Your Game as an Asset: How to Protect Your IP and Avoid Infringing Someone Else's

Every game or mobile app is built on intellectual property — often more of it than teams realize.

The project name, source code, visual assets, music, characters, gameplay elements, and even AI-generated content may all be protected in different ways. The challenge is making sure those rights are properly structured before they become an issue during publishing deals, fundraising, platform onboarding, due diligence, or acquisition.

Together with our colleagues from Xsolla and Wargaming, we'll explore IP not only from a legal perspective, but also through real-world examples from publishing, licensing, and working with rights holders.

What we'll cover

• The different types of intellectual property embedded in a game or app and how copyright, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets work across jurisdictions.
• How to structure relationships with employees, contractors, and freelancers so that IP rights actually end up where they are supposed to.
• Working safely with third-party content, including open-source software, music, visual assets, real-world brands, and other protected materials.
• AI in development: ownership of AI-generated content, protection challenges, and legal risks for commercial products.
• Real-world industry examples and court cases where companies lost control of their IP or faced disputes over the use of third-party assets.
• Why IP should be viewed not only as a legal matter but as a business asset that impacts publishing, investment, M&A, and growth opportunities.
• A practical comparison of trademark registration costs across different countries.
• How the official licensing of someone else's IP is arranged at Xsolla Agency using the example of Warner Bros, Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures, NBA, Sega, Hasbro and thousands of other copyright holders.