichiporchik gave pieces of advice and words of warning for developers tempted by a licensing adventure 
72. Bossa Studios shifts to hybrid remote/office model: Surgeon Simulator developer allows people to work at home permanently, but office remains open to benefit mental health
73. Lumikai is the first VC fund to focus on India’s growing games industry: New fund will make up to 20 early-stage deals worth between $200,000 and $2m each
74. Netmarble’s global portfolio maintains growth in Q2: Korean mobile developer saw 75% of its revenue come from overseas
75. Steady beat of new mobile titles brings Q2 growth for NetEase: World of Warcraft in China also saw record concurrent users during the first half of the year
76. Foreign developers can only hope to reach China with mobile games | Opinion: The last crop of officially approved games tells us a lot about the Chinese market, says Apptutti’s Daniel Camilo
77. Odyssey Interactive raises $6m to make impactful games for a new generation: Co-founders Richard Henkel and Dax Andrus share their vision for a small, Supercell-like team born from their work at Riot on Teamfight Tactics
78. Ex-Riot devs launch multiplayer game studio Odyssey Interactive in Canada
79. Jagex Partners signs Shadow Warrior developer in first publishing deal: Runescape publisher will release new sci-fi action game from Polish studio Flying Wild Hog in 2021
80. Hitman 2’s multiplayer assassination race Ghost Mode is going dark after two years
81. Tencent picks up minority stake in hyper casual game publisher Voodoo
82. Tencent profits soar amid COVID-19 pandemic: Second quarter results testify to the “diligence of our teams and resilience of our business model” says Tencent CEO
83. Epic and Unity rev their engines for the next era of entertainment
84. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 leads fired 
85. Paradox & Hardsuit Labs fire two creative leads on Bloodlines 2 
86. Shroud’s Homecoming Twitch Stream Brings 3 Million Live Viewers
87. 14-Year-Old ‘Fortnite’ Pro FaZe Ewok Returns To Twitch
88. Safeguarding children in the virtual world of esports – lessons to be learnt from the real world
89. Oculus plans to replace Oculus Accounts with Facebook Accounts 
90. New Oculus Users Required to Use Facebook Account Starting in October, Existing Users by 2023
91. The Facebookening of Oculus VR becomes more pronounced starting in October [Updated]
92. Grounded: A big experimental adventure made by Obsidian’s tiniest team – Adam Brennecke talks about his 16 years at the studio, and how a history of RPG development led to a backyard survival game
93. Investment platform pays record $140,000 for sealed Super Mario Bros.
94. War Stories: Diablo’s loot lottery was almost a turn-based affair
95. Blog: Analysing the level design in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
96. Blog: Mortal Kombat’s John Tobias on the creation and evolution of a franchise
97. Blog: Game composers and the importance of themes – Part 3 
98. Blog: Designing for accessibility in Fake Illusions 
99. Blog: Simple performance capture for indie developers 
100. Blog: The creative dynamics between games and players
101. Blog: Player segments based on gaming motivations
102. Video: Quad mesh simplification in the Frostbite engine
103. Video: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair speedrun with dev Chris Sutherland
104. Video: Republic Commando speedrun with dev commentary from Harley Baldwin
105. Postmortem: A look back at the 5-year development of Eastshade
106. You can now play an ultra-rare Quake arcade cabinet at home 
107. Obituary: ZeniMax board member Robert Trump 
108. U.S. Patent no. 9,526,995: Video game recording and playback with visual display of game controller manipulation

Jon

COMMUNICATIONS

1. NTIA Asks FCC to Broaden Internet Platforms’ Liability for Third-Party Content and Moderation Efforts
2. FCC Seeks Comment on Section 230 Petition
3. Ajit Pai calls for “vigorous debate” on Trump’s social media crackdown
4. The FCC Knows Trump’s Social Media Order Is A Joke, But Fecklessly Pretends Otherwise
5. FCC Adopts New Safe Harbor Rules for Blocking Robocalls
6. FCC Rules Peer-to-Peer Text Messaging Platform Does Not Violate the TCPA
7. Trump pulls re-nomination of FCC Republican who stood up for First Amendment
8. Trump Revokes FCC Commissioner O’Reilly’s Renomination
9. Days After FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly Suggests Trump’s Section 230 Exec Order Is Unconstitutional… His Renomination To The FCC Is Withdrawn
10. SpaceX now plans for 5 million Starlink customers in US, up from 1 million
11. Space X’s Starlink Won’t Be The Broadband Disruption Play Many People Think
12. Dish Buys Ting Mobile To Disrupt Wireless, But Questions Remain
13. How cell phones and Facebook are changing remote Nunatsiavut
14. Comcast lost 477,000 cable-TV customers in Q2 amid 12% drop in revenue
15. AT&T Loses Another 1 Million TV Customers As Cord Cutting (And Greed) Take A Toll
16. Huawei somehow becomes the #1 phone manufacturer, thanks to the coronavirus
17. What’s New in 5G – August 2020
18. Updated 5G National Security Report Issued by European Commission

DIGITAL

1. Trump Admin Will Order ByteDance To Sell TikTok; Microsoft In Talks To Acquire
2. Trump administration gives TikTok 45 days to sell to Microsoft or leave US [Updated]
3. In Aboutface, Trump Has Reportedly Given Microsoft And TikTok 45 Days To Finalize Acquisition
4. Microsoft Aims To Close TikTok Deal Within 3 Weeks, Could Pay $30 Billion
5. From The Stupid To The Bizarre: Trump Demands That His Government Should Take A ‘Substantial’ Cut Of TikTok’s Purchase Fee
6. The challenges Microsoft faces in buying TikTok’s US arm
7. Five Egyptian Women Sentenced To Two Years In Prison Each For TikTok Dance Videos
8. Triller—The Music Video App Major Sway House Members Just Joined—Sues TikTok For Patent Infringement
9. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Strikes Back At Facebook For Maligning Attacks “Disguised As Patriotism”
10. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Says Nascent U.S. ‘Creator Fund’ Will Balloon To $1 Billion In 3 Years
11. The TikTok Clusterf—: Trump To Order A Block, Microsoft Wants To Buy, And Competition Is Still There
12. As TikTok’s Aquisition Clock Is Ticking, Instagram Officially Rolls Out Copycat ‘Reels’
13. Clash, A New TikTok Competitor From Viner Brendon McNerney, Is Made With Creator Monetization In Mind (Exclusive)
14. Snapchat Inks Music Deals, Pilots TikTok-Like Feature Letting Users Add Songs To Their Snaps
15. With TikTok’s Future In The Balance, Addison Rae Launches Her Own Makeup Company, ‘Item Beauty’
16. TikTok’s Hype House Signs On Dotted Line For Reality Series As Part Of Larger Pact With Wheelhouse Group
17. TikTok and the Evolution of Digital Blackface
18. Jake Paul’s Calabasas Home Raided By FBI Amid Ongoing Investigation, Though Search Warrant Is Sealed
19. Turkey Passes New Internet Censorship Law, Cites Germany’s Awful ‘Hate Speech’ Law As Its Inspiration
20. “This is a very dangerous situation”: Big Tech’s day on the Hill
21. House Judiciary Spends 5.5 Hours Making Themselves Look Foolish, Without Asking Many Actual Tough Questions Of Tech CEOs
22. Disinformation Campaigns Are Murky Blends Of Truth, Lies And Sincere Beliefs: Lessons From The Pandemic
23. Hackers broke into real news sites to plant fake stories
24. Twitter About To Be Hit With A ~$250 Million Fine For Using Your Two Factor Authentication Phone Numbers/Emails For Marketing
25. Twitter hackers used “phone spear phishing” in mass account takeover
26. DOJ And Florida Officials Announce Arrests Relating To Twitter Hack
27. Florida teen charged as “mastermind” in Twitter hack hitting Biden, Bezos, and others
28. Twitter’s Potential Subscription Features Include Undo Send, Auto Response, Custom Emojis, No Ads
29. EU launching deep probe into Google’s planned $2.1 billion Fitbit buy
30. Google suffers first revenue decline as ads hit by pandemic
31. Google invests $450 million in ADT, gets exclusive hardware deal
32. Google Play Music Will Finally Shutter In Favor Of YouTube Music This December
33. Google Music shutdown starts this month, music deleted in December
34. Ex-Googler Levandowski gets 18 months in prison for trade-secret theft
35. Facebook Must Better Police Online Hate, State Attorneys General Say
36. Plaintiff Can’t Use Trump’s Anti-Section 230 EO to Sue Facebook–Gomez v. Zuckenberg (Eric Goldman)
37. Section 230 Doesn’t Protect Repeating Rumors–La Liberte v. Reid (Eric Goldman)
38. Josh Hawley Introduces His Latest Attack On Section 230
39. New Hampshire Supreme Court Issues Very Weird Ruling Regarding Section 230
40. Comments on the Internet Association’s Empirical Study of Section 230 Cases (Eric Goldman)
41. While Our Country Is Engulfed By Urgent Must-Solve Problems, Congress Is Working Hard to Burn Down Section 230 (Eric Goldman)
42. Data Center Avoids Copyright Liability By Forwarding DMCA Notices to Its Customer–ALS Scan v. Steadfast (Eric Goldman)
43. Russian Stream-Rip Sites Attempt To Take Jurisdiction Issue All The Way To SCOTUS
44. Content Moderation Case Studies: Misleading Information From Official Sources (2020)
45. Content Moderation Case Study: Facebook Nudity Filter Blocks Historical Content And News Reports About The Error (June 2020)
46. In wake of Apple acquisition, Dark Sky ends Android support
47. Telegram files EU antitrust complaint against Apple’s App Store
48. Apple’s claim that “we treat every developer the same” tested by US Congress: House Antitrust Subcommittee releases emails showing half revenue share being offered to Amazon for Prime Video app
49. ProtonMail founder: Apple uses monopoly to “hold all of us hostage”
50. If 30% is too high, what’s the right number? | Opinion: As authorities investigate Apple’s share of App Store revenues, there’s broad agreement that 30% is too high — but there’s little consensus on an alternative number
51. Emails detail Amazon’s plan to crush a startup rival with price cuts
52. Amazon investing $10 billion to compete against SpaceX in satellite broadband
53. Big Tech’s Backlash Is Just Starting: The congressional antitrust hearing showed that concerns about the tech stars aren’t going away.
54. Insights: AMC-Universal Deal Resets Movie Business For Streaming Future
55. It Only Took A Massive Pandemic For Hollywood To Ease Off Stupid, Dated Movie Release Windows
56. ‘Mulan’ Is Coming To Disney+—But Subscribers Must Pay $29.99 To Watch It
57. Mulan skips US theaters, will debut on Disney+ Sept. 4—for an extra $30
58. YouTube Ad Revs Dipped To $3.8 Billion In Q2, But We’re Seeing “Further Improvement” In July, CFO Says
59. YouTube To Shutter Community Captions Feature, Citing Issues With Spam, Abuse, Little Usage
60. As Bon Appétit YouTube Channel Remains Dormant, ‘Test Kitchen’ Host Sohla El-Waylly Collabs On Binging With Babish
61. Moonbug Raises $120 Million, Acquires Children’s YouTube Titans Cocomelon And Blippi
62. Facebook Will Now Host Official Music Videos, Challenging YouTube’s Dominance In The Category
63. Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 8/3/2020
64. Top 50 Most Viewed US YouTube Channels • Week Of 8/3/2020
65. Macy’s Vastly Democratizes ‘Style Crew’ Influencer Program, Which Was Formerly Only Open To Employees
66. Comic-Con@Home A Much Different Event On Social Video
67. Livestream shopping: making platform partnerships a success
68. Louisiana Serves Up New Virtual Currency Business Law Cajun Style

