wipo -世界知识产权组织电竞选手指南 WIPO Guidelines for Esports Players

GuidelinesforEsportsPlayers

GuidelinesforEsportsPlayersisoneofseveralguidescreatedbytheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO)andwrittenbyAndyRamos(Pérez-Llorca)andAntonioMuñoz-Torrero(Pérez-Llorca).Othertitles:

IntellectualPropertyandEsports:

Anoverviewofthegame

GuidelinesforEsportsTournamentOrganizers

GuidelinesforEsportsPlayers

VideoGamesEuropeRueduTrône108

1050Brussels,Belgium

www.videogameseurope.eu

WorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization34,chemindesColombettes,P.O.Box18CH-1211Geneva20,Switzerland

ThispublicationisajointworkofVideoGamesEuropeandtheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO).

Thedesignationsemployedandthepresentationofmaterialthroughout

thispublicationdonotimplytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoeveronthepartofVideoGamesEuropeorWIPOconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,territoryorareaorofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofitsfrontiersorboundaries.

ThispublicationisnotintendedtoreflecttheviewsoftheMemberStatesortheSecretariatofWIPO.

ThementionofspecificcompaniesorproductsofmanufacturersdoesnotimplythattheyareendorsedorrecommendedbyVideoGamesEuropeorWIPOinpreferencetoothersofasimilarnaturethatarenotmentioned.

Cover:GettyImages;Unsplash;Freepik

WIPOReference:1087/26

©VideoGamesEuropeandWIPO,2026

Allrightsreserved.

Whatshouldplayerslookoutfor?

Inthedynamicworldofesports,professionalandamateurplayersfrequentlyencounterIP

issuesthatcansignificantlyimpacttheiractivities.Aswillbefurtherdevelopedbelow,themostcommonIPissuesplayersshouldbeawareofinthecontextofesportsare,amongothers:

–Contentownershipandlicensing

–Monetizationandrevenuesharing

–Fanartandgamemodifications

–Unauthorizeduseofcopyrightedmaterial

–Trademarkinfringement

ThereareseveralreasonswhyplayersshouldcareaboutIP.Firstandforemost,understandingIPwillhelpyouprotectyourowncreationsandavoidlegalpitfalls.Byunderstandingyourrightsandtherightsofothers,youcanensurethatyourcontentislegallycompliantandprotected

fromunauthorizeduseallowingyoutobetterplanyourcareerasaplayer.

IPawarenessalsodemonstratesprofessionalismandrespectfortheworkofothersinthe

sector.Asaplayer,respectingIPrightsfostersapositivecommunityenvironmentand

encouragescollaborationandinnovation.Itshowsthatyouvaluethecontributionsofgamedevelopers,artistsandothercontentcreators,whichcanenhanceyourreputationwithintheesportscommunity.

ProperlymanagingIPcanopenuprevenueopportunitiesthroughlicensing,sponsorships

andpartnerships.ByunderstandingandrespectingIPrights,youcancreatecontentthatis

attractivetopotentialsponsorsandpartners,leadingtoincreasedmonetizationopportunities.Brandsandsponsorsdonotwanttoassociatethemselveswithinfringingactivities,evenif

donesoindirectly.Thisincludes,forexample,peopleandcompanietheycouldbeassociatedwith,suchasanesportteamoraneventsponsoredbyaspecificbrand.Additionally,being

knowledgeableaboutIPissuescanhelpyounegotiatebettertermsandagreements,ensuringthatyoureceivefaircompensationforyourwork.

Asdescribedabove,intellectualproperty(IP)rightsareanessentialelementofthevideogamesandesportsindustry.ByunderstandingthecommonIPchallengesandtheimportanceofIP

awareness,playerscanbetternavigatethelegallandscapeandprotecttheirowncreations.

ThisintroductoryinsightsetsthestageformoredetailedguidanceonaddressingspecificIPchallenges,asdescribedbelow.

Generatingandauthorizingtheuseofcontent

Thefirststeptoprotectingyourcreationsandrespectingtherightsofothersistounderstandwhoownstherightstothecontentyouwanttouseorincorporateinyourcreation.Whenyouuseanonlineservicesuchasavideostreamingplatformorevensubscribetoonlineservices

ofavideogame,youenterintoacontractualrelationshipwiththeowneroftheplatform,videogameorservice.Thecontractisdetailedinthetermsofuse,sometimesreferredtoasEndUserLicenseAgreementorEULA)availableintheplatform.Thereitwillnotonlydescribewhatyoucanorcan’tdobutalsowhathappenstoyours,thirdparties'andtheserviceprovider’sIP.

