Playing by the Rules: How Legal Expertise Shapes Esports Success

Today’s guest is Justin Jacobson, Esq., an entertainment, esports, and video game attorney from New York City.

We take a dive deep into the world of esports, its legal intricacies, and the business side of gaming.

Key points:

• Justin's professional journey: From growing up on Long Island, navigating the worlds of education in D.C., to returning to New York for law school.
• The motivation behind Justin’s foray into law, driven by his passion for the entertainment and music realm.
• A primer on intellectual property law and its relevance to gaming.
• Esports vs. Traditional Entertainment: While both have business similarities, awareness and preparedness differ significantly.
• Engaging with young esports talents: Helping parents understand contracts and the earning potential in the esports industry.
• Navigating collaborations between streamers and game publishers.
• The importance of financial knowledge for content creators: Avoiding pitfalls, managing taxes, and setting up proper business structures.
• A detailed look at U.S. immigration laws, the visa application process, and challenges faced by international players.
• The global visa landscape: Contrasting U.S. regulations with those of other countries.
• A call-to-action: The necessity of specialist legal counsel in the esports domain.

For anyone aiming to make a mark in esports or simply wanting to understand its vast landscape, this episode includes insights and expert advice. Dive in to understand the convergence of gaming, business, and law!

Episode Webpage: https://www.gamerschangelivespodcast.com/playing-by-the-rules-how-legal-expertise-shapes-esports-success

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Featured in this episode:

Justin M. Jacobson, Esq.

Justin M. Jacobson, Esq. is an entertainment, esports and video game attorney located in New York City. For the last decade, he has worked with professional athletes, musicians, producers, DJs, record labels, fashion designers as well as professional gamers, streamers, coaches, on-air talent and esports organizations. He assists all of these creative individuals with their contract, copyright, trademark, immigration, tax and other related business, marketing, and legal matters.

Justin is an Adjunct Professor at University of North Carolina Wilmington, Harrisburg University, Post University, and CUNY Hunter College. He has authored “The Essential Guide to the Business & Law of Esports & Professional Video Gaming” and is on the Board of Directors for non-profits Coalition of Parents in Esports (COPE) and Garden State Esports.

Email: justin@jmjesq.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmjacobson/

Website: https://jmjesq.com

Book - "The Essential Guide to the Business & Law of Esports & Professional Video Gaming": https://a.co/d/iqVaLCL 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinjesq

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinjesq/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinmjacobson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinjesq

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PRODUCTION:

Creator and host: Tom Leonard (USA) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomeleonard/

Producer: Reginald Nsowah (Ghana) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginald-nsowah-09352929/

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Play Games. Create Jobs. Change Lives.

This is a show about how to build an esports business from literally anywhere in the world where each week we showcase the journey of esports entrepreneurs and others to learn how they solved a particular problem that everyone will ultimately face.

In Season Three our theme is “Building a Business: Esports 101”.

I am your host, Tom Leonard. I have a background in entertainment marketing. After working with many amazing esports entrepreneurs from emerging markets, they inspired me to create a show to tell their stories so that others can be motivated to create their own esports business. Gaming and esports can create jobs tackling the problem of global youth unemployment. Creating jobs from playing games. What could be better than that?

Thanks for listening to The Gamers Change Lives Podcast!