A.I.

1. What’s this? A bipartisan plan for AI and national security
2. Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm
3. AI in Focus: BlueDot and the Response to COVID-19
4. The State of AI: Patenting Trends and European Prosecution Strategy
5. Current IP Laws Outdone by Artificial Intelligence
6. “Seeing is believing” no longer rings true: The deceptive powers of artificial intelligence and fake journalists
7. Exploring the AI of Command & Conquer

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. A Quarter-Billion Dollar Bag of Beans: Responding to Ken Whyte’s Attack on Library Book Loans (Michael Geist)
2. Internet Archive Responds To Publishers Lawsuit: Libraries Lend Books, That’s What We Do
3. “Salacious” Content Doesn’t Bar Discovery in Copyright Infringement Suit
4. IAP Defeats Vicarious Copyright Infringement Claim–UMG v. Bright House (Eric Goldman)
5. Taylor Swift Changes Artwork For New Album, Merch After Online Retailer Complains Of Similarities
6. The EU’s Digital Copyright Directive – Where now for the UK?
7. Privacy rights trump artists’ Intellectual Property Rights: a brief insight into CJEU and IPR enforcement
8. Smith v. The Weeknd: Court dismisses copyright claim finding no substantial similarity under extrinsic test as only three shared notes remain after considering prior art, and three notes are not protectable as matter of law.
9. Alfred v. The Walt Disney Company: Ninth Circuit finds Disney “pirated” plaintiffs’ screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean finding similarities to be more than de minimis and sufficient to survive motion to dismiss.
10. The Day the Music Died at Political Rallies
11. Baby Shark sharpens its teeth against Chinese counterfeiters
12. I See Me, I Sue You: Jordan Jumps at Card Cameos
13. Incorrect notifications issued by IPONZ/WIPO
14. The relationship between reputation and similarity of marks, China Construction Bank Corp. v. EUIPO
15. Two Breweries Fight Over The Right To Use A Geographic Name Due To Trademark
16. Co-branding: One product, two trademarks – who has the rights?
17. Trademark Trolls – A Danger to Avoid with a Re-brand
18. Law Firm Southtown Moxie Responds Hilariously To Stupid Cease And Desist Letter
19. E-commerce operators not liable for trade mark infringement for mere storage of infringing goods
20. The Next Instalment in the Sky v SkyKick Saga: Lessons for Trade Mark Owners
21. Disassembled products and trademark infringement: a cautionary tale for manufacturers and re-sellers alike
22. 5 Key Takeaways from Texas Appraisal Trade Secret Saga
23. IP monitor: Federal Court of Appeal: Of course the Federal Courts can interpret agreements!
24. Out with the New, In with the Old: The F.C.A. provides Clarity on its Ability to interpret Contracts
25. Appeals Court Upholds Replacement Part Design Patents
26. A Diagnostic Patent Is Found Patent Eligible At the Federal Circuit
27. Improvements to Operation of an Apparatus Were Not Abstract
28. Genetically modified mice and the patent bargain
29. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Litigation Update: Tobii Technology, Inc. v. Weinblatt
30. Strategic Patent Claims Drafting
31. Who is leading the WiFi 6 patent race?
32. The role of IP and challenges for the IP system

PRIVACY

1. Why I Installed the COVID Alert App (Michael Geist)
2. Google CEO Sundar Pichai Talks YouTube Data Privacy At Antitrust Hearing
3. Zoombomber crashes court hearing on Twitter hack with Pornhub video
4. The Latest Targets Of DHS Surveillance Are Journalists Who Published Leaked Documents
5. DHS Obtained Protesters’ Encrypted Messages, Used Them To Craft ‘Intelligence’ Reports
6. FBI Used Information From An Online Forum Hacking To Track Down One Of The Hackers Behind The Massive Twitter Attack
7. Insecure satellite Internet is threatening ship and plane safety
8. IBM completes successful field trials on Fully Homomorphic Encryption
9. Five steps to compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act: At GDC Summer, Will Bucher outlines how companies already complying with GDPR can ensure CCPA compliance too
10. Beware of find-my-phone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, NSA tells mobile users
11. Seismic Shift in Privacy Risks and Obligations
12. Australian Tech Giant Says Country’s Anti-Encryption Laws Are Harming Local Tech Companies
13. Twitter faces FTC probe, likely fine over use of phone numbers for ads
14. Time to Double-Check Your Corporate Practices. Twitter’s Use of Personal Information Gathered for Security (e.g. Two-Factor ID) For Targeted Advertisements Could Cost Them $150-250 Million.
15. Schrems II and EU-U.S. Personal Information Transfers: Where Are We, and What’s Next?
16. Schrems II Update: German SAs Require Additional Safeguards for U.S. Transfers and Max Schrems Set to Challenge Facebook Data Transfers Again
17. Virginia Unveils App To Aid Contact Tracing
18. Harvard to Track Affiliates’ Wi-Fi Signals as Part of Contact Tracing Pilot
19. The Case for Banning Law Enforcement From Using Facial Recognition Technology (Evan Selinger, Woodrow Hartzog)

CREATIVITY   

1. Portland Journalists Ask For Sanctions As Federal Agents Continue To Assault Reporters And Legal Observers
2. Federal Court Can’t See Any First Amendment Implications In Local Ordinance Blocking The Photography Of Children
3. Dark day for Hollywood – law prohibiting online publication of actors’ ages is struck down
4. Tennessee Court Strikes Down Law Criminalizing Calling Political Candidates ‘Literally Hitler’
5. Postcard helps researcher find exact place depicted in Van Gogh’s final masterpiece
6. When Teaser Ads Are Just Too Sexy
7. Do “Kit Kat White” Candy Bars Contain White Chocolate?
8. Burger King’s Impossible Whopper Delivers, Says Court-Turned-Copywriter
9. Four lessons for media companies after major defamation payout
10. Advertising Self-Regulatory Codes Around the World Generally Prohibit Discrimination, According to New ICAS Report
11. Outrage as Picasso murals stripped from Oslo building
12. What Connects Hollywood and Thomas Edison?