GuidelinesforEsportsPlayers

6

PlatformslikeTwitchandYouTube,orvideogameslikeFortnite,havespecifictermsofservicethatoutlinecontentownershipandlicensingwhilealsohavingasystemforthird-partiestoclaiminfringements.Generally,whileyouretainownershipofyouroriginalcontentgeneratedwhileusingtheplatform,yougrantalicensetouse,distributeandmonetizeit.

Toprotectyourrights,itisimportanttoreviewandunderstandtheplatform'sterms

andconditions,aswellaswhetheryoucanexploityourcontentonotherplatforms.This

mightleadyoutodecidetouseoneparticularplatform,orevenmanyatthesametimeas,generallyspeaking,themoreplatformsyouusetodistributeyourcontent,themorerevenueopportunitiesmightappear.

Ifyouarecollaboratingwithothercreators,makesureyouhaveclearagreementsinplacethatexplicitlyaddresscontentownershipandrevenuesharing.Themoredetailedandspecifictheclausesintheseagreements,thelesslikelyitisthatadisputewillariseoverrightsownershipandrevenuesharing.YoucanuseasaguidetheelementscommonlyfoundinanIPagreement,whicharedescribedbelowintheguidelines.

Ifyouaregeneratingcontentthatyoubelieveisrelevantforyourcareerstrategyandcontainsdistinctivesignsthatcoulddifferentiateyourproductfromsimilaronesinthemarket,suchascatchphrases,personalizedemblemsorimagesoraplayer’snickname,thinkaboutprotectingthoseelementsthroughtrademarksorregisteringthemascopyrightedworks.

Monetizationandpartnerships

Whileitisalwaystemptingtomonetizeyourcontentthroughadvertising,subscriptions,orsponsorship,thiscanraiseIPissues,especiallyifcopyrightedmaterialisusedinthecreationofthatcontent.Toavoidpotentiallegalcomplications,includingreceivingatakedownnoticeonyoursocialmediaaccountorlosemonetizationinplatforms,ensurethatanycopyrightedmaterialyouuseisproperlylicensedororiginallycreated(byyouorthatyouowntherights),orthatyouarefollowingthetermsofuse.Youshouldalsounderstandtherevenuesharingagreementsandlicensingtermsoftheplatformsyouuse.Sometimestheyuselanguageorformulasthataredifficulttounderstand,butyoucanconsultaprofessional(e.g.,lawyers,agents,etc.)tobetterunderstandthereturnyoucangetfromyourtalentandwork.

In-gamecreations(fanartandmods)

Creatingfanartorgamemodifications(mods)isapopularactivityamongplayers,butitcan

beagrayareaintermsofIP.Somegamedevelopersencouragefancreativityandusually

provideguidelinesforcreatingandsharingfanartandmods.However,othersareopposed

tomodificationsnotcontrolledbythedeveloper.SincethevideogameIPrightsareownedbythedeveloperand/orpublisher,theycanopposeanymodificationsthattheydon’tauthorizeasaninfringementoftheirIPrightsandthetermsofservice.Toavoidlegaldisputesoverfanartandmods,alwayscheckthedeveloper'spolicyorthegame’stermsofuseonthesematters.

Andequallyimportant,beawareofclausesthatimpactyourownershipoverfanartandmods.Ifindoubt,asktherightsholder(eitherthedeveloperorthepublisher)forpermissionbeforecreatingorsharingyourwork.

Usingcontent

ThisisoneofthemostimportantandcommonIPissuesintheesportssector.Playersoftenusealargeamountofcontent,suchasfootage,musicandimages,intheirstreamsorvideosfromtheirfavoritevideogamesinvariousways.Inordertoavoidcopyrightinfringementclaimsorlossofmonetizationinrelationtotheuseofthistypeofcontent,onlycontentthatgamersareauthorizedtouseshouldbeconsidered.Thisincludescontentthatgamersobtainedthroughlicensingagreements,eitherdirectlyorviaEULAs.Failuretoobtainsuchpermissionsmay

resultinlegalorfinancialpenaltiesforcopyrightinfringement.Anotheralternative,wheneverpossible,isthatgamerscreatetheirowncontent,suchasbackgroundmusicorimages,andthereforearetheownersofthatcontent.

