Pillar Legal, P.C.

🎥 Highlights from the 2024 Video Game Law Summit in Shanghai!

🌟🌺 Yue LU from Pillar Legal, P.C. recently attended the Women Tech Meetup, an inspiring event featuring discussions from female founders about technology, AI, innovation, and product development. This November, the meetup focused on biotech, health data, anti-aging, and longevity. 📊 According to Carta, women made up just 13.2% of all startup founders in 2023. This gap is even wider in some sectors. 🔢 As Lu Yue reflected on her work with startups, she noted that only one out of ten—sometimes none—of the companies she’s worked with have women founders. ❤️ Despite underrepresentation in leadership, by some metrics, women often outperform in industries like education, healthcare, biotech and consumer products. 💼 Women in leadership also drive successful outcomes. According to research conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2019, overall, companies with more than 30% women executives were more likely to outperform those with fewer women executives, or none at all. 🤝 Thank you to Dasha Shunina for organizing these meetups in San Francisco, New York City and Miami. They provide a space for women entrepreneurs to connect, share ideas and support one another. 📝💬 If you’re navigating legal questions or challenges as a founder, feel free to connect with Yue LU at the next Women Tech Meetup. #WomenTechMeetup #SanFrancisco #Legal #WomenFounders #StartupCommunity

🎮 China Approves 112 Domestic and 7 Imported Games 📱 🇨🇳 On November 20, 2024, the China National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) issued 112 domestic game approvals, bringing the total number of domestic game approval issued in 2024 to 1,184. This marks a significant shift in the regulatory landscape, as the total number of domestic game approvals issued in 2024 has already surpassed the entire 2023 total of 1,075 licenses. 📈 What’s even more interesting? The NPPA has also been ramping up approvals for imported games. After issuing 15 imported game approvals in October, another 7 approvals were granted this time. This marks the first time since 2019 that China has issued imported game approvals in two consecutive months. This signals a possible trend of easing regulations and a more open market for foreign game developers. 🚀 The licensing trends are evolving, and the opportunities for the video game sector in China are becoming more dynamic. Let’s see where this leads! #ChinaGame #GameApproval #GamingIndustry #ChinaMarket #ForeignGameISBN #ImportGameApprovals #DomesticGames #NPPA #RegulatoryChanges

📚The Second Circuit’s rejection of the Internet Archive’s fair use defense for its digital lending program lends some insight into how the court may approach generative AI. 📚 For background, in 2020, four book publishers sued the Internet Archive for copyright infringement for scanning tens of thousands of their copyrighted literary works and distributing those digital copies to the public for free. The Internet Archive claimed that its activity was protected as “controlled digital lending,” meaning the Internet Archive made available the same number of digital copies of a book as the number of print copies of the book in its possession. Then, for a three-month period at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the Internet Archive lifted the one-to-one owned-to-loaned limitation, offering an unlimited amount of borrowing – until major publishers like Hatchette sued. The lower court ruled that both the controlled digital lending program AND the pandemic-era model violated copyright law. On appeal, the Second Circuit sided with the lower court, holding under  the fair use factors: 💡Purpose. The Internet Archive’s use of copyrighted books was not transformative, since although it made book lending “more convenient and efficient,” the program ultimately served the same underlying purpose as what the publishers were already providing through their own e-books. 💡Market Harm. The publishers both (1) have suffered market harm due to lost e-book licensing fees and (2) will suffer market harm in the future if the Internet Archive’s practices were to become widespread. The Second Circuit’s opinion indicates that the court is scrutinizing the overall purpose and impact of copying and will seek to protect the monopolistic rights of a copyright owner, which the court states, “is a feature, not a bug, of the Copyright Act.” This is especially relevant with regard to generative AI and copyright, since 10 of the 30 generative AI copyright claims currently before federal courts are being litigated within the Second Circuit’s jurisdiction. The biggest impact, however, will be felt by public libraries: 📖When libraries want to provide e-books to their patrons, they can purchase time-limited licenses from publishers, after which the books expire and have to be repurchased. 📖But funding shortfalls have made e-books difficult to access. For reference, according to the American Library association, for popular trade e-books, libraries often pay US$55 for one copy that expires after 2 years (or US$550 for one copy for 20 years), compared to the US$15 paid by a consumer for perpetual use. 📖Thus, many public libraries who relied on similar controlled digital lending programs are now in a bind, without immediate relief.   #CopyrightLaw #InternetArchive #Hachette #FairUse

🌟Santa Clara Law: International Business Transactions Talk🌟 🎤 We’d like to extend our gratitude to Professor David Greenspan at Santa Clara University School of Law for inviting our colleague, Yue LU at Pillar Legal, P.C., to speak once again at the International Business Transaction class this October. 🌐 Yue shared insights from her past 8 years of experience working on cross-border deals between the US and China. As a Chinese lawyer based in the US, she has firsthand experience navigating the language, cultural, and legal barriers that often make these transactions a real challenge—especially given the current complexities in US-China relations. But it wasn’t all about obstacles! Yue also explored the exciting ways GenAI has begun transforming the legal landscape over the past two years. From streamlining processes to bridging communication gaps, GenAI is already making cross-border transactions smoother, with even more promising advancements on the horizon. This was Yue’s second time speaking at Santa Clara Law, and it was fantastic to see the law students’ interest in international business transactions. A huge thank you to the students, organizers, and participants for making it such an engaging and enriching session. We look forward to future opportunities to share knowledge and foster meaningful discussions! #SantaClaraLaw #InternationalBusiness #AI #LegalBarrier #CrossBoarder