GAMES

1. Bot M8 LLC Asserts Sony’s PlayStation 4 “Uncharted” Game Infringes Its Patent, but Court Finds Bot M8’s Patent Invalid
2. Little Consolation for Hyperkin as Atari Litigation Games Continue
3. Congress defeats bill to block US military from recruiting via Twitch: US Navy and Army have stated they will continue to stream on popular games site
4. Ubisoft exec Tommy Francois departs after misconduct allegations
5. Tommy François has left Ubisoft: Exec was placed on disciplinary leave pending an investigation into harassment and abuse at the publisher
6. Ubisoft exec Tommy Francois didn’t ‘leave’ the company, he was fired
7. Why you should rethink how your company handles in-house harassment
8. New AbleGamers program aims to educate devs & foster a more inclusive industry
9. Legible font (still) one of the biggest accessibility issues in games 
10. Epic Games Partners With Faculty Of Philosophy From Moscow State University 
11. Epic Games Store now offers mod support for some games
12. Epic Games Store adds modding support: MechWarrior 5 is the first title to beta test new feature 
13. Epic Games Store adds support for community-made mods: The first game to support the feature is ‘MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries.’
14. Celebrating tech’s unsung women pioneers, Romero calls for game dev gender parity 
15. Conflict minerals: Which gaming companies may have funded human rights abuses in 2019? – Apple once more the most diligent, most other companies make minimal improvement, and Valve is silent for second year running
16. Games and Online Harassment Hotline launches to “encourage help-seeking behaviours”: New service offers free and confidential emotional support for anyone suffering or perpetrating abuse in the games industry
17. A different kind of “gamer” hotline: Free, anonymous emotional support 
18. Blizzard employees share salary details amid unrest over pay disparity: More than half of its employees were unhappy with wages in 2019, according to a report from Bloomberg 
19. Call of Duty: Warzone drives second quarter growth for Activision-Blizzard – Company is still seeing engagement and spending increases due to COVID-19 lockdowns
20. Call of Duty franchise helps Activision Blizzard to record Q2 results 
21. Should streamers be worried about DMCA strikes on Twitch?: A rash of copyright claims from music labels points to difficult times ahead for video game streamers
22. 15,000 games removed from iOS App Store in China: Analysts at Niko Partners expect thousands more to be pulled by the end of the year
23. What’s wrong with HR and how can it be fixed?
24. PS4 gamepads won’t work for PS5 games, Sony says
25. PlayStation 4 controllers work on PlayStation 5, but only for supported PS4 games
26. Sony DualShock 4 controllers will not work with PS5 games: They will be compatible with the PS5, but only for supported PS4 games
27. PlayStation software and services drive strong Q1 for Sony: Influence of lockdown keenly felt as PS4 software sales almost doubled and PS Plus reached 45m subscribers
28. Cloud gaming comes to Xbox Game Pass on September 15: Over 100 games will be available at launch including Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4
29. Microsoft stealthily drops Xbox from Game Pass branding: Official social media accounts claim to be “trying out a new look” as Xbox name disappears from subscription service logo
30. Microsoft’s full-year gaming revenues nearly flat for fiscal 2020: Minecraft, subscriptions, and COVID-19 saw content and services up, but hardware was down
31. Sega’s strong Q1 games performance erased by impact of COVID-19: Revenue from resorts, arcades and pachinko machines all plummeted as pandemic led to closure of public spaces 
32. Take-Two boasts new Q1 record as revenue jumps 54% year-over-year
33. Take-Two CEO: “It’s a matter of time before the business is entirely digital” – Strauss Zelnick offers thoughts on digital distribution as Q1 financials show hefty digital share
34. Take-Two: Next-gen software price hikes “reflect the quality of the experience” – CEO Strauss Zelnick says he does not expect the industry to coordinate its software prices, however
35. Take-Two’s next-gen $70 price tag will be decided on a game-by-game basis
36. Take-Two says its $70 game pricing will be on a “title by title basis” 
37. Star Citizen dev offers roadmap for development of new development roadmap 
38. New partnership will give 2K access to over 2000 NFL player likenesses 
39. 2K Inks Deal To Feature NFL Player Names, Numbers, And Likenesses 
40. 2K signs deal to use real NFL player likenesses in games: Multiple football titles are in development, planned to launch starting in 2021 
41. FIFA Ultimate Team revenue “off the charts” during lockdown: EA’s key franchises boomed during lockdown, and CEO Andrew Wilson doesn’t expect staff to “ever go back exactly to the way things were”
42. Engagement hits unexpected highs at EA as Q1 live services revenue crosses $1.1bn 
43. EA reports strong June quarter with revenue up 21% to $1.46 billion 
44. EA Sports picks up AC Milan and Inter Milan licenses: Milan clubs did not renew licenses with Konami; AS Roma parts ways with EA
45. The Sims 4 passes 30 million lifetime players, doubles Q1 net bookings
46. Steam launches, new releases, and The Sims propel EA’s first quarter earnings: The Sims 4 has now reached over 30m users on all platforms since launch
47. How that game sold on Steam, using the ‘NB number’
48. Steam launch helps push Detroit: Become Human past 5 million lifetime sales 
49. Detroit: Become Human has sold over 5m copies – Milestone achieved following launch of the game on Steam
50. Valve attempts to block regional pricing VPN exploit on Steam: New settings aim to deter users from using virtual private networks to take advantage of cheaper prices in other markets
51. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is a free-to-play mode 
52. Microsoft confirms “free-to-play multiplayer” for Halo Infinite 
53. Halo Infinite multiplayer will be free-to-play: Microsoft confirms that Halo’s most popular mode won’t even require Game Pass to play
54. Flight Simulator hands-on: Microsoft looks different 20,000 feet in the air
55. Horizon Zero Dawn on PC: Not the optimized port we were hoping for
56. Avengers video game beta impressions: Destiny, this ain’t
57. Animal Crossing is the most-discussed game on Twitter so far this year: In the first half of 2020, it beat out last year’s most-discussed game: Fate/Grand Order
58. The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima driving software sales at Sony
59. Destroy All Humans makes Top Three after 12-year absence | UK Charts: Ghost of Tsushima delivers third consecutive No.1
60. Mobile revenues grew $135m in Malaysia and Singapore in two years: Niko Partners reports shows rapid growth in gaming on smartphones, surpassing PC
61. Monster Hunter and Resident Evil driving growth at Capcom
62. Capcom sees Q1 profits up, driven entirely by its games business: COVID-19 lockdown impacts to arcades and amusement halls made gaming its only profitable segment
63. State of Games: COVID lockdown swung 2020 from “significantly lower” spending than 2019: B2Boost detailed the remarkable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer games spending in Europe
64. Zynga acquires hypercasual mobile company Rollic for $168m: Istanbul-based studio has developed titles such as Go Knots 3D and Flipper Dunk
65. Fall Guys attracts 1.5 million players within 24 hours of launch
66. Private Division signs publishing deals with Ori dev Moon Studios and others
67. ‘Detective Pikachu’ Director and Netflix Tackling ‘Beyond Good & Evil’ Adaptation
68. Netflix making Beyond Good & Evil movie: Feature film based on Ubisoft’s cult hit will reportedly be director by Detective Pikachu director Rob Letterman
69. Ubisoft wades deeper into the world of game streaming with new Parsec partnership
70. Ubisoft signs multi-year partnership with cloud gaming provider Parsec: Publisher used Parsec to allow over 1,000 journalists to remotely play Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion
71. Re-watch GamesIndustry.biz Live: State of Games right here
72. Ninja returns to Twitch following Mixer shutdown: Former channel restored, now up to 14.9 million followers
73. Ninja Returns To Twitch, Nets 98,000 Concurrent Viewers With ‘Fortnite’ Stream
74. Pandemic has accelerated a number of long-term gaming trends: Various market research firms and the head of the ESA discuss the shift to digital, esports, and the impact of an economic downturn on the next generation
75. Riot Games shutting down for a week: League of Legends developer pushing back patches and releases to aid staff’s work-life balance 
76. BiliBili secures exclusive rights to League of Legends esports in China: Deal with Riot Games will start this year and run until “at least” 2023
77. Riot Games ends controversial partnership with Saudi Arabia mega-city project Neom: Esports director admits “we moved too quickly” to cement sponsorship deal
78. UK retailer Game sells Belong esports network to U.S. startup Vindex 
79. Could your esports business benefit from the Government’s new Future Fund?
80. Five employment considerations for an expanding esports team
81. The Rise of Esports Betting
82. Esports gambling ads: guidance for gambling operators 
83. The International 10 ‘Dota 2’ Tournament Prize Pool Breaks $30 Million 
84. ‘League of Legends’ championship will start in Shanghai despite pandemic: It kicks off September 25th, although there will be safety precautions.
85. Fostering a positive community in VR: At Ludicious X, IGDA executive director Renee Gittins talked about keeping communities safe and fighting toxicity in VR 
86. The complete sales history of Curious Expedition: Maschinen-Mensch co-founder Riad Djemili on a five year journey — via China — to stability and success in indie development
87. Unsolved Mysteries of the Mortal Kombat Universe 
88. Defying game design rules to simulate dementia in Before I Forget: 3-Fold Games’ Chella Ramanan & Claire Morwood on the difficulty of developing a short game & the invaluable support from Humble & Gaming The Mind
89. How Disney makes RPG mechanics work in real life at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
90. King London art director on creating an aesthetic for a global audience
91. How System Era overcame creative paralysis to fix Astroneer’s crafting system
92. How Pokemon Go evolved in response to the COVID-19 pandemic 
93. Blog: Has your game got ‘juice’? (& more!)
94. Blog: Historians play Ghost of Tsushima
95. Blog: Tips for maximizing the performance of your Unity game – Part 2
96. Blog: Expression-bodied members to reduce your code verbosity
97. Video: How King’s attempt to implement Pixar’s brain trust model went wrong
98. Video: Creating Dr. Grordbort’s Invaders for Magic Leap One
99. Don’t Miss: The creative camaraderie behind Wilmot’s Warehouse
100. Don’t Miss: Making the tactics genre more accessible & less intimidating in Fae Tactics 
101. Don’t Miss: Breaking linear character progression with Outer Worlds’ flaw system
102. Don’t Miss: What went right (and wrong) during the development of Spider-Man (2002)
103. SuperData: Big publisher showcases did not suffer from absence of E3 – Twitch numbers were higher than E3 2019 showcases for major publishers, but PC Gaming Show’s audience was down compared to last year
104. I really want E3 back | Opinion: There are clear benefits to spreading out announcements during the summer, but there’s more to it than just better numbers 
105. The Outer Worlds wins GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game: Obsidian’s interplanetary adventure included an openly asexual companion character, Parvati
106. Gayming Magazine launching LGBTQ games awards next year: Awards will highlight authentic representation, industry diversity and more in February 2021
107. U.S. Patent no. 9,656,170: Game apparatus

Jon

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Ajit Pai urges states to cap prison phone rates after he helped kill FCC caps
2. FCC: Phone carriers that profit from robocalls could have all calls blocked
3. FCC approves call blocking safe harbors
4. FCC Adopts Safe Harbors to Encourage Phone Companies to Block Illegal Robocallers
5. AT&T claims a phone made in 2019 will stop working, urges users to upgrade
6. Verizon Has To Walk Back Bogus 5G Coverage Claims
7. Charter Spectrum’s Bullshit ‘Broadcast TV’ Fee Soars To $16.45 Per Month
8. Attorney General’s Office Achieves Victory on Maine Broadband Privacy Law
9. Interim Rule Implements Section 889 Ban on Contractors Using Technologies from Certain China-Based Companies
10. Rule Banning Chinese Telecommunications Equipment is Released
11. August Is Coming: Interim Rule Banning Federal Contractor Use of Certain Chinese Technologies Takes Effect August 13th\
12. New Rule Expands U.S. Government Contracting Ban on Targeted Chinese Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Suppliers
13. UK to remove Huawei from UK 5G networks by 2027, bans Huawei from supplying new 5G equipment
14. What’s New in 5G – July 2020
15. If Thumbs Are Required, It’s Not an Autodialer
16. Study: Community Broadband Drives Competition, Lowering Costs
17. The Political Defence of the Commons: The Case of Community Networks (Félix Tréguer, Melanie Dulong de Rosnay)