Manyvideogamecompaniesprovidepubliclyavailableguidelinesorspecificlicensesfor

contentcreators,sowealwaysrecommendthatplayerschecktheofficialwebsiteorcontactthedeveloperorthepublisherformoreinformation.Finally,youshouldseeklegaladvicetobetterunderstandconditionsthatmightapplytoyourcontent,suchasthoseassociatedwiththeuseofAIservices,freeandopen-sourcelicenses,usingrealpeopleorbrands,orassumingthatthelawsofonecountryapplyelsewhere.

Brands,logosandtrademarkmisuse

Trademarkinfringementoccurswhensomeoneusesnames,logosorotheridentifiersthatareprotectedbytrademarklawwithoutthepermissionofthetrademarkowner.Inesports,this

includesthenamesandlogosofgames,teamsandsponsors.Toavoidthistypeofinfringement,itisrecommendedthatyouobtainpermissionbeforeusinganytrademarkedmaterial.Again,

thiscanbedonebycontactingthetrademarkownerdirectlyorbyreviewingthetrademark

guidelinesthatmanyplatformsandvideogamepublishershavetounderstandunderwhatthecircumstancesuseisallowedbytherightowner.Insomecases,thetrademarklawsofsome

countriesmaypermitthedescriptiveorinformativeuseofathirdparty'strademarkwithout

theneedtoobtainpermission.Eveninthiscase,negativecommentsaboutaproductorserviceidentifiedbythetrademarkoritsuseincircumstancesthatcouldaffectthereputationof

theproduct,serviceorproducer/providercouldgeneratelegalstandingfromrightowners

againstunauthorizeduses.Beforeusingtrademarks,checkthecircumstancesinwhichyouareusingthemandtherulesinyourcountryandadaptaccordingly.Thecontextinwhichyouusetrademarksisextremelyimportant,asevenwell-intentionedusecanleadtolegalproblems.

Whatshouldplayerslookoutfor?

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Recommendationsforplayers

Asaplayerorcontentcreator,protectingyourowncontentisjustasimportantasrespectingtheIPrightsofothers.Herearesomekeystrategiestosafeguardyourcreations:

Becautioustopreventanyclaims

Infringementcouldhavenegativeeffectsonyourprofileandaccountinvideogamesandsocialmediasuchastemporaryandpermanentblocking.Itcouldalsogenerateclaimsinreallife

(courts).Inordertoavoidsurprisesoranynegativeconsequences,makesureyoureviewall

theelementsofyourcontentthatcouldbesubjecttoIPrights,orthatcouldinfringesomeoneelse´sIPrights.Rememberthatwhilesomeplatformsmightallowusingthird-partycontent(forexamplemusic)thismighthaveconsequencesforthemonetizationofthecontent.

ManageyourIP

YoumightnotbeawarethatsomeelementsyouusecanbeprotectedbyanIPright.Think

aboutthoseelementsthatareimportantinyouractivityasaplayer,streamerorevenforyourfollowers,andconsiderregisteringthemtosecureprotection(inthecasefortrademarks,forexample)ortodocumentyourcreationtofacilitateenforcement(inthecaseofcopyright,forexample).Thisisthefirststeptoavoidothersusingyourcontentwithoutauthorizationandthebasisforcareerdevelopment,suchassponsoringagreementsandcollaborations.Thisincludesgameplayvideos,originalmusicandartwork.

Personalization

Inadditiontocreatingavisualidentitywithyourfollowers,personalizingyourcontentvia

watermarksorbrandingcanbeusefulinengagementandcanalsohelpdeterunauthorizedusewhilemakingiteasiertoidentifyyourwork.Thisisparticularlyusefulforimages,videosand

livestreams.Inthecaseofvideoplatformsalsoconsideradoptingbestpracticesintermsofthemetadatacontainedinyourvideos;thiscouldhelpwithmonitoringandevenmonetizationinthefuture.

