2013 Game::Business::Law Summit |
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 John B. Attanasio |
John B. Attanasio is Judge James Noel Dean and Professor of Law and the Judge William Hawley Atwell Chair of Constitutional Law at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Dean Attanasio is an expert in constitutional law focusing on constitutional development in emerging democracies, and has received numerous awards, including the Alumni Education Award from New York University School of Law, the Education Award from the St. Louis Civic Italian American Organization, a Fulbright Award, and the Outstanding Faculty Member Award for excellence in teaching at Notre Dame. He co-authored with Norman Redlich, Joel Goldstein, and the late Bernard Schwartz, Constitutional Law and Understanding Constitutional Law, and is the author of numerous articles in legal journals including the New York University Law Review, the Virginia Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review, the Georgetown Law Review and the American Journal of Comparative Law (Berkeley). Dean Attanasio has taught constitutional law, First Amendment, civil procedure, torts, and jurisprudence. He has written and lectured around the world in the areas of constitutional law, comparative law, international law, freedom of speech, federalism, human genetic engineering, and legal education. [TOP] |
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 Ryan Barrett |
Ryan Barrett is a passionate 3D artist with Sandswept Studios in Austin, TX, where he works as a rigger and animator. He attended The Guildhall, Southern Methodist University's graduate game development program, where he received a Masters in Interactive Technology. [TOP] |
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 Jeff Becker |
Jeff Becker is a partner with the firm of Haynes and Boone, where for four years he served as the Chair of the firm's Intellectual Property and Technology Transactions Section. He focuses his practice on the legal aspects of brand management, helping companies develop trademark policies, clearing their marks for use, registering those marks here in the U.S. and abroad, commercializing marks through licenses and merchandising agreements, assessing infringement risks, enforcing their trademark rights against others and defending them against allegations of infringement. Much of his work involves internet related issues, such as domain name cybersquatting and keyword advertising. [TOP] |
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 Jonathan H. Blavin |
Jonathan Blavin is a partner in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles & Olson who has substantial experience in high-technology intellectual property disputes, including claims brought under the Copyright and Digital Millennium Copyright Acts, the Lanham Act and state trademark statutes and trade secret laws. He also has significant experience in Internet and privacy-related litigation involving the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and has litigated federal antitrust actions, consumer class actions in the wireless and telecommunications areas and constitutional matters. Mr. Blavin serves as chair of the San Francisco Barristers Intellectual Property and Internet Law Section. He also is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association, the 9th Judicial Circuit Historical Society and is a panel attorney for the California Lawyers for the Arts. Mr. Blavin has been selected as a 2012 Northern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine. Mr. Blavin received his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he served as a primary editor of the Harvard Law Review. Mr. Blavin received his B.A. in history with highest distinction from the University of Michigan, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. [TOP] |
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 Gary Brubaker
Director |
Gary Keith Brubaker was appointed Director of The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University in June 2012. Brubaker has extensive experience in the games industry, having served as a development director, a manager of core technology, and lead programmer. This breadth of knowledge has given Brubaker a well-rounded perspective of the game industry business, preparing him for his role as an educator and administrator. Gary is an expert in video game programming and design, the video game industry, game culture, game-based learning, and gamification. He began his programming career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, working on the Voyager and Galileo missions. Before joining SMU in 2004, he served as a development director, manager of core technology, and lead programmer in the video game industry at LucasArts Entertainment, Stormfront Studios and Atari/Paradigm. He received his BA degree in physics from the University of California-Berkeley and an MBA from SMU. [TOP] |
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 Burnie Burns |