DIGITAL

1. Twitter accounts of prominent figures hacked
2. Hackers obtained Twitter DMs for 36 high-profile account holders
3. The importance of the Twitter hack should not be missed (Andres Guadamuz)
4. Thieves Breach Twitter Security to Commandeer Famous Accounts
5. Who’s Behind Wednesday’s Epic Twitter Hack?
6. Holy Hell Were We Lucky That Twitter’s Big Breach Was Just A Bunch Of SIM Swapping Kids; Can We Please Encrypt DMs Now?
7. Twitter and the way of the hashtag
8. QAnon conspiracy kicked off Twitter as platform bans thousands of accounts
9. Court Can’t Compel Twitter to Shut Down Trump’s Account (Eric Goldman)
10. If Twitter Shuts Down Trump’s Account For Repeat Infringement Then Will Trump Fans Finally Realize That Copyright Is The Problem?
11. The Trump Administration Has Given The CIA Free Rein To Engage In A Cyberwar
12. Tech Policy In The Time Of Trump: Mid-2020 Edition
13. A Case Where The Courts Got Section 230 Right Because It Turns Out Section 230 Is Not Really All That Hard
14. Content Moderation Case Study: Can An Open Encyclopedia Handle Disinformation? (2005)
15. Facebook Cannot Separate Itself From the Hate It Spreads: The social network doesn’t just ‘hold a mirror up to society’— it does something much more powerful and concerning
16. Facebook overrides fact-checks when climate science is “opinion”
17. Facebook Bans Content Promoting Conversion Therapy
18. Copyright Trolling Evolved: Okularity Accused Of DMCAing Social Media Accounts, Then Demanding MILLIONS To Reinstate
19. Content Moderation Case Study: Dealing With Misinformation During A Pandemic (2020)
20. Russia-linked hackers accused of targeting COVID-19 vaccine developers
21. Emojis Keep Teen Out of Jail–State v. DRC (Eric Goldman)
22. Time to tackle market dominance of tech giants says CMA
23. The end of 30%? | Opinion: The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Apple — will this be the end of the App Store’s 30% revenue share?
24. Amazon Will Now Let You Create Your Own Streaming Service, Using Twitch Technology
25. Amazon.com: more transparency, less counterfeits
26. Can a Blawg Be Liable for Defamation? Not Likely (Whew!) 
27. Google Bans Advertising for Spying Products and Services 
28. Google Strengthens Clickbait Advertising Policy 
29. Google Prohibits Ads Promoting COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
30. Why some self-driving startups reject Google’s “moonshot” approach
31. Online platforms required to deal with business users fairly and transparently from 12 July 2020
32. How SVODs Are Leveraging Facebook And YouTube To Grow Their Audiences
33. Snap Sees Slowdown In User, Revenue Growth, Says Originals Now Reach 75% Of U.S. Gen Z Population
34. US investors try to buy TikTok from Chinese owner
35. Facebook To Launch TikTok Competitor ‘Reels’ Globally In August
36. TikTok Drops New Creator-Starring PSAs To Help Users Recognize Misinformation Online
37. TikTok Plans To Hire 10,000 U.S.-Based Staffers Over Next 3 Years, Company Says
38. Charli And Dixie D’Amelio Drive Hollister’s New ‘Jeans Lab’ Campaign To 2.5 Billion TikTok Views In 6 Days
39. Influencer Marketing Firm CreatorIQ Closes $24 Million Funding Round
40. Student-Athletes & NIL: The Next Rising Class of Social Media Influencers
41. Do old social media posts constitute advertising? And when is a question a claim?
42. Lilly Singh Unveiled As Co-Owner Of Pro Women’s Soccer Team Coming To Los Angeles
43. Judge Denies Netflix’s Request To Dismiss Discrimination Lawsuit From Comedian Mo’Nique
44. ‘Extraction,’ ‘Bird Box,’ ‘The Irishman’ Among Netflix’s Top 10 Most-Watched Original Film Debuts Ever
45. Netflix’s Q2 Report: 10 Million New Subscribers, Production Delays For 2021, And Content Head Ted Sarandos Is Now Co-CEO
46. Insights: Netflix Is Still Winning The Streaming Wars, But That Might Start Getting More Difficult Soon
47. HBO Max, Peacock Already Losing Major Launch Titles Like ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘The Matrix’ Trilogy (Report)
48. NBC’s Peacock Topped App Charts On Release, Besting The Debuts Of Quibi, HBO Max (Report)
49. Rapper Logic Signs Seven-Figure Streaming Deal With Twitch
50. Vox Media Lays Off 70 Employees, As Coronavirus Continues To Grind Away At Revenues
51. Petnet ‘Smart’ Feeder Customers Are Stuck In ‘Internet Of Broken Things’ Purgatory
52. Consumer IoT – European Commission initiates inquiry into the consumer Internet of Things sector
53. Woman Who Refused To Wear Mask At Starbucks Wants Half The $100k In Tip Money Barista Got From GoFundMe Campaign
54. Is It OK to Embed Instagram Photos? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
55. Instagram Opens Up New ‘Shop’ Tab For Users In The U.S.
56. We Shouldn’t Call Michelle Obama’s (And Joe Rogan’s) Proprietary Exclusive Audio From Spotify A ‘Podcast’ Any More
57. Spotify Rolls Out Native Video Podcast Capability To H3h3 Productions, Rooster Teeth, The Misfits Podcast, More
58. Podcast Advertising Remains Resilient In Face Of COVID, Will Surpass $812 Million This Year (Study)
59. FinCEN warns of virtual currency social media scam
60. DOJ Indicts Cyprus National Who Apparently Hacked Ripoff Report And Deleted Negative Reviews
61. Tech And COVID-19: MLB Rolls Out Remote Cheering Function In Its MLB App
62. Hands-on: The $300 Kano PC, a “build-it-yourself” Chromebook competitor
63. Socialism’s DIY Computer: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia, inspiring thousands of people to build versions in their own homes. The idea was simple – make technology available to everyone.
64. Mediated trust: A theoretical framework to address the trustworthiness of technological trust mediators (Balázs Bodó)
65. The Political Power of Platforms: How Current Attempts to Regulate Misinformation Amplify Opinion Power (Natali Helberger)
66. Seeing the forest for the trees: Visualizing platformization and its governance (José Van Dijck)
67. Governing smart mobility: policy instrumentation, technological utopianism, and the administrative quest for knowledge (Dalia Mukhtar-Landgren, Alexander Paulsson)
68. Re-assembling the surveillable refugee body in the era of data-craving (Martin Lemberg-Pedersen, Eman Haioty)
69. Commission launches sector inquiry into the Internet of Things for consumer related products and services
70. European Commission launches a Sector Inquiry into the Consumer Internet of Things

A.I.

1. European Artificial Intelligence Policy: Mapping the Institutional Landscape
2. Can Algorithms Tackle the ‘Infodemic’?
3. Science Fiction, Science Fact, And AI Consciousness with Beth Singler
4. Big data and modern slavery
5. Video: An overview of knowledge representation in game AI
6. Regulating human control over autonomous systems
7. Robots, Automation, and Employment: Where We Are (Lukas Wolters)
8. Resisting the Algorithmic Boss: Guessing, Gaming, Reframing and Contesting Rules in App-based Management (Joanna Bronowicka, Mirela Ivanova)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. “No one can own the law” – United States confirms copyright protection does not extend to works of legislators or judges
2. Forever(ly) Brothers, Forever(ly) Rivals: The Everly Brothers’ Epic Battle Over Authorship of “Cathy’s Clown”
3. Reproduction of infringing content online: who’s liable?
4. Yet Another ‘Stranger Things’ Copyright Suit Over A String Of Likely Non-Protectable Elements
5. Porn distribution company loses piracy suit appeal against Web host
6. Court Reconsiders and Changes Course in Instagram Embedding Case
7. Copyright Win Falls Apart at the Seams on Challenge to Registration Validity
8. Why Are Pizzerias Arguing Whether Web Browsing Is Copyright Infringement?–Imapizza v. At Pizza (Eric Goldman)
9. Court sanctions Liebowitz $103K! Requires service of a copy of the order on all of his clients and filing in all of his cases!! But can the Court do that?
10. Copyright Troll Richard Liebowitz Says It’s Really Unfair That He Should Have To Tell Clients And Courts How Frequently He’s Been Caught Lying In Court
11. Using Music in Podcasts – Talk to the Copyright Holders – Why You Can’t Rely on Your ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and SoundExchange Licenses
12. Amendments to Mexico’s Copyright Legislation, in a Nutshell
13. “I told you NO, you can’t have their number…” – CJEU confirms IP Enforcement Directive does not require disclosure of email addresses, telephone numbers or IP addresses
14. Trademark Licensing in Canada: Everything You Need to Know You Can Learn From The Hells Angels
15. That’s Not My Employment Law Group! A Trademark Battle Between Two Law Firms.
16. Lady Antebellum Changes Name to “Lady A” and Files Trademark Lawsuit
17. British Amateur Gymnastics Association v UK Gymnastics Ltd [2020] EWHC 1678 (IPEC)
18. XOXO mark fails to distinguish, says General Court
19. Trademark Law Alert – “LADY A” Case Could Present Interesting Issues…or Not
20. Brighton & Hove Albion FC seeks trade mark protection for ‘Albion’ – but why?
21. Booking.com Remand on USPTO Attorney Fee Issue Portends Closure on Circuit Split
22. Stone Brewing, One-Time Battlers Of ‘Big Beer’, Out Here Trying To Cancel Non-Confusing Trademarks
23. SCOTUS Alert: Adding “.com” To A Generic Term Can Be A Trademark
24. Supreme Court: ‘Generic.com’ Domains Not Necessarily Generic; May Be Federally Registered
25. Success for Louis Vuitton in pattern trademark dispute
26. Check Mate! Louis Vuitton defends its chequerboard pattern for the second time
27. The EU General Court provides clarification on trademarks consisting of slogans, advertising messages, idiomatic expressions
28. Loss of gravity for the Moon Boot
29. A breakthrough for the luxury trademark ‘Damier Azur’, but the battle is not yet won!
30. Nosecco Appeal of UKIPO Decision Dismissed
31. No-go for Nosecco following opposition by Prosecco
32. Nosecco, Prosecco and the clash between marketing ideas and IP rights
33. Still no perfect trademark for ‘perfect’ energy bar
34. The Michael Jordan Case and The New Balance Case: The Latest Trend in Chinese Trademark Battle
35. Don’t Get Schooled: What You Can Learn from the Wave of Trade Secret Cases That Followed the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis
36. In assessing design patent infringement, the devil is in the details
37. The Federal Court finds compelled disclosure and review of third-party rebates are ultra vires the Patent Act
38. Board Should Fix Obvious Claim Errors in Order to Make a Decision on the Merits
39. Necessity of Articulated Reasoning with Rational Underpinning in an Obviousness Rejection
40. Aerospace to garden hoses: differing opinions in the English Court of Appeal as to obviousness over obscure prior art
41. Functional Limitations vs. Intended Use
42. Publication Does Not Necessarily Defeat Joint Inventorship
43. Collaboration and Concerted Effort are What Result in Joint Inventorship
44. Federal Circuit Upholds Enbrel® Patents and Blocks Biosimilar
45. Who owns patents, SEPs and develops standards for smart home technologies?
46. Modern methods for improving conventional prior-art searches
47. Patentability of Diagnostic Inventions in the United States, Europe and Canada – Part 1
48. Patentability of Diagnostic Inventions in the United States, Europe and Canada – Part 2
49. Zombie Patents? USPTO Issuing Notices of Abandonment in U.S. National Stage PCT Applications After Filing of an RCE where no Inventor Oath or Declaration or Substitute Statement has been Filed
50. Mid-year review of 2020’s major patent cases from across the globe
51. Do you need to put in place an escrow agreement with respect to the software and/or source code that you license?
52. Ontario Government Unveils Intellectual Property Action Plan Along with COVID-19 Research Projects
53. Business Development Bank of Canada Commits $160-Million Fund Geared Towards Canada’s Intellectual Property Development
54. IP Litigation Quarterly Update
55. Q2 2020 Quick Links (Everything) (Eric Goldman)

