About Our Esports and Video Game Legal Division
The Jacobson Firm. P.C. offers industry leading esports and video game legal and business services to individuals and companies.
The Esports Law and Video Game legal division at The Jacobson Firm, P.C. works with professional gamers, streamers, content creators, esports coaches, analysts, on-air talent, hosts, shoutcasters, esports teams and organizations, esports event organizers, game publishers and developers, as well as brands and companies working in the space.
The Esports Law and Video Game legal division handles all legal and business matters including copyrights, trademarks, immigration and visa matters, business formations, litigation, and all contract drafting and negotiations.
This includes agreements for professional gamers, esports coaches, shoutcasters, event licensing agreements, in addition to sponsorship and appearance agreements. We also assist major and indie developers of mobile, computer and console games.
New York: (212) 683-2001
Long Island: (631) 998-0701
Contract Review, Drafting & Negotiation
Industry-leading contract review, drafting, and negotiation of professional gamers, coaches, casters, teams, and event operator related licenses and agreements.
Sponsorship & Endorsement Agreements
Industry-leading sponsorship and endorsement contract analysis, review, drafting and negotiation for both talent and companies in the esports and professional gaming space.
Business Formation & Formalities
Top-flight business and corporate law services for esports companies including incorporation (corp.), LLCs, transfers, mergers and acquisitions.
Visa & Immigration Matters
Advise and prepare visas petitions for individuals and businesses, including for professional gamers, streamers, coaches and broadcasters.
Strategy & Consultation
Consult and advise professional gamers, streamers, coaches, shoutcasters, game publishers, event organizers and companies.
Wills, Trusts & Estates Matters
Estate planning for high-net worth and celebrity clientele, including living wills, powers of attorney, and health care proxies.
The Esports Business Law Textbook
"The Essential Guide to the Business & Law of Esports & Professional Video Gaming"
Written by Justin M. Jacobson, Esq.
Currently Available:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Routledge
– Waterstones
– Bookshop.org
– Indiebound
– Goodreads
– Google Books
– Walmart
Esports Legal Experts
Featured on...
- Rob’s Firm
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Managing Director
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Web Development
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UX/UI Design
- Rob’s Firm
- SEO, Digital Marketing
- 1,500 USD
- Nov 23, 2021
Rob’s IT Firm
Harley-Davidson is one of the world’s strongest brands, synonymous with quality cruising motorcycles for over a century. By fostering a community of enthusiastic admirers they defined “social branding” before we had a name for it. B ut I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself. The housekeepers we hired are professionals who take pride in doing excellent work and in exceed. We carefully screen all of our cleaners you can rest assured that your home would receive the absolute highest quality of service providing. Your time is precious, and we understand that cleaning is really just one more item on your to-do list. “
‘’Tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna alias quat enim veniam quis nostru exercitation ullamco laboris nis aliquip.’’Rob Hunter
Managing Director “
‘’Tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna alias quat enim veniam quis nostru exercitation ullamco laboris nis aliquip.’’David Hudson
Web Development “
‘’Tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna alias quat enim veniam quis nostru exercitation ullamco laboris nis aliquip.’’Brian Rogers
UX/UI Design Video Interviews & Appearances
Audio Interviews & Appearances
Podcast: “Esports Biz Show”
Frequently Asked Questions
Esports is the world of competitive gaming, including those on a P.C., a console, or a mobile device. Esports encompasses professional gaming where individuals or teams of individuals compete against each other in a particular game title for prizes. The global competitive esports scene has evolved greatly over its history (and will continue to) but the legal and business matters related to the chief participants are important and deserve expert attention. Learn more about the esports business landscape here in Esports 101.
Esports Law is a new legal field related to professional gaming talent and companies working in the professional video-gaming space. Similar to sports and music law, esports law encompasses a variety of legal fields with these attorneys providing services to individuals and brands operating in the competitive gaming world. More information on “What Esports Law is” can be found here.
An esports lawyer is a licensed attorney working in the esports and professional video-gaming space. They can provide many unique benefits to a person’s short-term and long-term career development and success. At The Jacobson Firm, P.C., we have extensive experience as esports lawyers who work with professional gamers, streamers, coaches and teams in a variety of top gaming titles. An esports lawyer works with companies and individual talent who work in the esports business world and assist them with their legal needs. More information on “What an Esports Lawyer is” can be found here and on The Esports Observer. Additional information on where an independent representative “fits” can also be found on Esports Insider.
Yes, a “gamer-tag” or a gamer’s “nick-name” is a particular valuable asset that every gaming talent must be aware of. Similar to an artist or band name, a professional gamer or streamer’s “gamer-tag” or “in-game name” is a crucial part of their public identity, their brand and their business. Therefore, to best protect this asset, an individual should look investigate trademark protection in the countries that the gamer operates in. Many of the world’s largest professional gamers, content creators and streamers have already applied for protection in their gamer-tag in the United States and abroad. More information on “What Makes A Gamer-Tag Valuable” is available on The Esports Observer.