Michael "Burnie" Burns is an independent filmmaker, and co-founder of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC, based in Austin, TX. He has worked with animation and live action, but is best known for his work in Machinima, a genre of filmmaking that uses a real-time 3D CG rendering engines, typically from video games. Burns is the co-creator of the Internet machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, filmed using the video games Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach. The series won four awards at the Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences film festivals, and the award for "Best Animated Web Series" from the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV). In 2003, Burns co-founded the production company Rooster Teeth Productions, to produce live action shorts, animated segments, and machinima projects. Following the success of Red vs. Blue, Electronic Arts (EA) approached Burns with a request to develop a series to promote The Sims 2. The result was Rooster Teeth Productions' second comedy series, Strangerhood, which premiered in 2004. As a result of his continued success, Burns is recognized as one of the innovators in the field of machinima. He has made guest appearances at the Penny Arcade Expo, San Diego Comic-Con International, Sundance, and The Sydney Film Festival. For his work on Immersion (2010), a live action series that tests video game tropes in the real world, he was nominated for an IAWTV award. [TOP] |
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 John Cabeca |
As the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary, John Cabeca works closely with fellow members of the Executive Committee to ensure the policies and priorities of the Under Secretary are effectively carried out. He also oversees the Office of the Under Secretary’s staff. Mr. Cabeca began his career at the USPTO as a Patent Examiner after graduating from Widener University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He became a Supervisory Patent Examiner, supervising examiners in the fields of Computer Memory Access and Control and Graphical User and Operator Interfaces. He then joined the Senior Executive Service (SES) gaining greater leadership and oversight responsibilities. As a member of the SES, John served as head of one of the Patent Technology Centers, where he stayed until assuming his current role in the Office of the Under Secretary and Director. Mr. Cabeca has dedicated much of his career to inventor outreach and assistance programs. He also had the unique opportunity to work in a variety of organizations across the USPTO and throughout the federal government. Mr. Cabeca was on work assignment to the USPTO’s Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of Governmental Affairs and the Office of the Under Secretary and Director. In 2006, John was appointed a Department of Commerce Science and Technology Fellow and served on special assignment to the Executive Office of the President in the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR’s) Office for Intellectual Property and Innovation and the Office for Japan, Korea and Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum Affairs. At USTR he worked with multiple agencies on a variety of international intellectual property rights issues and played an integral role in the Free Trade Agreement negotiations with the Republic of Korea. [TOP] |
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 Tim Capper |
Tim Capper is the CEO of Mobile MUM Inc. The company combines the best kids shows from PBS Kids and Nick Jr, with entertaining and engaging educational games. Tim is a serial entrepreneur and digital media pioneer, who has been pushing the frontiers of interactive entertainment for the last 18 years. For the last 10 years, he has focused on creating engaging, innovative, educational games for some of the most recognizable children's brands; Hasbro, Star Wars, Thomas the Tank Engine, Barney, Fraggles, Angelina Ballerina. [TOP] |
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 Roxanne Christ |
Roxanne Christ is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins and is a member of the Corporate Department. Ms. Christ’s practice focuses on intellectual property, technology and media transactions, including both US-based and China-based cross-border acquisitions and dispositions of intellectual property portfolios; commercial loans secured by copyrights, patents and trademarks; securitizations of receivables arising from copyrighted works; licensing and strategic alliance agreements; and purchases, sales and restructurings of technology and media assets in bankruptcy. For several consecutive years, Ms. Christ has been recognized by Legal 500 US guides as a leading attorney in Technology, video and online gaming corporate advice and the Legal 500 US: Volume II - Intellectual Property, Media, Technology & Telecoms. As noted in the Chambers USA guide, Ms. Christ is considered by clients to be "one of the leaders in the burgeoning video game industry.” In 2010, she was selected by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the “Top 40 Lawyers” in Los Angeles for work in interactive media. Ms. Christ previously served as Co-chair of the Publications Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Special Committee on Computer Gaming and Virtual Worlds. [TOP] |
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 Doug Darby |