PRIVACY

1. The impact of Schrems II on Canada: No more onward transfer on the basis of the EU-US Privacy Shield
2. US-EU Privacy Shield data sharing agreement struck down by court
3. As Expected, US Surveillance Of Social Media Leads To EU Court Of Justice Rejecting EU/US Privacy Shield
4. The European Court of Justice invalidates the EU-US Privacy Shield: Case-by-case assessment necessary when using EU standard contractual clauses
5. Adapting to the Death of Privacy Shield
6. Court of Justice of the European Union invalidates EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, while standard contractual clauses survive (for now)
7. Privacy Shield Is Dead! Long Live Standard Contractual Clauses! For Now…
8. Federal judge calls out CSIS for ‘cavalier institutional approach’ to rule of law: Judge calls for comprehensive review after failure to flag info likely obtained illegally
9. DOJ: Chinese hackers stole “hundreds of millions of dollars” of secrets
10. Latest VPN Security Scandals Show (Yet Again) That VPNs Aren’t A Panacea
11. Privacy and civil rights advocates urge federal government to ban facial recognition surveillance
12. CBP Updates Privacy Impact Assessment On License Plate Readers; Says Opting Out Involves Not Driving
13. Three LAPD Officers Facing Criminal Charges For Faking Gang Database Records
14. The Microsoft Police State: Mass Surveillance, Facial Recognition, And The Azure Cloud
15. Slack says Microsoft is up to its old tricks, “browser-war” style
16. Iranian state hackers caught with their pants down in intercepted videos
17. Website Accessibility Under the California Consumer Privacy Act
18. There’s a reason your inbox has more malicious spam—Emotet is back
19. CBP does end run around warrants, simply buys license plate-reader data
20. Injunction Defunction: The Second Circuit Extinguishes Injunctive Relief as a Remedy for Consumer False Advertising Claims
21. Recent Court Decision Carries Lessons for Retaining and Using Cybersecurity Consultants to Investigate a Breach
22. Can Companies Record Customer Service Calls Under U.S. Law?
23. The EU Commission publishes its first evaluation of the GDPR
24. Don’t Give Up on Your Digital Privacy Yet: A federal data privacy law is still important. Here’s why.

CREATIVITY   

1. In brief: prohibited and controlled advertising in Canada
2. The importance of the Johnny Depp libel trial
3. Banksy’s face-mask themed artwork removed from London Underground
4. Second Circuit Wrecks All Sorts Of First Amendment Protections To Keep Lawsuit Against Joy Reid Alive
5. Third Circuit Court Of Appeals: F Cheer, Indeed
6. California Federal Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss False Advertising Class Action Involving Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream
7. Court Deems Vanilla False Advertising Claims Too… Vanilla
8. New Florida Law Gives College Athletes Right to Profit from their Name, Image and Likeness
9. We harmed him—really we did: NHL hockey team argues unwanted texts it sent actually did injure people because…TCPAWORD
10. Advertising a Game of Chance? Contact a Sweepstakes Lawyer
11. How Artists Can Support Charitable Initiatives Through Art Sales
12. New York City Reopens for Film and Television Production

GAMES

1. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has two leads because Ubisoft execs believed women don’t sell: Both Syndicate and Origins also originally featured women leads more prominently
2. Ubisoft fires PR director over harassment allegations: Stone Chin denies allegation of sexual assault, claims it was not linked to Ubisoft’s decision to terminate his employment
3. French union preparing collective lawsuit against Ubisoft amid abuse allegations: Solidaires Informatique invites victims of sexism and abuse to join as it seeks to take publisher to court 
4. Ubisoft CEO: When informed of misconduct in the past, “we made tough decisions” – Yves Guillemot says certain individuals “betrayed trust,” while Frédérick Duguet defends representation in publisher’s games
5. Ubisoft has a five pronged plan to address the studio’s culture of misconduct
6. A record quarter at Ubisoft can’t distract from its troubled studio culture
7. Ubisoft is keeping its next-gen games priced at $60, for now
8. The writing team for Voltage’s Lovestruck is on strike over pay, working conditions
9. Lovestruck dev Voltage defends conduct following writers strike
10. Voltage Entertainment says striking writers group “is not a union”: Group of 21 Lovestruck writers wants better pay, but Voltage says freelance contracts preclude collective bargaining
11. Despite gov’t approval, Google rejects Attentat 1942 from Google Play Store in Germany
12. Google blocks anti-fascist game for containing references to Nazis: “Stores and platforms have to deal with hateful content, if reviewers took a closer look at Attentat 1942 for just a moment, they would find out we are not that”
13. German regulator won’t ban Coin Star after all
14. Deadly Premonition 2 dev claims transgender content “fixed”: A patch has altered a sequence criticised for treatment of a transgender character, but issues remain elsewhere in the game
15. Deaf accessibility in video games
16. Twitch Stops U.S. Army From Linking To Recruitment Page Under Guise Of Xbox Controller Giveaway 
17. Twitch orders end to US Army giveaway promotion on its channel: Alleged controller giveaway reportedly sent users to a recruitment page with no mention of a contest
18. ISFE, EGDF express concerns over CJEU ruling on EU to US data transfer: Both organizations call free data transfer “crucial” to the EU games industry 
19. Government responds to the DCMS Select Committee’s Report on Immersive and Addictive Technology
20. EA’s new $30 online-only game: An uphill slog in a free-to-play world
21. EA to update Madden NFL 21, making Washington a “generic team”: Following team’s decision, EA will also ditch name and logo until new ones are chosen 
22. Video game streaming 
23. GameStop will require face masks for customers; reportedly won’t enforce it: Employees say if customers refuse to wear masks, they are to complete transactions “quickly as possible” 
24. Wales Interactive quietly pulls announcement for FMV game about female streamer abuse: Publisher says Gamer Girl was designed to raise awareness of the toxicity women face online
25. Metacritic counters review bombs by eliminating launch-day user reviews
26. Metacritic now delays user reviews until more than 24 hours after games launch: Company says the decision was not influenced by backlash and review bombing against The Last Of Us Part II
27. How to design better communities: Kitfox Games’ Victoria Tran explained how the right ruleset can lead your community away from toxicity
28. Numinous Games announces The Playability Initiative for accessible gaming: New initiative to partner with AbleGamers, disabled communities for new, adaptive game
29. Cloud gaming “will take the biggest hit” from 5G delays caused by Huawei ban: But analysts tells GamesIndustry.biz mobile market “will thrive with or without 5G” 
30. GDC Survey: One third of game businesses suffering decline amid COVID-19 pandemic: Decline is offset by similar numbers seeing business improve, but 25% of developers have been hit financially
31. Developing Bake It under quarantine: Kwalee’s head of development Simon Platt on the processes and tools needed to make and ship a new product during lockdown
32. 63% of UK games businesses report no risk of closure during COVID-19 pandemic: Meanwhile, 80% do not expect to make redundancies and 56% are still recruiting despite difficulties
33. Ghost of Tsushima comfortably beats Paper Mario to No.1 | UK Charts: But Paper Mario The Origami King enjoys the biggest launch in the series to date
34. Please insert disc: Microsoft Flight Simulator will spread across ten DVDs
35. ‘We believe in generations:’ PlayStation argues cross-gen games risk stifling innovation
36. As the PS5 draws near, PlayStation promises there’s ‘still a ton of life in’ the PS4
37. Microsoft resets expectations ahead of Xbox Showcase: “No business, devices or similar news, just games,” says Xbox marketing head Aaron Greenberg
38. Microsoft is adding xCloud to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in September
39. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gets free xCloud game streaming in September
40. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get Project xCloud access from September: Platform holder announces cloud streaming will soon be added to subscription service in supported countries
41. Xbox backs off Game Pass on every platform goal: Phil Spencer says other consoles “aren’t really that interested in having a full Xbox experience on their hardware”
42. No Man’s Sky has added 1 million new players since Xbox Game Pass launch
43. Can Xbox One continue on as gaming’s “low-end” console option?
44. Microsoft ending production of Xbox One X and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition
45. Xbox One minus two: Microsoft kills console versions before Series X launch
46. Xbox One X and Xbox One S All-Digital discontinued ahead of Xbox Series X: Only the Xbox One S remains in production as Microsoft pulls the plug on its high-end and disc-less current-gen consoles
47. Microsoft halts sale of 12 month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions
48. Xbox Series X won’t support Kinect hardware, games
49. Xbox closes Q4 with gains in hardware revenue, record engagement
50. Microsoft’s gaming revenues jump in Q4 of FY20 due to ongoing lockdowns: After several flat or down quarters in a row, Xbox content and services revenue up 65%
51. Layoffs at Microsoft as it begins new fiscal year: Reports suggest less than 1,000 people affected, currently unclear whether this includes any at Xbox 
52. Cloud streaming: complement, not competition, to next-gen consoles: Microsoft’s decision to bundle xCloud as part of Games Pass Ultimate is the smartest decision anyone has made in cloud streaming so far 
53. Microsoft migrates ‘Minecraft’ from Amazon Web Services to its own Azure: Since 2014, developer Mojang had used AWS servers for Minecraft Realms.
54. Ubisoft’s holiday next-gen games will be the same price as current-gen: However, the publisher leaves the door open for a price hike next year
55. Ubisoft reports record bookings despite light Q1 release slate: Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Rainbow Six Siege performing well in pandemic; Ubisoft Forward had more concurrent viewers than any of publisher’s E3 briefings
56. Stadia’s ‘Click To Play’ – the future? 
57. Rocket League goes free-to-play: Game will launch on Epic Games Store; Steam version will no longer be available for new users
58. Rocket League’s free-to-play transition is a red card for its Steam listing
59. Rocket League will tone down its Steam presence following free-to-play shift
60. Crossfire dev Smilegate opens Barcelona studio to develop triple-A projects
61. Smilegate opens new Barcelona studio: Spanish office to be focused on AAA titles, beginning with an open-world console game
62. Paradox acquires Surviving the Aftermath developer Iceflake Studios
63. Paradox buys Iceflake Studios: Finnish company becomes the ninth developer in the Paradox family
64. TinyBuild nabs Hello Neighbor dev team, plans to invest $15M into the franchise
65. TinyBuild acquires Hello Neighbor developers: Team will now be called Eerie Guest Studios, indie publisher will invest more than $15 million into franchise
66. Nazara Technologies buys majority stake in Paper Boat Apps: Indian firm raises stake to 51%, values the educational game developer at around $20m
67. Nintendo isn’t throwing in the towel on mobile just yet: Annual report positions mobile business as a key target area in company’s long-term strategy
68. Mobile dev Carbonated raises $8.5 million in seed funding
69. Carbonated raises $8.5m in seed funding: Developer started by ex-EA, Zynga vets working on mobile real-time PVP game Madworld
70. Mobalytics closes $11.25m Series A round: Almaz Capital and Cabra VC lead investment in the startup’s “personal gaming assistant” and analytics platform
71. Nexon OC shuts down: Company says studio’s in-development projects didn’t fit with overall focus
72. Investment health check: Growing your studio from seed to Series A: In the first of two articles, Sheridans’ Tim Davies outlines four key steps to prepare your company for investor scrutiny
73. VGames raises over $30m for Israel and Eastern Europe-focused investment fund: Fund founded by Eitan Reisel to focus on early-stage game studios
74. Reaching Chinese gamers through internet cafés
75. Ring Fit Adventure sprints to the US top 10 in June thanks to stock increase – NPD: The Last of Us Part 2 debuts at No.1, sees second-highest launch month dollar sales for a Sony-published game ever
76. Roblox now has a social Party Space for online hangouts
77. Adopt Me: The most popular game you’ve never played – Josh Ling on the rapid rise of the biggest game on Roblox — millions in revenue, 50m monthly users, and a team set to reach 100 people by the end of 2020
78. How to guarantee your pitch will be rejected: Publishers and investors share advice on the common mistakes to avoid in your presentation when you’re pitching
79. Polish studio Far From Home launches with close-to-home support network: CEO Blumenfeld explains why the “AA+” development studio is using alternative stock exchange NewConnect to support big ambitions
80. Drive-in esports arenas planned for Horizon malls in the US: Four cities in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas to launch centers for both viewership and competition 
81. Former Faze Clan executives launch new esports organization Xset: Co-founder Greg Selkoe wants to recruit more women and people of color, have a “clear social mission”
82. A new skull has been added to Halo 3 after 13 years
83. Designing the real-time stealth and combat of Desperados III
84. Blog: Looking at the response to accessibility in The Last of Us Part II
85. Blog: Game composers and the importance of themes – Part 2
86. Blog: How modern roguelikes are becoming more accessible
87. Blog: Macro and micro narrative storytelling 
88. Video: Uses and abuses of analytics in games
89. Video: Using machine learning, live telemetry & computer vision to manage communities
90. Don’t Miss: Talking evocative games with thatgamecompany’s Jenova Chen
91. Don’t Miss: Frog Fractions 2 and the art of surprising players expecting to be surprised
92. The Asus ROG 3 is the ultimate Android gaming phone that nobody asked for 
93. Dreams wins Game of the Year at Games for Change Festival: Media Molecule and Thatgamecompany picked up two prizes each at the online event
94. Why Ian Livingstone is building a school: Industry veteran on the ethos behind Livingstone Academy and why “there’s no point teaching children like robots”
95. U.S. Patent no. 9,861,896: Method and system for an integrated platform wide party system within a multiplayer gaming environment

