Legal cheat sheet for developers
Liubov Voitsekhovska
- Hall:
- Mix Track
Why do you need an NDA? Legal setup for a developer: sole proprietorship (FOP) or LLC (TOV)? Signing a contract with a publisher: what should you pay attention to first? How can you prevent character copying, or how do you deal with it after the game's release?
What the talk is about
Liubov Voitsekhovska guides developers through the legal stages of making a game, using a fictional developer, Nikita, as an example. She starts with copyright: the expression of an idea (visuals, names, characters, rules) can be protected, but the idea itself cannot, and third-party brands, cars or famous people can't be used without permission. Next come agreements between co-founders, NDAs, the choice between a sole proprietorship and an LLC in Ukraine, and whether a foreign company is needed. She covers employee contracts: transfer of IP rights, payment schedules, confidentiality and termination. She also explains registering trademarks and industrial designs instead of patents, store requirements, age ratings and user-facing policies. Finally, she lists what to check in a publisher deal: exclusivity, license scope and the royalty base. Useful for indie teams and studio founders.