Doug Darby is the manager of creative and digital strategy for The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University. Doug manages brand development for the Guildhall, as well as advancement of its social media and digital ecosphere. He has over 12 years experience with digital agencies and in higher education providing strategic thought leadership and developing innovative initiatives and programs. Doug is actively involved in digital innovation, game-based learning, and lifestyle technologies research, and has presented and published on alternative learning technologies, social media and immersive strategies. He has served on the Advisory Board for the New Media Consortium's (NMC) Horizon Project for the last five years, contributing to the research and development of the project's annual report on emerging technologies published by the NMC and Educause. He received his MS in Digital Media in 2000 from Abilene Christian University, where he also recieved his BS in Psychology in 1988. [TOP] |
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 Chris Daskam |
Chris Daskam is the Founder of Big Disc Games, LLC. He consults regularly with executives from a variety of Disc Golf Manufacturers, Suppliers and Dealers to create the next big Franchise of Disc Golf Video Games. Chris also works for Frito Lay as a District Sales Leader. In conjunction with his current positions, he created a Facebook page (The Disc Golf Video Game Project) to gain insights from disc golfers and gamers on what they would like in a disc golf video game. Raised in Monroe, Wisconsin, Chris now lives with his wife, Sarah, in West Allis, Wisconsin. They’re expecting their first child on June 20th, 2013. Chris has grown “The Disc Golf Video Game Project” Facebook Page to over 2500 likes and secured eleven Disc Golf Manufacturers/Sponsors to work with him on the video game franchise. He was recently honored with the Ring of Honor award, at Frito Lay, for Notable Achievements in Sales and Perfect Service. In addition to his professional commitment to the video game and snack food world, Chris is an avid disc golfer, gamer and a black belt in Karate. He also likes to ride his motorcycle in the country when he gets the time. His goal is to make the next BIG Franchise of Disc Golf video games. [TOP] |
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 Evan E. Fitzmaurice |
Evan Fitzmaurice is an attorney with Selman Munson & Lerner P.C. Before joining Selman Munson & Lerner, Mr. Fitzmaurice served as the Director of The Texas Film Commission. He has an extensive background in practicing entertainment law, focused on film, television, and digital production company financings and related transactions, and previously worked with the entertainment law firm of Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris and Klein P.C. in Los Angeles, representing writer, director, actor and producer clients. Fitzmaurice practiced transactional law with the international firm of K&L Gates LLP in Los Angeles and Dallas, and in the Dallas office of Locke Lord LLP. He is a member of the State bars of Texas and California, and a past member of the Beverly Hills and Dallas Bar associations. Fitzmaurice has his own stake in the film business. He co-produced the 2007 documentary, A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar, which was named Best Texas Feature at the 2007 AFI Dallas International Film Festival. A Dallas native, Fitzmaurice holds a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin. [TOP] |
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 J. Holt Foster |
Holt Foster is a partner in the corporate and securities practice group of Thompson & Knight LLP. He has represented video game developers and publishers for almost 20 years. His practice includes all aspects of the gaming industry, from formation, financing, and IP protection, to the negotiation of international publishing and development agreements. His clients have released games across all gaming platforms including PC, Sony, Steam, Nintendo, Microsoft, Apple, Social Networks, and Arcade Machines, and include such titles as Borderlands, Medal of Honor, James Bond 007, Max Payne, Tiger Woods PGA Golf, Half Life, Quake, and Brothers in Arms. Holt’s practice also includes negotiating license agreements for such well-known Hollywood franchises as “Project Runway,” “Frank Miller’s Sin City,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Heat,” “Aliens,” “Gene Simmons,” “Blair Witch Project,” “MTV’s Jack Ass: The Movie,” and the “WWE.” In addition to the video game industry, Mr. Foster’s legal practice focuses on (i) assisting his clients’ money raising efforts through private placements, venture capital, and creative financing; (ii) structuring and negotiating high-tech and software transactions; (iii) mergers and acquisitions; (iv) international and domestic energy transactions; and (vi) private equity funds. Mr. Foster is also an entrepreneur. He was one of the founders of Gathering of Developers (godgames.com), an international video game publishing company, which ultimately was sold to Take Two Interactive/Rockstar Games. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Foster serves on a number of civic and charitable boards in the community. Mr. Foster received his JD from The University of Texas School of Law in 1995, was a member of The Texas International Law Journal, and from 1994-1995, served as president of the Phi Delta Phi scholastic honorary fraternity. He received a Certificate in International Jurisprudence from Queen Mary’s College at the University of London in 1994, and a BA in History from Davidson College in 1991. [TOP] |