Jon

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Federal Court of Appeal Rules CASL Constitutionally Valid and Provides Interpretive Guidance
2. Federal Court of Appeal Rules on Constitutionality and Application of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation
3. Senators Challenge Trump’s Ongoing Pressure on Internet Platform Protections
4. House OKs $100B broadband plan with $50 monthly discounts for poor people
5. House Passes Massive Broadband Bill That Surprisingly Doesn’t Suck
6. City builds open-access broadband network with Google Fiber as its first ISP
7. FCC’s Assault On Low-Income Broadband Program Is Making The COVID-19 Crisis Worse
8. Charter Spectrum Lobbies FCC To Kill Time Warner Cable Merger Conditions
9. FCC Finalizes Designations of Huawei and ZTE
10. FCC Issues Important Autodialer Ruling
11. Supreme Court strikes down 2015 law allowing robocalls by debt collectors
12. A Dark Day for Free Speech: Supreme Court Upholds Statute Supposedly Preventing Robocalls-But at what Cost?
13. Supreme Court Decides Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants
14. In a Win Against Robocalls, the Supreme Court Severs TCPA Federal Debt Collection Exemption
15. Supreme Court Declines to Invalidate the TCPA Cell Phone Calling Restrictions
16. If You Thought the TCPA Was on Its Way Out, Think Again: The Supreme Court Expands Its Prohibitions Instead
17. Delicate Surgery: Supreme Court Upholds the TCPA but Strikes Down the Government Debt Exception as Unconstitutional in Barr v. AAPC
18. What lies ahead for regulation of the 5G ecosystem?
19. 5G was going to unite the world—instead it’s tearing us apart
20. Chinese 5G Plans Start At $10, Showing The ‘Race to 5G’ Isn’t Much Of One
21. New EU Rules for Platform Providers
22. The remote British village that built one of the UK’s fastest Internet networks
23. For All The Hype, Trump’s Favorite ‘News’ Channel (OAN) Faces Shrinking Footprint

DIGITAL

1. Does First Amendment let ISPs sell Web-browsing data? Judge is skeptical
2. Hong Kong’s National Security Law Allows Police To Censor The Internet, Compel Decryption
3. Trump administration “looking into” ban on TikTok, other Chinese apps
4. Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo Says U.S. Is “Certainly Looking At” A TikTok Ban
5. Pompeo Says US May Ban TikTok; It’s Not Clear That It Can
6. As India Bans TikTok, Instagram Has Begun Testing TikTok Clone ‘Reels’
7. Behind Bars, but Still Posting on TikTok
8. TikTok, Once an Oasis of Inoffensive Fun, Ventures Warily Into Politics
9. New ‘National Security’ Law Threatens Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters With Life In Prison
10. Hong Kong downloads of Signal surge as residents fear crackdown
11. Lawsuit & Bi-Partisan Group Of Senators Seek To Push Back On Trump Administration’s Attempt To Corrupt The Open Technology Fund
12. Harvard, MIT sue Trump admin to block deportation of online-only students
13. Lessons (re)learned from the new ECHR case Vladimir Kharitonov v. Russia on blocking access to a website and the freedom of expression
14. The Guardian view on Facebook and democracy: real and present danger – Political advertising is banned from being on television or radio. Unless Facebook changes, it may be time to extend this prohibition to social media
15. Facebook Follows Twitter In Recognizing A ‘More Speech’ Approach Is Best For Newsworthy Liars
16. Facebook Agrees to Prohibit Hate Speech in Ads in the Wake of #StopHateForProfit Campaign
17. Facebook Shutters TikTok Competitor ‘Lasso’, As Instagram’s Own Clone ‘Reels’ Expands To New Markets
18. Facebook Launches New Business Tool Feature To Support CCPA Compliance
19. A Review of the “Final” CCPA Regulations from the CA Attorney General (Eric Goldman)
20. Facebook removes false accounts linked to Brazil President Bolsonaro: Decision comes as Brazil’s president careens from crisis to crisis, with different investigations drawing close to him, his family and allies.
21. Amazon’s settlement with OFAC puts e-commerce companies on notice
22. The Loss Of Public Goods To Big Tech: What has not been questioned enough during the COVID-19 crisis is unrelenting capitalism itself.
23. Harper’s Gives Prestigious Platform To Famous Writers So They Can Whine About Being Silenced
24. Rather Than Attacking Section 230, Why Aren’t Trump Supporters Angry About The DMCA That’s Actually Causing Issues?
25. Why Does Richard Blumenthal Always Feel The Need To Lie About Section 230?
26. Want to Learn More About Section 230? A Guide to My Work (Eric Goldman)
27. “Shitty Media Men” List Operator Doesn’t Qualify for Section 230 (Yet)–Elliott v. Donegan (Eric Goldman)
28. US DoJ Report Recommends Curtailing Immunity of Online Platforms for User-Generated Content
29. Post No Evil: Content Moderation Decisions Are Always Trickier Than You Think
30. Right-Wing Media Outlets Duped by a Middle East Propaganda Campaign
31. Beware the dangers of complacent clicktivism (Andres Guadamuz)
32. Supreme Court of Canada Invalidates Uber Arbitration Clause in $400-Million Class Action
33. Uber v. Heller: Supreme Court applies the law of unconscionability to arbitration agreements and identifies a new role for the Court
34. California Appeals Court Relies on Nexus Theory to Reverse Dismissal of ADA Website Violation Complaint
35. IT pros indicted after arranging credit card payments for weed startup
36. ‘Hamilton’ Film Debut Drove 72.4% Spike In U.S. Disney+ App Downloads This Weekend
37. Amid Sputtering Launch, Here Are All Of The Originals That Quibi Has Renewed To Date
38. To Gmail, Most Black Lives Matter Emails Are“Promotions”
39. Unhappy Google Advertiser’s Lawsuit Completely Falls Apart–Dreamstime v. Google (Eric Goldman)
40. Google Has Developed Auto-Generated Comment-Replying Technology For YouTube Creators
41. YouTube Unveils New Analytics Hub For Musicians, Tracking Official And Fan-Uploaded Videos Alike
42. YouTube Test Note Indicates Platform Is Developing “Multi-Segment” Video Feature—AKA A TikTok Competitor
43. YouTube Might Let Creators See How Their Videos Perform Compared To Uploads On Similar Channels
44. YouTube Lowering Minimum Video Length For Mid-Roll Ads From 10 To 8 Minutes
45. YouTube Jacks Live TV Streaming Prices 30%, As Streaming Sector Starts To Resemble Good Old Cable
46. YouTube Calls On People To Film Their ‘Life In A Day’ July 25 For Sequel To 2010 Documentary
47. Top 50 Most Viewed US YouTube Channels • Week Of 7/06/2020
48. Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 7/06/2020
49. TINA Fires First Salvo at Virtual Influencers
50. Petnet charges new $30 annual fee for a service that still doesn’t work
51. TikTok Launches Self-Serve Ad Sales, Pledges $100 Million In Ad Credits For Small Businesses Affected By Pandemic
52. The case for a digital non-aligned movement: The world wide web is on a crash course that could lead to permanent fragmentation. Only coordinated international solidarity can stop it.
53. Internet Nondiscrimination Principles Revisited
54. Do Emails Create Legally Binding Contracts?
55. Is DocuSign the new Zoom? Do we trust e-signatures yet?
56. Online user reviews in the spotlight – Preliminary results of sector inquiry published in Germany
57. Amazon Prime Video will finally offer one of Netflix’s most basic features
58. The rise and fall of Adobe Flash
59. The 416 quadrillion reasons why Japan’s supercomputer is number 1

