The Interplay of Intellectual Property and eSports: Issues & the Way Ahead

Abstract

An Esport is described as "a video game played as a competition for people to watch as entertainment" in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. This definition, however approximate, captures the core of the phenomena and aids in the introduction of our first and most crucial point: any videogame can be an esport, regardless of whether it is a virtual imitation of a traditional sporting activity or not. Esports is still very young, at least in terms of its industry stature. On every side of the space, there are still a lot of growing pains present. Understanding your image rights and how to use them is one of the major worries on the talent side with regard to intellectual property. Understanding the licencing process, what you can and cannot ask for, and how the entire system works, for instance. It is something that is largely foreign to talent.