Unlike other creative industries, video games draw on the worlds of both technology and

creativity. In this IP-intensive industry, IP rights are associated both with the tools used to
develop games and the content included in the game. Developing a proactive IP strategy is
essential to the success of a developer’s enterprise, a challenging task in a fast-growing
industry further compounded by a lack of harmonisation.

Please find below a breakdown of a videogame’s elements and how to protect them:

Source code

IP
is protected
through copyright

Characters,
buildings, maps,

in conceptual art

video
and box design
are all protected

games
through copyright

Soundtrack and
sound effects
created for the
videogame are
protected through
copyright

Script, dialogue
and the story play
are protected as a
literary work
og a m es through copyright
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