🎮 China Approves 113 Domestic and 15 Imported Games, Including Goddess of Victory: Nikke 🚀 On October 25, 2024, China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) granted licenses to batches of domestic and imported games. Notably, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, developed by South Korea’s Shift Up and published by Tencent, was initially considered a challenging approval due to its highly stylized, anime-inspired art style, yet it is now among the approved titles. 🎮🇨🇳 📱Domestic Games: This latest batch brings the total number of domestic game licenses to 1,072 so far in 2024, marking a 36% increase year-over-year compared to 786 licenses through October last year. Among the newly approved, 111 are mobile games, including 6 cross-platform titles for mobile and PC. 🌍 Imported Games: With 15 additional imported games approved, the total import game licenses granted in 2024 now stands at 91—a substantial 57% increase year-over-year from 58 at this point last year. All newly approved imports are mobile games, with 3 being cross-platform for mobile and PC. 🔄ISBN Update List: NPPA also updated a batch of three game approval changes. Among them, NetEase’s Sky: Children of the Light added a PC version, while two other games updated their operating entities. This regulatory move highlights the NPPA’s ongoing support for the game sector, and continues to demonstrate the thriving landscape of China's game industry. 🚀🌟 #ChinaGaming #GameApproval #GameIndustry #MobileGames

🎙️Sinica Podcast does a deep dive into Black Myth: Wu Kong, the first AAA game developed in China. In this podcast, Kaiser Kuo interviews my good friends Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China and one of the top China tech commentators in the U.S., and Robert Wynne, an China game industry veteran currently serving as COO of a new development studio that's still under wraps. Together they unpack the phenomenal success of Black Myth: Wu Kong. 🎮🐒 Here are some key takeaways: 🌟 A Game Phenomenon: Black Myth: Wu Kong has become a major hit both in China and abroad. Its stunning graphics and unique setting, based on the famous Chinese literary work Journey to the West, have captured significant attention. 🔍 Challenges and Opportunities: Game Science, the studio behind the game, faced many challenges with AAA game production. However, they grabbed attention with a stunning demo that went viral. Rob Wynne critiques the game’s go-to-market strategy, noting lost opportunities to expand its reach. Both guests also delve into the cultural nuances that make the game’s cultural depth resonate more strongly with Chinese players. 🎥 Chinese Game Landscape: The discussion highlights a significant shift in China’s game industry, which has traditionally focused on mobile and free-to-play games rather than AAA counsel and PC games. 🌍 Global Impact: What does this success mean for future games coming out of China? Black Myth: Wu Kong shows that Chinese studios can produce AAA games that appeal to both local and international audiences, which could pave the way for more high-budget, narrative-driven titles from China. 🕹️ Black Myth: Wu Kong is more than just a game, it is also a symbol of China’s growing influence in the global entertainment industry. Listen to the full podcast here: https://lnkd.in/guGjC_qP #SinicaPodcast #BlackMyth #GameIndustry #ChinaGame #AAAGame

🌟 Greg Pilarowski to Speak at Harvard Business School - HBS AA Angel Investing Advanced Bootcamp 🎤 😊 We're pleased to share that Greg Pilarowski, Founding Partner of Pillar Legal, P.C., will be speaking on convertible notes at the upcoming HBS Angels Advanced Bootcamp on October 23, 2024. His expertise in legal financing strategies will be a highlight of the event. 📝 Greg's session will delve into the convertible notes, a critical financing tool for startups and investors alike. With his extensive experience in cross-border transactions and tech startups, Greg’s talk on convertible notes is sure to provide valuable insights to the participants looking to navigate the startup investment landscape. 🙏 Thank you so much to Alexa McCulloch for organizing this event and bringing together a platform for insightful discussions and valuable networking. 🔍Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting event! For more information and to secure your spot, visit the HBS Angels Advanced Bootcamp website: https://lnkd.in/eUryqv5D #HBSAngelsBootcamp #ConvertibleNotes #InvestmentInsights #Startup

🌏 Entering the China market? Here’s what not to do 🔍 We’ve spent decades helping hundreds of tech companies expand into China, and some mistakes pop up more often than others. To help you avoid those same costly pitfalls, we’ve identified and unpacked the top five legal mistakes that foreign businesses make when entering the China market. We’ve also provided insights and best practices on what you can do instead to ensure you’re on the right legal track in China from the start. If you get these points right, you’ll already be ahead of the curve. 📝 Download our free article here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gzv72pk5 #ChinaMarket #LegalMistakes #ChinaExpansion #LegalAdvice

🚀 CAC Releases Draft Measures on Labeling AI-Generated Content for Public Comment 🚀 On September 14, 2024, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) proposed the Measures for Labeling Content Generated or Synthesized by Artificial Intelligence for public feedback. Key highlights of the draft measures: 🏷️ Two types of labels: Explicit labeling (显式标识) for content that may confuse or mislead the public, and implicit labeling (隐式标识) as a default for all AI-generated content. 📌 Clear guidelines on labeling placement: For text, audio, images, videos, and virtual scenes, labels must be added at key points, such as the beginning, middle, or end, and prominently displayed within the content or interface. Downloaded or exported content must also retain these labels. 🔐 Platforms and app stores as gatekeepers: They will be responsible for enforcing labeling requirements. 📜 Service providers must disclose labeling practices in their terms of service. These draft measures build on earlier regulations released by China to govern the AI sector, including the Interim Administrative Measures of Generative AI Services and the Administrative Provisions on Deep Synthesis in Internet-Based Information Services from 2023. Both regulations require service providers to label AI-generated content, while the draft measures offer more detailed guidance for implementation and increase platform accountability to ensure compliance. 🔍 📚 For more information on China generative AI regulations, check out our China Regulation Watch: China’s Approach to Regulating Artificial Intelligence. https://lnkd.in/gaZ3bfHf #China #AIGC #CAC