Jessica Bell
Web Editor

The University of La Verne College of Law has continued to raise the bar in legal studies, presenting an academic program highlighting computer game regulations and the first ever casebook in the country covering the issue.

“It is a cutting-edge course that will provide students with special skills to enhance their job opportunities,” said Donald Dunn , College of Law dean and a professor of law, in an e-mail.

Courses accentuating such rising issues as multimedia law, law of the computer game industry and cyberspace, as well as intellectual property and entertainment law will put students one step ahead of the legal game.

Ashley Lipson, professor of law, has led the University toward a slew of firsts: teaching the first class in the nation based on computer game law in 2002 and most recently authoring the first academic casebook structured with the student in mind, covering the many issues associated with the gaming world.

“It is an exploding, fascinating area of law,” Lipson said. “I think it’ll grow over time and that there will certainly be other colleges who will pick it up. Once we lead the way, others will get on the bandwagon pretty quickly.”

The College of Law has provided an expansive prospectus of classes, enabling students to gain the required expertise to perform in every area of law. This time around, students will be given another first-time opportunity, as they will be issued the initial draft of Lipson’s self-penned casebook.

Lipson said he hoped to employ student perspectives and edits into the book’s final draft, which will be released by the end of the year.

The casebook covers an extensive array of legal topics associated with the gaming industry such as the acquisition of game rights and ideas, intellectual property privileges and assorted types of licensing practices (copyrights, trademarks, etc).

A pro in the gaming world, Lipson became an industry name in the legal field when he developed the “Obection!” software series the first set of video games to receive accreditation for mandatory continuing legal education. The game replicated a criminal trial, making it the gamer’s job to save the client from execution by catching objectionable questions.

Lipson also developed “SivPro!” a comprehensive combination of games and tutorials designed to walk first-year law students though the essentials of Civil Procedure I and II, last year.

Though courses in game law have been slow to spread because teaching materials on the subject are nonexistent, Lipson said he foresaw a future in the trade.

The popularity of the entertainment business and the current state of the video game industry, which has skyrocketed into a multibillion-dollar corporation in recent years, have resulted in a rising need for instruction in the field.

“When I first taught the course in 2002, I was left doing what other professors have to do when new in an area,” Lipson said. “I had to track down articles, photocopy and construct my own materials. Other professors are reluctant to teach the course in this way.”

“Now that there are so many issues involving computer games, it’s becoming a subject that teachers want to teach,” Lipson added.

Lipson said students were drawn to game law because of the familiarity of the cases it is structured around.

“The cases in the book are fascinating, covering names people recognize such as Microsoft, Nintendo and Sega,” Lipson said.

Lipson also said his class largely centered on intellectual property regulations, making it a worthwhile addition to any law student’s curriculum even if he or she has no intention of pursuing a career in the legal game trade.

“Students who want to work in the area of intellectual property will have received instruction about a subject that is here to stay,” Dunn said. “Intellectual property related courses are relevant and popular because this is frequently where the job opportunities are. This is especially true because of our close proximity to Los Angeles and the huge entertainment industry”

Tanaz Parsai , a second-year law student at the college, said courses in game law are becoming increasingly relevant in today’s multimedia-crazed world.

“The course is much more useful than I thought it would be,” Parsai said. “My favorite thing about it is that the cases are about Atari and Nintendo and other games I played as a child.”

Dunn said law schools that failed to offer instruction in computer game law likely lacked someone with the know-how to teach a class on the topic.

“Professor Lipson is an expert in the field, it makes good sense to have him teach a course that utilizes his special skills,” Dunn said. “His courses and his scholarship enhance our name recognition and improve our students’ opportunities for employment in an exciting and emerging area of the law.”

Jessica Bell can be reached at ledjessilin@yahoo.com.