An esports team or organization’s name is a significant asset for any operating esports business. In fact, a team’s name is one of the most recognizable identifiers of them and is used on the team’s social media, website, jerseys and merchandise. This is why many of the major esports organizations across the world have begun to protect their team name. Some have even acquired protection their unique team logo. More information on “Protecting an Esports Team/Org Name” is available on The Esports Observer.
Similar to other entertainment and sports areas, the creation of a business entity such as corporation or limited liability company (LLC) will provide unique benefits for a professional gamer, streamer or esports team. The existence of a business entity can assist the owner with claiming certain tax benefits and other asset protections that may be unavailable without an established entity. It is essential that any individual or business involved in esports and professional gaming industry is aware of their tax obligations on any income that they earn, including tournament winnings, streaming revenues and sponsorship as well as product gifting. More information on some of the benefits of a business entity can be found here and on Esports Insider. A deeper look at esports and tax matters can be found here and on Esports Insider.
An NFT is a type of cryptographic token that is not mutually interchangeable with something else that exists. This means that there is only one “original” copy that cannot be replicated or otherwise divisible no matter what. In fact, NFTs are “coded to have unique IDs” and underlying “metadata” that another token cannot reproduce which is where much of the value lies. This unique crypto token is managed on a “blockchain,” which acts as an official transfer ledger to trace and delineate the ownership and the full transaction history of an associated NFT. In practice, this creates an automated and computerized ownership verification process and database for a specific asset which is authenticated on a “back-end blockchain” technology. NFTs or “non-fungible tokens” are all the buzz in the esports and gaming industries. Learn more here on The Esports Observer.
More Esports Law Information and Articles
In the past few years, there has been an explosion of international exposure and interest in the world of competitive video gaming, better known as “esports.” Electronic sports or esports have evolved to the mainstream with professional video-gamers competing in a variety of games against other professionals for substantial sums of money.
The global esports phenomenon is growing in the United States. Players from around the world are coming to the United States for a chance to participate in big money tournaments as well as to sign exclusive playing contracts with U.S.-based organizations and teams. However, many gamers are locked out because they fail to secure their work visas due to a lack of proper planning.
With the rapid international expansion and increased profitability of esports, the need to properly protect one’s “brand” and its associated intellectual property grows more important every day.
Similar to other talent based industries, including music, television, and sports; professional video game competitors participating in organized esports should have a “team” of competent professionals around them to advise them and to consult with.
Many new esports teams and organisations have joined the competitive circuit in the past 12 months. This is due to the continued global development of esports business as well as its expansion into newly created games and into existing games that were not previously part of this professional world.
In addition to the legal considerations we addressed in part one of this piece, there are some other protections that an esports organisation should be aware of. We will now briefly explore some of those matters below.
Today’s entertainment, sports, art, esports, and gaming industries are buzzing about NFTs or “non-fungible tokens.” This includes musicians earning millions of dollars through releasing their own NFTs, professional athletes launching their own NFT companies, and the trending NBA Top Shot taking over social media and press outlets everywhere. In fact, there has also been a rapid expansion and usage of NFTs in the entertainment and sports collectibles market, the art world and most recently in the esports and gaming space. This might include utilizing NFTs to secure rights to a particular piece of artwork, an “in-game” digital character or a “skin,” a digital “racing horse,” or even a video “moment” or other highlight of a professional athlete or wrestler. Learn more here.
With the recent global explosion in esports and professional gaming, there has been a substantial expansion in the frequency and magnitude of live esports events. These include events produced by established event organizers such as ESL and Dreamhack as well as those hosted by smaller independent companies who create and plan their own live esports competitions.
With the launch of the NBA 2K league, 102 of the world’s top NBA 2K players will now earn a six month salary, receive first-class housing accommodations and will be eligible for a variety of benefits, including health, vision, and dental insurance.
As the NBA 2K League’s inaugural season nears an end and details for Season 2 are unveiled, a new crop of hopeful NBA 2K League prospects are gearing up for the September release of NBA 2K19 as well as for another chance at making the NBA 2K League’s draft eligible “player pool.”
The inaugural season of the NBA 2K League tipped off from the league’s studio in New York on May 1. As an esports attorney and a fan, I was lucky enough to get inside the 200-person venue for the first ever matchups in the new league. And when the action finally finished, I headed home to re-watch those games the traditional way, on Twitch.
One thing is certain after the first few weeks of the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League: for fans more used the watching esports on Twitch, the live viewing experience is something wonderful to behold. The competitors sit on large, comfy chairs in the center of the intimately small studio.
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