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 Matt Himelfarb |
Matt Himelfarb is a managing partner of Dallas Venture Partners, a venture capital firm based in North Texas. He is an entrepreneurial JD/MBA with a background in all financial and legal aspects of private equity transactions and management. He has used his unique skill set to actively manage investments through their full life cycle: introduction to investment to sale. He has experience in both raising private equity funds and in sourcing investment opportunities. Formerly a Senior Associate with Trailblazer Capital, he was responsible for analyzing the firm's deal flow as well as managing the due diligence process for every one of the fund’s investments, bridge funding transactions and the sale of a portfolio company to a publicly traded corporation. Matt is a member of the State Bar of Texas, a board member at DeviceFidelity, Inc., a former President and current Board Member of DFW TeXchange and a frequent contributor to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (“NFTE”). Matt received both his law and business degrees from Southern Methodist University with a concentration in Finance. While in graduate school, Matt founded a digital music company where he was successful in both raising capital for his company and attracting local talent. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colgate University [TOP] |
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 Patrick Holleman |
Patrick Holleman is the founder of The Game Design Forum, a website dedicated to publishing research on the subject of videogame design. The site's flagship feature is the Reverse Design series, a number of textbook-chapter length articles that deconstruct all of the design decisions of classic best-sellers. The next chapter in this ongoing project is due out in February. [TOP] |
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 Kerry Hopkins |
Kerry Hopkins is Senior Director of Intellectual Property with Electronic Arts Inc., where she manages EA’s global intellectual property and policy programs. Before joining EA in 2006, Kerry was a member of the intellectual property litigation group at Reed Smith LLP. From 1994-2001, Kerry was with Sony Computer Entertainment America through the launches of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 game consoles and managed SCEA’s intellectual property compliance and anti-piracy programs for North America. Kerry earned her undergraduate degree from New York University and holds a juris doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of San Francisco. [TOP] |
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 Patrick Hudson |
Patrick Hudson is a principal co-founder and President and CEO of Robot Entertainment. Prior to Robot, Patrick was an Executive Producer at Ensemble Studios and led production efforts on Age of Empires III: The Warchiefs, Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties and a massively multiplayer online game prototype. Patrick has a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a MBA from Harvard Business School. [TOP] |
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 Zack Karlsson |
Zack Karlsson is the Vice President of Business Development & Digital Platforms at Capcom, where he oversees the digital, mobile & social games businesses and portfolios as well as business development activities for this leading interactive entertainment software publisher. Prior to Capcom, Mr. Karlsson was the Vice President of Business Development at Tim Schafer's award-winning development studio, Double Fine Productions, where he was responsible for all non-production related activities including Finance, Marketing, Business Development, HR, & Operations. Prior to Double Fine, Zack held the position of Senior Director of Business Development at NAMCO BANDAI Games America, Inc., where he was integral to the project acquisition and day-to-day operation of the company. An avid supporter of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and its mission to recognize excellence in the interactive arts, Zack served on the industry organization's Board of Directors for nearly 4 years from 2008 through 2011. Early in his career, Mr. Karlsson held various positions throughout the industry, primarily in the MMO space including working on Vanguard, EverQuest, Planetside, and Star Wars Galaxies. Zack Karlsson brings over a decade of professional commitment and dedication to the video games industry to his position. In addition to his professional commitment to the video games industry, Zack is an avid gamer. He travels more often than he would like, and spends every free moment he can riding his motorcycle and blowing bubbles underwater in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. [TOP] |
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 Mark Long |
