The red pill/blue talk at Techlawfest 2021’ aka ‘What from the #videogaming world could tech lawyers apply to the #metaverse?’

Learnt so much from the expert and entertaining panelists in our session at #techlawfest Eugene, Weng and Prof Ko.  Was fun moderating them - thanks!

From in-game swords, #NFT and user-generated content (#UGC) to property rights and #ODR, to earning a living in someone’s basement and AML, to #TheMatrix, #spiritualopium #privacy and more at the intersection of the real and virtual worlds, we also had (in my humble opinion) the most colourful and prop-filled panel at TLF. 🙂

p.s. Our September 2021 talk predated Facebook and its Meta announcement

- Adrian
#techlaw #lawoftech


Synopsis from the TLF page :

[Leaders Dialogue] Reality Bytes: Emerging Legal Issues at the Intersection of Real and Virtual Worlds Using Video Games & E-Sports as a Microcosm Synopsis: E-Sports and video games – especially those which utilise Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) are uniquely situated at the convergence of a number of real world and virtual world law of technology issues. Legal and policy issues surrounding AR/VR, 5G low latency infrastructure, and sophisticated game-world economies that interact with real-world ones are just some of the issues that tech lawyers will face if they cater to clients in the video game and e-sports sectors. Arguably, the pill to swallow is no longer a simple choice between Red or Blue (yes, that is a Matrix reference) but the need to dive deep into the intersectional issues that arise between real, virtual, law, and tech that challenge how we approach the law of tech and how we practise technology law. This session reflects on these intersectional areas and the top emerging legal issues to watch.

Moderator: Mr Adrian Kwong, Managing Director, Consigclear LLC

Speakers:

• Mr Eugene Marder, Senior Counsel, Twitch
  
• Mr Weng Yip, Vice President, Legal, Razer Inc
• Professor Haksoo Ko, Professor, Seoul National University Law School
  

Adrian was interviewed by Channel NewsAsia for #TalkingPoint on loot boxes in video games.

A wide-ranging episode that heard - in 23 minutes - from not just the lawyer (at 9:45 onwards), but a young gamer, a counsellor, a poker player, an addiction-focussed psychiatrist, a game developer, and a parent. Gambling and addiction risk were obviously a focus.

Beyond the very short sound bite in video, he says : " I don’t think Singapore legislation currently covers loot boxes, and expect the new local gambling regulator to be taking a closer look at whether more is needed. While some game companies have gone very far, arguably negatively impacting the user experience, I’m also not sure a new law is the only answer, though.

At a practical level, parents need to both understand how these increasingly prevalent game monetisation tools work, and learn how to educate and supervise (including account and payment settings) their children accordingly. It is good that Singapore’s education ministry has already started to include the topic in its cyber wellness programme."

Do find out more by watching the episode at CNA at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/talking-point-fy2021/the-hidden-dangers-of-loot-boxes-13960232 and on Youtube 

#lootboxes #videogamelaw #singapore (images screen capped from CNA)

Honoured to be among those asked by Lianhe Zaobao to share thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on lawyers and the local Singapore adoption of legal technology, including the Consigclear experience in innovation.

Adrian : Enjoyed being a panelist for the Legal Tech Track of the Tech3 Forum 2020 Black Swans & Blue Ocean: A New Digital Paradigm, organised by the Singapore Computer Society with support from Singapore Academy of Law, IMDA, and others.

Jack Ow and Joey Pang led wonderfully with two masterclasses on ‘The Future of Work for Lawyers - How to do legal work’, leaving the discussion on  "Lessons Learnt - Best Practices on Digital Lawyering" to ‘it has to work for the client’ Rakesh Kirpalani, ‘being paperless from the start made us ready for lockdown divorces’ June Lim and myself, superbly (prepared and) moderated by ‘it just works’ Josh.

#digitallawyering  #futureofwork 

Proud to have attended the 2nd year anniversary for the Future Law Innovation Programme (FLIP) last week, as the 2 year pilot #FLIPbySAL drew to an end.

We were proud that Consigclear LLC was mentioned at both the 2018 launch and at the 2020 conclusion of the pilot. We were also glad that with the support of the FLIP team and others, we helped set a innovative precedent for the practice of law in Singapore from co-working spaces. 