A.I.

1. How AI can empower communities and strengthen democracy
2. Detroit Police Chief Says Facial Recognition Software Involved In Bogus Arrest Is Wrong ’96 Percent Of The Time’
3. Boston The Latest City To Ban Facial Recognition Use By Government Agencies
4. Protecting inventions which use Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
5. When your AI starts to invent: Hot topics in patenting AI-generated inventions
6. Tru Luv secures investment for “emotionally conscious AI”: Startup founded by Brie Code to explore “an alternative to the gamification model of rising challenge, fear, shock, or FOMO”
7. FTC and NAD Actions Highlight Continued Scrutiny of Online Reviews
8. WIPO’s revised paper on IP policy and AI
9. Into the Whirlpool: How Predictive Data Put Brainwashing on the Spin Cycle (Rebecca Lemov)
10. Understanding the societal impacts of machine translation: a critical review of the literature on medical and legal use cases (Minako O’Hagan, Carol O’Sullivan)
11. Software-Sorted Exclusion of Asylum Seekers in Norway and Finland (Funda Ustek-Silda, Marja Alastalo)
12. Insights: VidCon, Comic-Con, Other Conferences Go Virtual, Try To Keep The Fun

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. Research Libraries Tell Publishers To Drop Their Awful Lawsuit Against The Internet Archive
2. Google v. Oracle and the Future of Software Development
3. The Case of Enola Holmes
4. Estate Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Alleges Copyright Infringement Over Sherlock’s Emotional Awakening
5. In Copyright Case Over Photos, the Second Circuit Brings Four Critical Issues into Focus
6. Court Reconsiders Decision About Website Getting License to Embedded Photo from Instagram Terms of Use
7. S.D.N.Y Reconsiders Instagram Embedding By Mashable
8. Sinclair v. Ziff Davis, LLC: Court grants photographer’s motion to reconsider dismissal of copyright case against news site that embedded link to plaintiff’s Instagram image
9. Instagram Rolls Out Ability To Pin Three Comments To The Top Of Any Thread
10. Law firm marketing alert: Blog image violated copyright, photojournalist’s complaint says
11. Copyright, Competition, and Controversy: Press Publishers’ Right under the Copyright Directive
12. News Company’s ‘Digital Audience Director’ Fails To Understand Embedding, Issues Bogus DMCA Takedown Notices
13. Can cloud storage-portals be asked to put in place a filtering mechanism to ferret out infringing materials?
14. Not so elementary
15. Pablo Escobar Estate Sues Atlanta Restaurant
16. Sci-Hub Downloads Boost Article Citations — And Help Academic Publishers
17. Copyright Office Issues Report on DMCA Safe Harbors: Section 512 is “Unbalanced”
18. A functional shape may be protected by copyright rules the CJEU
19. Functional shapes and copyright law
20. Copyright and Trade Marks in relation to Shapes: two European Perspectives
21. Supreme Court Decision in Booking.com: Generic Domain Names Can Be Protected as Trademarks
22. US Supreme Court Holds That Adding ‘.com’ to Generic Name May Create Protectable Trademark
23. Supreme Court Clears the Way for Generic.com Trademark Registrations
24. Consumer Perception Is Key To Registration Of Generic “.com” Marks
25. Supreme Court Rules that “Booking.com” Is Eligible for Trademark Protection
26. SCOTUS Holds That ‘Generic.com’ Trademarks Like Booking.com May Be Capable of Registration
27. Supreme Court Upholds Booking.com Trademark Registration
28. Supreme Court Rejects PTO “Generic Term” Rule
29. U.S. Supreme Court Allows Booking.com to Trademark Its Domain Name
30. SCOTUS Eliminates Bright Line Rule Against Generic Term and Top Level Domain Name Trademarks
31. Generic + Generic = Protectable Trademark
32. U.S. Supreme Court rejects categorical rule that generic term plus “.com” results in a generic composite
33. Should I File for My Trademark + ‘.COM?’ It Depends
34. Supreme Court Promotes Weaponization of Generic Domain Names–USPTO v. Booking.com (Eric Goldman)
35. Manchester United Alleges Trademark Infringement through Third-Party Mods to Football Manager
36. Trademark Battle Heats Up Over Fizzy Way To Cool Down
37. Black Lives Matter in trademarks and branding
38. More Disputes Over Trademarked Area Codes. Why Is This Allowed Again?
39. Pairing Unsuccessful: Bluetooth and Fiat Denied Summary Judgment in Suit over Unauthorized Use of BLUETOOTH Marks
40. The G.O.A.T. Trademark Registration Stands, and the Goats With It
41. easyJet opposes Easy Nurse at the UKIPO
42. The General Court looks at distinctiveness of the XOXO mark
43. CJEU annuls EUIPO’s trade mark invalidation of Louis Vuitton’s Damier Azur pattern
44. Hermès: How WWII shortages led to the creation of an iconic brand
45. Prosecco celebrates a non-alcoholic win
46. ‘Nosecco’ is a no-no, says the High Court
47. A clear NO to Nosecco! High Court of Justice rejects the appeal in a new chapter in the bubble war. The protected designation of origin “Prosecco” is an obstacle to the registration of the trademark “Nosecco”
48. Trademark Enforcement Tips and Traps: Navigating Canada’s Trademark System One Year After the Major Changes
49. The protection of wine geographical indications: legislative efforts since Pliny
50. Federal Court releases decision on validity of the Amending Regulations of the Patented Medicines Regulations
51. Granting Security Interest in Patents Did Not Deprive Patent Owner of Standing to Sue for Patent Infringement
52. UK Supreme Court upholds appeal by biotech firm Kymab to revoke antibody patents held by US giant Regeneron
53. Patenting the future? Kymab prevails in the battle of the mice
54. Regeneron Patents Revoked for Claim Breadth
55. G 3/19: plants produced by essentially biological processes are excluded from patentability
56. European Patent Office did not grant a patent on concept of linking customer data with a key instead of personally identifiable information to improve privacy protection.
57. Nanotechnology patents: challenge for industrial property and its regulations
58. Crystal clear? Patenting polymorphs in Europe
59. Federal Circuit: Digital Guitar Instruction Patent Directed to an Abstract Idea
60. Federal Circuit: Common Sense May Substitute For Elements Not In The Prior Art
61. Federal Circuit Emphasizes Role of Common Sense in Obviousness Analysis
62. Patents Claiming a Range of Values, Such as Gate Sizes for Semiconductor Chips, Must Enable One of Ordinary Skill to Make and Use the Entire Claimed Range
63. Double Patenting: A comparative guide between U.S. & Canadian practice
64. Global patent strategies in the world of tech & engineering
65. Intellectual Property in the Cloud: The Patent Troll Threat
66. PODCAST: Patent Troll Litigation is on the Upswing
67. The space IP race: protection and enforcement of your orbiting assets

PRIVACY

1. Court Shoots Down AT&T, Comcast Attempt To Crush Maine Privacy Law
2. COVID-19: Data protection lessons from Google’s contact-tracing API
3. Unbridled Surveillance Will Not Save Us From COVID-19
4. Police infiltrate encrypted phones, arrest hundreds in organized crime bust
5. NY partygoers get subpoenas after stonewalling COVID-19 contact tracers
6. Social Media Platform Fined 100,000 USD by Washington State AG for COPPA Violations
7. Toss Out the Milk, The Cookie Party is Over
8. What factors determine whether the use of an advertising cookie constitutes the sale of information?
9. Apple’s iOS 14 Transformative Privacy Announcements
10. GALA Releases First-Ever Global Guide to Privacy Laws Related to Advertising & Marketing
11. California Privacy Rights Act to appear on November 2020 ballot

CREATIVITY   

1. That Was Quick: Appellate Court Says Simon & Schuster Not Subject To Prior Restraint Order Over Mary Trump’s Book; But Fight’s Not Over Yet
2. Court of Appeal Affirms: No First Amendment Protection for Misleading Commercial Speech
3. That’s a relief (from sanctions) for Johnny Depp – libel trial can proceed despite failure to disclose texts
4. Why Music Matters In Our Professional Space During COVID-19
5. Live Nation Seeks Sweeping Changes to Artist Contracts for Music Festivals: What Does this Mean for Brand Sponsors?
6. Scrabble players move toward banning 200+ slurs from tournament play