Mark Long is the founder and CEO of Meteor Entertainment, Inc., a Free-to-Play game publisher and distributor in Seattle, WA. Mark is a New York Times bestselling author and prolific creator/producer of video games, graphic novels and feature films. In 2011, he founded Meteor with the sole purpose being to help their development partners create the best gaming experiences possible. By focusing solely on Free-to-Play gaming services, and in turn reducing the barriers to entry for all players, they reduce the barriers to entry for all players. Meteor's support of the creative process and independent developers has allowed games such as Adhesive Games’ Mech shooter HAWKEN, scheduled to release 12/12/12, to be brought to a global audience for free. Prior to founding Meteor, Long was founder and Co-CEO of Zombie Studios. Long has served on a number of advisory boards and committees including the University of Washington, the Producer’s Guild in Hollywood and the National Science Foundation. Long had a R&D career that spanned three laboratories: the Sarnoff Research Center, the Institute for Advanced Technology, and the CASE Laboratory. Long received his BS at the University of Texas, where he also received his commission in the US Army. [TOP] |
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 Carolyn Hoecker |
Carolyn Hoecker Luedtke is a partner in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP who acts as an advisor to a variety of social gaming companies, advising them on complicated intellectual property and employee mobility issues. Her practice focuses on complex business litigation with a particular emphasis in intellectual property, breach of contract, trade secret and employee mobility disputes. Ms. Luedtke has defined herself as a leading authority in the rapidly growing and complex online social gaming industry. Since the social gaming industry emerged in 2009, Luedtke has served as lead counsel in nearly every high profile litigation involving this new industry. She represented Playdom in a hotly contested dispute with Zynga over the departure of eleven Zynga employees for Playdom. She also represented Green Patch in a source code copyright litigation dispute against Zynga that settled on the eve of trial. And most recently, she represented Vostu, the largest social gaming company in South American, in copyright litigation in the United States and Brazil in which Vostu was accused of copying Zynga's most popular games. In addition to her litigation expertise, Ms. Luedtke counsels numerous social gaming companies in intellectual property, employment, and contractual matters. Because these social gaming disputes are so fact-intensive and can turn on the court's understanding of what is truly unique in the social gaming space, Luedtke's depth of experience in, and knowledge about, how social games operate and the history and evolution of social gaming features and mechanics makes her uniquely suited for this field. Ms. Luedtke holds a JD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. Her undergraduate degree is from Princeton University, also magna cum laude, in History and American Studies. [TOP] |
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 Edmund McMillen |
Edmund McMillen is a independent video game designer and artist known for his unique visual style, and an emphasis on careful level design and rewarding difficulty curves. Edmund has recently gained notariety as one of the few independent game developers profiled in Indie Game: The Movie, the 2012 documentary by filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot. The film chronicles the challenges McMillen faced during the development of his 2010 game Super Meat Boy. [TOP] |
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 Mark Methenitis |
Mark Methenitis is a transactional attorney with MetroPCS Wireless (NYSE:PCS), in Richardson, Texas. Prior to joining MetroPCS in 2011, Mr. Methenitis focused on the technology sector as an outside counsel, where he assisted with traditional business, intellectual property, and contractual issues as well as cutting-edge legal issues in emerging technology in the software and video games industries. He also advised clients on cross-border international and domestic United States transactions, including issues in franchising, licensing and distribution, international trade, indirect taxation, and "deemed exports." Mr. Methenitis is a well known speaker and writer, and his Law of the Game blog has been named one of the American Bar Association's Top 100 Legal Blogs. He has been published in the Journal of Visual Culture and the Gaming Law Review. Mr. Methenitis is also the President of the Board of Directors of the Dallas chapter of the International Game Developers Association and the Chair of the American Bar Association Science and Technology Section Virtual Worlds and Multi-User Online Games Committee. [TOP] |
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 Xuan-Thao Nguyen |
Professor Xuan-Thao Nguyen teaches Secured Transactions, Payment Systems, The Internet/Law of Electronic Commerce, Intellectual Property and International Intellectual Property at SMU Dedman School of Law. She focuses on the interdisciplinary of intellectual property, the Internet, commercial law and taxation in her teaching and scholarship. She has co-authored a treatise on IP and Information Licensing Law, and casebooks on IP and Information Licensing, IP Taxation, and IP Taxation Problems and Materials. She organizes and chairs the SMU Annual Symposium on Emerging Intellectual Property Issues. Professor Nguyen is the author of numerous articles for law journals and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. She also serves as expert witness in litigation matters. She was the first American law professor to lecture at the Vietnam National University Faculty of Law in Hanoi. She provides technical expertise to the Vietnamese government, law schools, and bar associations. Prior to entering academia, she practiced law at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (New York City) and Pryor, Cashman, Sherman & Flynn (New York City). Professor Nguyen holds a JD from Northeastern University School of Law and a BA from Oberlin College. [TOP] |
