Promise Legal Insights (Page 3)

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Copyright Registration for Music: The Two-Work Trap and How to Actually Register a Song

Copyright Registration for Music: The Two-Work Trap and How to Actually Register a Song

Most independent musicians register only the recording, leaving the composition unprotected. A practical guide to PA versus SR, combined claims, GRAM and GRUW, the three-month statutory damages window, and how to avoid the traps that void registrations.

PRO Disputes: How ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC Actually Enforce — and What Musicians Should Know

PRO Disputes: How ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC Actually Enforce — and What Musicians Should Know

ASCAP and BMI operate under federal antitrust consent decrees; SESAC and GMR don't. A practical guide to how each PRO actually enforces, what songwriters and venue operators should do when a demand letter arrives, and three traps that turn small disputes into expensive ones.

Sync Licensing Basics: What the TV-and-Film Deal Actually Says

Sync Licensing Basics: What the TV-and-Film Deal Actually Says

Every sync placement is two licenses (composition + master) and a stack of clauses that decide what the production can do, where, and for how long. A practical guide to deal terms, traps, performance royalties, and what to negotiate before you sign.

Copyright Registration for Image Series: When to File Single, Group, or Unpublished Photo Registrations

Copyright Registration for Image Series: When to File Single, Group, or Unpublished Photo Registrations

Visual artists with series work face a registration choice that decides fees, statutory damages, and what evidence holds up at trial. A practical map of single, group, and unpublished registration paths — with the gating questions that pick your filing form.

DMCA Counter-Notice Playbook: How Streamers Fight Copyright Strikes (And When Not To)

DMCA Counter-Notice Playbook: How Streamers Fight Copyright Strikes (And When Not To)

A copyright strike on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, or Kick can take down your video in hours and threaten your channel. The DMCA counter-notice is your statutory tool to fight back — but it's a sworn legal document, not a support ticket. Here's how the mechanics work and when to use them.

Platform ToS Surprises: What Streamers Learn the Hard Way About Bans, Demonetization, and Appeals

Platform ToS Surprises: What Streamers Learn the Hard Way About Bans, Demonetization, and Appeals

Platform ToS agreements let Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok ban, demonetize, or remove your content with little notice and limited recourse. Here's what the contracts actually say — and how to protect yourself.

AI-Generated Assets in Your Game: Who Owns Them, and What Do You Have to Disclose?

AI-Generated Assets in Your Game: Who Owns Them, and What Do You Have to Disclose?

Fully AI-generated game assets have no copyright protection under current U.S. law. Your contractor's IP assignment clause may transfer nothing when they use AI tools. Steam requires disclosure before you can ship. Here's what to do about all three.

NFT and Blockchain Art: What Legal Questions Survived the Bubble

NFT and Blockchain Art: What Legal Questions Survived the Bubble

The NFT market collapsed. The legal questions didn't. Artists still face unsettled issues around what buyers actually own, why royalties stopped paying out, and what happens to art stored on platforms that no longer exist.

Age Ratings and COPPA: What Indie Studios Need to Know

Age Ratings and COPPA: What Indie Studios Need to Know

If your game is aimed at kids or teens — or even if you didn't intend it that way but kids play it anyway — age ratings and COPPA compliance are not optional. Here's what applies to indie studios and what compliance requires.

AI-Generated Game Assets: Copyright, Contracts, and Platform Disclosure

AI-Generated Game Assets: Copyright, Contracts, and Platform Disclosure

If your studio uses AI-generated art, music, or writing, you have IP exposure your contracts almost certainly don't cover — and platform disclosure requirements with hard deadlines. Here's what copyright law, your contractor agreements, and Steam's content survey actually require.

Abstract illustration of a game controller integrated with EU regulatory iconography

The Digital Services Act and Your Game: What Indie Studios Have to Do

The EU Digital Services Act has been in force since February 2024. If your game has in-game chat, UGC, or cloud features serving EU players, your studio may have direct DSA obligations — even as a small indie studio. Here’s what the law requires, and where smaller studios get a break.

Lootbox Laws by Jurisdiction: What Indie Studios Must Know Before Launch

Lootbox Laws by Jurisdiction: What Indie Studios Must Know Before Launch

Lootbox regulation is a patchwork — what's legal in the US may get your game pulled from Belgium, and the Netherlands has issued million-euro fines. Here's the jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdown indie studios need before launch.

Indie Game Studio Formation and IP Basics: What Every Dev Needs to Know

Indie Game Studio Formation and IP Basics: What Every Dev Needs to Know

Entity formation, IP ownership, copyright registration, and trademark protection — the legal fundamentals every indie game studio needs before shipping.