FLIP put Singapore firmly on the map, helped spark and normalise discussions within the profession about the changing #legalindustry landscape,  and served as a focus for a growing community.

Adrian was also pleased to have helped give back as a mentor in GLIDE.

A big thank you to the FLIP team and the many we crossed paths with during this journey.

#FLIPioneer  #legaltech  #legalinnovation

Some scenes from Adrian's days at #techlawfest 2019, including speaking on the ‘Legal Issues Facing a Smart Nation’ panel. 

"Singapore has embarked on an ambitious multi-year Smart Nation initiative. How exactly do the Strategic National Projects come together to help fulfil the Smart Nation vision and what are the legal issues that these projects may raise? How might the work of lawyers change as the Smart Nation initiatives are realised? What might we be able to learn from private sector leaders in digitalisation? What are the opportunities for providers of legal technology and legal services? And what are the adaptations needed by the legal industry to play an active role in the Smart Nation vision?" from TLF programme page.

Thanks to excellent moderator Yeong Zee Kin, and fellow panelists Kok Yam, Ivan Koh, Steve Tan, & Jo Yeo for helping make the topic surprisingly amusing. Ranging from epayments to national digital identity and signatures, we also managed mentioning various other useful use cases, including for massage establishments. #smartnation #singapore #myinfo  

Big congrats and thanks to all organising this year’s event! To more in the #legalinnovation and #legaltech space!

#singaporeacademyoflaw
#futurelawinnovationprogram #FLIP #technologylawyers

Photo credits : Tech Law Fest (as watermarked), Singapore Academy of Law (group shot), Adrian (brochure).

ps. If you are curious about Singapore's Smart Nation Programme initiatives, do check out their site here. Especially the My Smart Ah Ma video series.

A great first visit by Adrian to #gamescom2019 Cologne, Germany as part of the joint mission by Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board.  Happy as the only Singapore law firm attending to help represent the #Singapore #gaming and #esports ecosystem in this joint internationalisation effort, as well as see how the world’s biggest gaming event works before it comes to Singapore in October 2020 at the inaugural gamescom asia #gamescomAsia #gaminglawyers #esportslawyers

Am looking forward to being part of that, especially the business conference and helping SG indies. #SGgamedev #SGGames
 
Was wonderful meeting fellow Singapore companies in the sector, as well as reconnecting with both old friends and also finally meeting in person luminaries in the video game law sector at the VGBA European summit at #Devcom.

Do reach out if you have questions or would like to work together!

Press coverage of the events, mission and Gamescom Asia 2020 :

1. Straits Times via Enterprise Singapore : "Local game developers go global".
2. Channel News Asia : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-companies-looking-to-capitalise-on-region-s-fast-11885172
3.  Gamescom Asis 2020 via GameAxis : "https://www.gameaxis.com/news/gamescom-asia-2020-announced-for-singapore-is-here-to-stay/"
4. Video  Games Bar Association European Summit 2019.

Adrian was asked by online portal Asiaone for his views on microtransactions, free-to-play games in Asia, and whether MTX fueled addiction, following the recent WHO news on gaming disorder. As part of the team that built a PC online and mobile gaming business across 15 Asia territories using Electronic Arts (EA) intellectual property in a F2P/MTX/live services model for Asia markets as the "thin edge of the wedge" for console- and AAA-focused Western companies, he was happy to weigh in.

“On the one hand, you do have that addiction worry. On the other hand, as a dev seeking sticky and engaged users who will hopefully be invested enough to want to spend on items or a season pass, you have some motivation to want to include a ‘compulsion loop’, right?” said the veteran lawyer.

While Kwong is agnostic about gaming-addiction-as-a-disease, he does care about addiction in general, especially for the young. Ultimately, he’s a realist — at the end of the day, he doesn’t think these aspects of games can really be banned. "I don’t think monetisation through free-to-play and microtransactions are inherently necessarily bad, and the reality is it did result in big and long-lasting changes to how games are made, and the business of games,” Kwong explained. 

Read more in the article - long read - here.