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 Paul Nichols |
Paul Nichols is the CEO of FutureTech Gaming and is an avid gamer. He blends 19 years of leadership experience cultivated from the education and entertainment industries into his management approach and is known as a “man-manager”. Paul is an award-winning composer and has been honored for different achievements in both public service and the arts. Since 2009 Paul has been the CEO of Sound Inventions Inc, designing circuits for recording equipment and developing app-based calculators for engineers. After selling Sound Inventions Inc to Symbiontech, he became involved with educational app developer GoKnow Mobile Solutions, focusing on teacher evaluation software and science curricula. With his management team in 2012, Paul started FutureTech Gaming, a technology company addressing issues in mobile and console gaming. Paul is an alumnus of Austin College and is currently enrolled at SMU’s Cox School of Business. [TOP] |
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 Steve Nix |
Steve Nix leads the strategic development and execution of GameStop's rapidly growing multichannel PC digital distribution business. Steve has more than 10 years of experience identifying, developing and bringing digital initiatives to market. He most recently served as Director of Digital Platforms at id Software LLC where he managed digital distribution for some of the biggest brands in gaming including DOOM, QUAKE, Wolfenstein and RAGE. Prior to that, Steve served as CEO of independent game developer, Ritual Entertainment, an early adopter of PC digital distribution. Before entering the video game development industry, Steve was a portfolio manager focused on quantitative trading at Smith Breeden Associates and then CFO at AnywhereYouGo.com. Steve graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University with a BBA in Finance and then continued his education earning an MBA from SMU where he was an Armentrout Scholar. Steve helped found The Guildhall at SMU, the premier video game development program in the U.S. and currently serves on its advisory board. He is also active in e-mentoring for the Dallas Independent School District. [TOP] |
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 JJ Richards |
JJ began his love affair with the game industry in the ‘80s working the floor of one of the first Babbage’s in Dallas, Texas. In the ‘90s, he worked at McKinsey & Co. helping Fortune 50 companies get online, and doing pro bono work for fledgling game companies. In the ‘00s, he moved to Seattle and helped launch the 360 generation of Xbox Live, including the Marketplace, Arcade, and Points. As General Manager, he drove the strategy and managed the P&L for the Xbox Live business, growing a 10 million strong community and creating a $100M profit engine around subscriptions, transactions, and advertising. Other launch initiatives included video chat & IM, the leading U.S. HD VoD service, Live to the PC, and advertising. In the late ‘00s, when Microsoft bought aQuantive, JJ helped form the Microsoft Advertising division. There he led the targeting platform, shared services like strategy, planning, and privacy, and was tasked with the turnaround of Massive, the in-game advertising subsidiary. In the ‘10s, he created Spontaneous QuirK to help launch startups and work with innovative Indies in the social and mobile space, since that’s the most exciting part of today’s game industry. [TOP] |
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 W. Keith Robinson |
Professor W. Keith Robinson teaches and writes in the areas of property, intellectual property, patent law, and law and technology. His current research focuses on analyzing the challenges small firms face in obtaining patent rights via the current U.S. Patent system. He has written or lectured on patent lawsuit avoidance, the patenting of business methods, joint infringement, and the USPTO's examination guidelines. Before joining SMU, Professor Robinson was an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School. Professor Robinson practiced law in Washington, DC, at Foley and Lardner LLP as a member of the electronics practice group. Prior to practicing law, Professor Robinson was a technology consultant for Ernst & Young LLP and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young LLC. He counseled clients on software development processes, developed customized software solutions and designed and implemented client/server security architectures. Professor Robinson holds a JD, cum laude, from the Duke University Law School, as well as a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. [TOP] |
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 Mark Smith |
Mark Smith is the Vice President of The Center for American and International Law. He serves as Dean of the Center’s Academy of American and International law, and directs the Center’s Institute for International and Comparative Law and its Institute for Local Government Studies. He is also responsible for the Center’s programs on Actual Innocence. Mark previously was the Executive Director of The West Virginia State Bar and served as Assistant to the Executive Director of the American Bar Association. He has chaired the Dallas Committee for International Visitors and was President of the Volunteer Center of Collin County. He has taught public sector strategic planning and contemporary American conflicts at the University of Texas at Dallas and serves on the Board of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Mark received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Yale University. [TOP] |
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 Patrick Sweeney |
Patrick Sweeney is one of the leading attorneys in the games industry, having served both as in-house and external counsel to a variety of video game companies in his career. He represents various publishers, independent developers, IP owners and technology/middleware providers. In his 12+ years in the games industry, Patrick has negotiated an array of game development agreements, resulting in the commercial release of more than 250 game titles across all distribution platforms and territories. In addition, he has represented clients with respect to game rights for more than 50 major licenses, including motion pictures, television, comic book, music, and dance/fitness properties, as well as negotiated various technology licenses and other supplemental agreements inherent to the games industry. Patrick has written or been featured in various articles on video-game-related topics for publications such as The Daily Journal and Game Developer Magazine. In addition, Patrick is a frequent speaker on video game panels and seminars on behalf of organizations such as: Law Seminars International, International Game Developers Association, American Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, and the Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel. He is also an adjunct professor at Southwestern Law School, where he teaches "Video Game Agreements." Patrick is also a founding member and co-President of the Video Game Bar Association. [TOP] |
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 Scott Ticer |
Scott Ticer is an active angel investor and startup executive who founded and serves as Principal of Princeton Avenue Partners. He is a seasoned communications and digital media executive with extensive new business creation, development and operations expertise. He has served in key roles at Dow Jones, Computer Sciences, BellSouth, McGraw Hill, and as an entrepreneur at successful upstarts VentureWire and Covad, and airBand Communications, where he was a co-founder. He also co-founded and operates a small wireless ISP in Dallas called Tieless Communications. Ticer advises startups and provides management consulting services out of Dallas, Texas. He co-founded a new, non-profit angel capital association called Lone Star Angels to connect investors with startup opportunities in North Texas. He has extensive experience in helping create and grow new businesses, having raised nearly $300 million in capital for privately-held companies since 1998. Prior to relocating to Dallas, Ticer was vice president of business development for VentureWire, an information service of Dow Jones & Co., Inc. He led the sale of Technologic Partners to Dow Jones, and has more than 25 years experience in the communications and information services industries. Prior to VentureWire, Mr. Ticer was one of four co-founders of airBand Communications Inc., a Sevin Rosen-backed startup in Dallas providing wireless internet access, serving as vice president of business development and network operations. Before airBand, he was the founding business development executive at Covad Communications, crafting key partnerships with AT&T, Qwest and Concentric Networks, helping pave the way for Covad's IPO. Prior to Covad, Mr. Ticer served as a principal at Computer Sciences Corp.'s management consultant unit, and oversaw alliances, partnerships and product development at BellSouth Wireless. He began his career as a reporter and editor after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin's Plan II honors program, working for Times Mirror, Tribune Co. and McGraw Hill's BusinessWeek magazine. [TOP] |
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 Grant Yang |
Grant Yang is a co-founder of Kumakore, LLC, an indie game company. Grant practiced intellectual property litigation in New York, California, and Tokyo, was a former Patent Examiner, and also clerked for the Federal District Court in the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division. Grant started his gaming career at Newtoy, where he was counsel and also a product manager on such products as Words With Friends before its acquisition by Zynga. As a Director of Operations at the Zynga With Friends studio he worked on a variety of new IP including Hanging With Friends and Matching With Friends and has expertise with both the iOS and Android platforms. Grant has a law degree from Duke University and a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from Duke University. Grant helps to code prototypes on occasion, using his technical knowledge gained when he obtained a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University. [TOP] |
