Speciality Teams

Metaverse / Entertainment

For attorneys to be able to legally and practically provide support for the field of entertainment, we need not only to have extensive legal knowledge of the Japanese Contract Act, the Japanese Criminal Law, and especially the Japanese Intellectual Property Basic Act but also to have an in-depth understanding of industries, businesses and business practices. Especially for the Metaverse, it is considered to be “another world” that broadens the possibilities of entertainment. Also, it gains a lot of attention from various industries in the world as one of the new business opportunities besides entertainment. People are expecting great things from the Metaverse if it is integrated with blockchain technologies. Also, it is expected that the Metaverse can be one of the milestones to represent the upcoming era called “Web3”. Therefore in GVA, attorneys who are well acquainted with entertainment and the Japanese Intellectual Property Basic Act work together in a team, learning about cutting-edge areas like the Metaverse and updates their knowledge to provide pluralistic and multifaceted legal support to companies, from long-established listed companies to up-and-coming startups. We provide our support according to the client’s business cycle, business fields, and business models.

Practice Areas

Metaverse・XR（VR・AR・MR）

Rights handling for Metaverse space
Rights handling for game development and operation
Rights handling for software development
Rights handling for Metaverse Assets, XR Objects and Avaters
Handling of related party transactions
Notation on Terms of Service (Use), Privacy Policy and the Japanese Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, Preparation of notacitn on the Japanse Payment Services Act
Preparation of contracts related to activities on the Metaverse

Entertainment, Media and eSports

Handling issues regarding copyright and negotiation for event management, music streaming, etc.
Establishment of guidelines for the use of copyrighted materials
Preparation of sponsorship agreements and other agreements on various contents
Negotiation regarding disputes related to intellectual property rights
Requests for removal of videos due to copyright infringement, etc.
Investigation of copyright infringement in media and various contents

Platform Business

Handling of copyrights between the operator and users
Establishment of rules regarding the secondary use of copyrighted materials
Preparation of license agreements on master rights
Preparation of Business Partnership Agreements on the linkage with external material supply sites

VTuber・YouTuber

Preparation of contracts with creators (illustrators, modelers, etc.)
Preparation of contracts regarding character goods sales
Preparation of outsourcing agreements on entertainers
Consultation on policies regarding the management of entertainers
Preparation of transfer contracts on music copyrights, master license, and other intellectual property rights
Support for policy decisions and preparation of various notices and notifications
Responding to requests for defamation removal and Demand for Disclosure of Identification Information of the Sender
Consultation on countermeasures against flaming

Others

Application and examination of trademark registration
Application and examination of design registration
Dispute resolution (invalidation of trials, revocation of trials, litigation rescinding the trial decision, infringement litigation for patents, trademarks, designs, etc.)

Achievements

Case Examples

Drafting of Cast Agreements on Metaverse platform
Handling and negotiation of copyrights for the management of eSports tournaments
Handling and negotiation of copyrights for music and karaoke streaming
Participation in working groups on AR
Research and reporting on guideline for AR
Research and reporting on guideline concerning game streamings
Rights handling concerning XR objects and avatars
Preparation of legal opinions on the legality of XR services
Research on rights related to point cloud data (feature point data)
Preparation of joint research agreements, etc.
Advice on transactions among parties in relation to the industry structure
Preparation of outsourcing agreements on the creation of characters and illustrations
Preparation of outsourcing agreements on the creation of Live2D models
Preparation of outsourcing agreements on the creation of 3D models
Preparation of contracts on the sales of cartoon character goods
Support for determining the content of outsourcing agreements on artists management and preparation of outsourcing agreements
Consultation on policies regarding artists management
Confirmation of the contents of announcements and notices regarding businesses operated by VTubers and support for policy decisions
Consultation on countermeasures against flaming
Request for the removal of movies due to the infringement of copyright against the platform
Responding to requests for defamation removal and Demand for Disclosure of Identification Information of the Sender
Correspondence over patent disputes
Correspondence over system development disputes
Correspondence over game production disputes between companies
Applications for trademark registrations
Examinations of trademark registrations
Correspondence on the cancellation of trials on trademarks
Correspondence on the invalidation of trials on trademarks
Correspondence on litigation rescinding trial decisions regarding trademarks
Application for design registration
Filing petitions for invalidating a trial on designs