GAMES

1. India bans 59 Chinese apps, including Clash of Kings: Moonton’s Mobile Legends also banned over security concerns
2. How mobile games crushed consoles
3. UK government urged to ‘immediately’ classify loot boxes as gambling
4. House of Lords calls for loot boxes to be immediately reclassified as gambling: Committee believes chance-based monetisation should be regulated without waiting for wider Gambling Act review
5. Ofcom: Less than 6% of UK children, 4% of adults have purchased loot boxes – Regulator’s report also shows game subscription services have yet to take off
6. Infinity Ward has removed the controversial ‘OK’ gesture from Modern Warfare
7. Infinity Ward pulls “OK” gesture from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Sign has become known as a white supremacist gesture; developer has yet to comment
8. Ubisoft exec Maxime Beland has resigned after harassment and assault allegations
9. Ubisoft’s Maxime Béland resigns amid abuse allegations: Tommy François placed on disciplinary leave, one unnamed Toronto employee dismissed
10. ‘Change starts today’ says Ubisoft CEO, after years of allegations arise
11. Ubisoft to restructure its editorial team in wake of abuse allegations: Publisher also bringing in third-parties, new roles for internal culture examination and reformation
12. EVO co-founder/CEO Joey Cuellar removed after sexual abuse allegations
13. Evo CEO dismissed, event cancelled amid accusations of misconduct and abuse: Capcom, NetherRealm and influencers pulled support before cancellation
14. Nintendo condemns abuse as allegations spread across Smash Bros. community: Platform holder is “deeply disturbed” as more than 50 players accused of a variety of sexual offences
15. We need a movement to tackle systemic abuse, not a moment | Opinion: For years people within the industry have listened, but they refused to hear
16. Naughty Dog condemns abusive fan response to The Last of Us 2: Creative director Neil Druckman and voice actor Laura Bailey receive death threats and abuse over game’s narrative decisions
17. FaZe Clan, Twitch, Facebook Gaming Hook Up With Gamers.Vote For Monthlong Voter Registration Campaign
18. Former Bungie boss says deal with Activision “not a marriage made in heaven at all”: “We knew it was a risk right from the get go, and it turned out to be exactly as bad as we thought it to be,” says Marty O’Donnell
19. PES loses licenses for AC Milan and Inter Milan: Unrenewed agreements will not affect eFootball PES 2020 or myClub, but likely to affect PES 2021 and other future games
20. 2K breaks gaming’s de facto $60 ceiling, asks $70 for next-gen NBA 2K21
21. Take-Two Interactive’s NBA 2K21 will cost $10 more on next-gen consoles
22. NBA 2K21 price is $10 more expensive on Xbox Series X and PS5: First next-gen game details suggest higher game pricing for new machines
23. IDG: Other publishers are considering raising game prices for PS5 and Xbox Series X – Cost of development has increased between 200% and 300% while game prices have remained flat
24. Microsoft reportedly against publishers from charging for Xbox Series X upgrades: Platform holder said to be encouraging alternative models for those who don’t want to engage with its Smart Delivery scheme
25. Report: Xbox ‘encouraging’ publishers to keep cross-gen game upgrades free
26. Report: Microsoft eyeing purchase of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
27. PlayStation suspends Facebook advertising: The platform holder joins Coca-Cola, Honda, Unilever, Ford, Starbucks and Microsoft
28. Sony considering a bid for Digital Extremes owner Leyou
29. PlayStation Unveils Indie Games Initiative
30. The Last of Us Part 2 holds firm as Iron Man VR debuts at No.2 UK Charts: 3DS games continue to flood the chart
31. PlayStation unseats Nintendo in June with The Last of Us Part 2 l UK Charts: Console hardware sales begin to show signs of slowing down
32. Furukawa: Mobile is still ‘contributing to the sustainable growth’ of Nintendo
33. Since launching four years ago today, Pokémon Go has grossed $3.6bn: Despite global lockdown, Niantic’s location-based mobile game is on track for another record year
34. Analyst: Pokemon Go revenue still on the rise despite global pandemic
35. How to patch out implicit bias from your hiring process: Speaking at Ludicious X, Celia Hodent suggests avoiding discrimination when recruiting is much like improving a video game
36. Crush Crushing stereotypes with adult games about everyday people: Nutaku and Sad Panda Studios talk about the stigmas still facing adult and dating games, and the importance of visible women creators
37. COVID-19 and pivot towards game development lead to layoffs at Kongregate
38. Kongregate no longer accepting new titles, undergoing layoffs: Company apologies for employees finding out about layoffs through direct deposit notifications
39. Overcoming the “ugly necessity” of scaling back inactive teams: Matchmaking platform SupplyDrop aims to connect studios that have too many developers with those that have too few
40. Zynga closes acquisition of Peak for $1.8 billion: Mobile giant takes on Istanbul studio along with Toon Blast, Toy Blast 
41. 11 Bit Studios commits $21m to production of seven games: Four of the new products are through its publishing label, while three are first-party titles
42. Google makes its Maps Platform gaming solution available for all mobile developers 
43. Amazon and Google are in games for the wrong reasons | Opinion: Amazon’s Crucible won’t be the last embarrassment if tech companies don’t stop viewing games as a means to drive cloud service revenue
44. Paradox Interactive acquires Playrion Game Studio to help with mobile push
45. Paradox acquires Playrion: Mobile-focused developer behind Airlines Manager becomes publisher’s eighth internal studio
46. Animoca Brands raises $4.1 million ahead of proposed initial public offering 
47. Zynga acquires Toon Blast developer Peak for $1.85 billion
48. Discord raises $100 million and plans to move beyond gaming
49. With $5.7 million, One More Game comes out of the shadows 
50. Voicemod raises $8 million for silly or serious voice filters in games
51. Core is paying devs per DAU in a bid to kickstart the creation platform’s economy 
52. Manticore Games launches $1m creator fund for proprietary game dev platform: Core creator economy kickstarted after four months in Alpha
53. Why the discussion around difficulty is outdated and archaic: At Ludicious X, ArenaNet’s Jennifer Scheurle offered a roadmap for moving beyond the tired language and debates around difficulty in video games 
54. Westworld creators take aim at Fallout in upcoming Amazon Studios series 
55. Amazon Studios developing new Fallout TV series: Westworld co-creators to produce the project with Kilter Films 
56. ‘Fallout’ TV Series From ‘Westworld’ Creators in the Works at Amazon: Based on the video game, the drama is currently in development but has a series commitment penalty attached.
57. EA partners with TBS for four-episode The Sims reality show: The Sims Spark’d will see 12 community personalities compete in creative in-game design challenges 
58. My Friend Pedro to get a TV adaptation: Legendary Television to develop game into an R-rated dramedy
59. The Netflix of gaming? Why subscription video-game services face an uphill battle
60. Sega’s next retro hardware is a 1/6th-scale multi-game arcade cabinet
61. Sega announces Astro City Mini arcade cabinet: Tiny arcade machine comes pre-loaded with 36 Sega arcade titles
62. Video game projects remain steadfast on Kickstarter despite COVID-related declines: March 2020 saw two video games projects raise over $2m each, and funded project ratios are holding steady 
63. PUBG Mobile shoots through $3 billion in lifetime revenue 
64. PUBG Mobile has made over $3 billion in lifetime revenue 
65. Following Dissolution Of Mixer, Gaming Luminary Ninja Hosts First YouTube Live Stream 
66. Ninja appears to have moved to YouTube Gaming: Following Mixer’s shutdown, Twitch’s former top streamer has moved platforms once more 
67. 72% of esports audience is male, says report: IDC and Esports Charts report looks into who’s watching esports and how the pandemic pushed up viewership
68. Psyonix commits $4.5m a year in prizes to Rocket League esports: RLCS X will be protected “if live international events are not possible during the season due to worldwide health concerns” 
69. EVO 2020 game tourney canceled, co-founder fired
70. Iron Man VR review: A sad, painful end to the PS4’s PlayStation VR era 
71. First game from Oculus co-founder’s new studio “unlikely to be VR” 
72. How to successfully cater to older players: Mobile veteran Wilhelm Taht looks at lessons from Bingo Bash’s success on successfully appealing to players aged 55+
73. Mobile game discovery – Why it’s tricky for indies
74. We traced Namco’s “new” Pac-Man demake to its source: A 2008 fan ROMhack
75. European trade bodies unite for Eurovision-style Gamescom contest: Live showcase hosted by Mr Midas will celebrate the best unreleased games from across Europe
76. Understanding how to implement a prototype (or ‘template’) system in The Machinery
77. Homebound with EarthBound 
78. THQ Nordic’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning remaster opens the door for new DLC
79. An extended interview with Star Control creators Fred Ford & Paul Reiche III 
80. Notes on inspiration from a BAFTA-winning studio: Sarepta Studio’s CEO Catharina Bøhler explores the many ways to find inspiration and stay creative during development
81. F1 2020 reviewed—Codemasters takes another racing game win
82. PR danger closer than it may appear | 10 Years Ago This Month: EA’s Medal of Honor studio honors the troops by letting people play as the Taliban amidst a good month for bad calls 
83. Integrating ‘the nobility of work’ into Hardspace: Shipbreaker 
84. Opinion: Backlash to criticism harms The Last of Us Part II 
85. Blog: Soft skills for game developers
86. Blog: The subtle manipulation of mobile games
87. Blog: A Torchlight 3 early access launch weekend postmortem 
88. Video: Balancing accessibility with depth to make vehicles feel great 
89. Video: Tips and tools for finding inspiration when you’re stuck
90. Video: A microtransaction design primer for game devs 
91. Don’t Miss: The Team Fortress 2 guide to keeping your game alive
92. Don’t Miss: Designing Destiny 2’s PvEvP Gambit mode
93. Don’t Miss: A deep dive into the ‘old school’ save system of Alien: Isolation
94. Video Gaming/E-Gaming Law update 
95. U.S. Patent no. 10,029,177: System and method for a videogame with a secondary metagame
96. U.S. Patent no. 10,078,410: System to locomote an entity in three dimensional space

Jon