Teamworkandownership

Youmightcollaboratewithmanypeopleoreventuallyaskotherstoprepareorworkoncontentyouincorporateoruseinavideo,forexample.Insomecases,itmightseemunnecessaryto

formalizethesearrangementsviawrittentheagreementsthatregulatethetermsofthese

collaborations,butthelackofclarityandproofthatyouactuallyownthecontentmight

eventuallycauseyoutobeunabletouseabrand,logoorothercontentinwhichyouinvestedalotofeffortandthatgeneratesengagementwithfans.Inordertoavoidfutureproblems,

makesuretoreflectinwriting,intheformofcontracts,agreementsorlicenses,whoownstheoutcomeofaprojectwhenmorethanonepersonisinvolved,whethertheyarecontributors,employees,freelancersorjustfriends.Wheneverindoubt,thinkaboutthequestion:HowcanIproveIownthiscontent?

Authorizingtheuseofyourcontent

Ifyoucollaboratewithothercreatorsorallowotherstouseyourcontent,makesurethat

everybodyinvolvedunderstandstheconditionstousethecontent,howtheycanuseit(modify,adapt,etc.)andthedurationoftheseagreements.Thebestoptionistohavethoseelements

inwriting,preferablyintheformofalicensingagreement.Rememberthattheprevious

registrationofyourcontentcouldbeimportanttobringcertaintyaboutyourownershipoverthecontentyouareauthorizing.

MonitoringandEnforcement

Regularlymonitortheinternetforunauthorizeduseofyourcontent.Therearevarioustools

andservicesavailableinthemarketthatcanhelpyoutrackwhere,how,bywhomandhow

muchyourcontentisbeingused.Ifyoufindchallengesinmonitoringandenforcing,re-think

yourstrategyintermsofpersonalizationofyournewcontentorevenadaptoldcontent.In

manycases,itmightbeinyourinterestthatyourcontentisdisseminated,butundersome

conditions,suchasmentioningyouasthecreator.Ifyoufindunauthorizedusethatyouwouldliketostop,takeappropriateandimmediateaction,suchassendingacease-and-desistletterorfilingtakedownrequestproceduresthatmightexistinthecountryoftheinfringement.(Mostplatformshaveaninternalnotificationsystemrelatedtoinfringement).

Legaladvice

Thesafestsolutionistoconsultalegalprofessionaltounderstandyourrightsandthebestwaystoprotectyourcontent.Therearemanydifferentwaysthatlegalprofessionalscanhelpyou,

frompersonalizedadviceregardinghowtoprotectyourIPthroughregistrationsandotherlegalactionstodraftinglicensingagreementsforuseinyourdailyactivities.

Teamplayer

Youmightreceiveproposalstobecomeamemberofateam.Itisimportanttounderstandtheagreementwiththeteamtoavoidunpleasantsurprises.Agreementsmightincludeexclusivityoversomeelementsofyouractivity,suchasstreaming,forexample.Ofcourse,avoidany

breachofcontractoncetheagreementissigned.Remember,disputesmightarise.

ThinkaboutusingalternativeconflictresolutionclausessuchasaWIPOclauseinthecontract(formoreinformationgoto

/amc/en/center/specific-sectors/videogames

).

Recommendationsforplayers

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Abouttheauthors

AndyRamosisapartnerspecializinginEntertainmentandTechnologyLawatPérez-Llorca,withofficesinEurope,theAmericasandAsia-Pacific.AndyholdsalawdegreefromtheUniversity

ofSevilleandan

LL.M.in

IntellectualPropertyfromWhittierLawSchoolintheUSA,wherehe

alsogainedinternationalexperienceworkingatSonyPicturesinLosAngeles.Heworkswith

multinationalcompaniesandvideogameassociationsonintellectualproperty,contractlaw,

andregulatoryissues,representingclientsincopyrightlitigationandadvisingoncomplex

negotiationsandlegalissuesinthevideogame,audiovisualandmusicindustries,includingtheconvergenceofentertainmentandtechnology.

Andyhascontributedtointernationallegalarticlesandstudiesonintellectualpropertyand

technology,coordinatingmajorworkssuchas"VideoGameLaw:LegalandBusinessAspects"(2023),atreatisehecoordinatedwiththeparticipationofover60authors;andtheinternationalstudiescommissionbyWIPO"TheLegalStatusofVideoGames:ComparativeAnalysisin

NationalApproaches"(2013)and"TheRoleofMobileAppsintheVideoGameIndustry"(2023).HeisanactivespeakerandlecturerinprofessionalcoursesandhasbeeninvitedbytheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganizationtospeakaroundthew