Summit X: two weeks to start

Good morning, sky!
Good morning, sun!
Good morning, counsels who run!
Good morning, trees!
Good morning, bees!
Good morning devcom attendees!
How did you find out it was day?
Your Deutsche Bahn was late again?

We salute the community members who are this week in Cologne, at devcom / VGBA Euro / Gamescom. Fun fact: the city of Cologne, and a certain establishment on Venloer Straße, are featured in the case of the upcoming 9th season of Legal Challenge (which we'll introduce at the Summit).

Here in Vilnius, the clock is ticking: we are exactly 2 weeks away from the start of the conference, and we're locking down all the supplies, including the most important of them all: the ice cream. How many vanilla sticks, to be dipped into the bitter melted chocolate on the spot, should we produce? We went for 400. Too much if it's going to rain, too little if it's going to be a heat wave. But perhaps it's going to be just right, if the mornings are fresh and the afternoons are sunny. Fingers crossed 🤞.

Today, let's talk about attendee stats, agenda, and practical matters that will help you to make the most of the conference.

Attendee & Ambitions

Above is a snapshot of the attendee groups, 2023-2025.

Last year, when we ran a small legal event at the Zambartas winery, I asked Marcos about the custom of mixing wine and water in the days of the Roman Empire – is this where we should be heading? His response was that the ambition of the modern winemaker is to create a taste that's both fine and concentrated, and it's a goal that's very much at odds with dilution.

It's good that Marcos knows what he's after. And what about our own ambition? Throughout the last ten years, like Nokia of the old, we have been connecting people: 'increasing the density of games industry's legal network', let's put it this way – one email at a time. Each new expert who came recommended by studio peers, was everyone's win: another great counsel who makes the community richer.

Mission critical for our attendees is twofold: (1) meeting new firms and new studios from new regions, who add new expertise ("new", which does a lot of heavy lifting here, is subjective: new to the specific attendee, not to the conference, though sometimes these will mean the same) (2) exchanging experience and aligning perspectives within the existing community (when sharing best practices allows multiple firms and studios to learn from the practical experience of just a few).

Like Zambartas, we aim for increasing the concentration of expertise; hence the limit on the number of attendees per studio per event, and the high barrier for law firms from the well-established, already well-represented regions.

With the introduction of Summit On Tour, we managed to allow both firms and studios to establish closer connections, with more people having direct access to each other for advice or reference – without overcrowding.

We also see more firms and studios represented: a higher density of human network. In 2025, Rome hosted 270, and Vilnius will host 330-340 people – that's over 600 seats between the two (with an overlap of just 20%).

So what's a "success" for our attendees, what do we want to happen? It's meeting new experts whom you can consult later on + returning with new ideas inspired by the sessions in the agenda or by the conversations that happen around the courtyard (which is why we try to balance the program and the social elements).

Timeline

This year's agenda has 13 panels on it – 1 more than last year; but we keep the timing of the start, the end, and the breaks the same on both days, to make it easier to orient yourselves.

• The breakfast bar is open from 08:00 to 10:00 on each of the days.
• Every session ends with a 15-minute coffee break (except when it's lunch).
• The lunches start 12:30 and last for 90 minutes, until 14:00.
• The dinners begin at 18:00 (drinks) / 19:00 (food), and run until 22:00.
• After 22:00, the tables remain available for after-hours conversations.

In terms of timing, this year's shortest sessions are the fireside chat about Epic Games vs Apple and Google and the panel on audit, both at 30 minutes (both may get extended if the interest holds).

7 sessions run for 45 minutes each.

4 panels extend to 1 hour: the discussion of DFA, the session on privacy in the context of advertising, the talk about challenges around culture and sovereignty, and the panel on compliant engagement of minors.

Agenda: An Overview

This is just an overview, listing solely the leads. We aim to publish the detailed agenda on the website by the end of this week.

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 3

• We open the conference with the hour-long Red Lines, Black Lists: Issues of Culture & Sovereignty in Games XC (leads: Efraín Olmedo and Felix Hilgert), a massive panel with 6 speakers presenting and 22 experts consulting off-stage. The panel grew out of the discussions about cultural heritage and content clearance. Content clearance is now earmarked for Summit On Tour IV, while the harder issues related to culture and other 'invisible but explosive' issues form the basis of this session.
• We then move to another headliner – DFA: Squaring the Fair, lead by Konni Ewald. 6 speakers, 60 minutes, and a complex matter to talk through.
• Following lunch break, we move to the second block of the program, where Anna Morgan delivers the sequel to the panel that won the Audience Choice Awards last year: Compliant Engagement of Minors XC 2.0.
• And while we still have the issues related to minors in your heads, Isabel Davies and a panel of experts (6 in total) will talk about age assurance at Rest Assured! XC.
• At number 5 is the record-breaking panel on preliminary injunctions, lead by Christian Rauda, with 3 counsels on stage and 27 experts consulting: Sumptūs et Effectūs Interdictorum Praeliminarium (in territoria varia). Rumor has it that Christian intends to present the entire panel in Latin.
• The last session of the day is a fireside chat between Paul Gardner and Canon Pence: Epic Games vs Apple, Google (I'll be in the audience with a roaming microphone, if you guys will have any good questions). The only pressure we have to wrap this fireside, is the Industry Dinner, where drinks will be available from 18:00 and the food will be served from 19:00.

SEPTEMBER 4 | THURSDAY

• The second day of the program begins with An easy to understand title for a talk about the practical use of AI in video games XC, dedicated to studio policies around LLM. 6 panelists, lead by Christian Rauda, will discuss how many "r" are in "strawberry", and how many lawsuits are in the pipeline for the LLM platforms (not necessarily in this order).
• The second panel of the day, co-lead by Karin Pagnanelli and Theresa Bowman, is called Addiction: Repealed!, and deals with lawsuits claiming that video games are addictive – in the US, with input from other regions as well.
• And before we let you go for lunch, we've got the panel that's been in the works for a while: Anatomy of an Audit, with me providing the context and Dirk Smets, a veteran and a greatly respected expert with several games audits under his belt, providing the substance.
• Following lunch break (and coffees), an hour-long headliner is served: Privacy, Advertising & Data Monetization in Games XC, with Daniel Goldberg leading a group of studio and regional experts.
• One shot of espresso later, Marc Mayer and his crew of in-house and law firm counsels shine a spotlight on the liability of platforms: A Rose by Any Other Name XC talks about what 'a platform' is, and what is the extent of its responsibility.
• Following the coffee break that, in addition to coffee, also offers beer and chips (home-made), we have a conversation that we cannot not have: Can't Live with You, Can't Live Without You XC, with Ryan Morrison leading a panel of 5 counsels who will unpack the structure of influencer economy, the types of deals made there (and challenges encountered), and the tools that are available to bring at least some level of control into such collaborations.
• The last panel of the day is meant to stimulate your brains for the deeper conversations that will follow during the Garden Diner: Industry Radar 2025 is a session that has a banker, a law firm lawyer, a studio counsel, and a studio manager, supervised by a writer, talking about the big events in the games industry that have the potential to affect the legal work that we do.

First Announcements

We started to announce the specific panels on LinkedIn, where you can easily connect with the on-stage and off-stage presenters:

DFA: Squaring the Fair (one correction: Video Games Europe will be represented not by Ann Becker, but by Anselm Rodenhausen).

An easy to understand title for a talk about the practical use of AI in video games XC (aka the LLM panel)

A Rose by Any Other name XC (aka the platform liability panel)

Anatomy of an Audit

Sumptūs et Effectūs Interdictorum Praeliminarium (in territoria varia) (aka Preliminary Injunctions XC)

Welcome Center

As a reminder, from 14:o0 on Tuesday, September 2, we will operate a Welcome Center for the first-time attendees, in the restaurant zone of Hotel PACAI. Come to pick up your attendee bag ahead of the reception – stay for Campari Soda and kombucha, and to make new friends (no pressure though).

Red Carpet

Like in 2024, on Tuesday, September 2, we will have a dedicated Red Carpet zone at the entrance to Hotel PACAI, where a professional photographer (Laima) will be happy to take your group shots. Why not use this opportunity to get an up-to-date, fancy profile picture? These photos are released after the conference as a separate gallery (here's one from last year).

Relay Race

Whether you like running, or you like scoring extra chips for the Red Wolf Roulette, or both, you can still sign up for the Relay Race that happens in the morning of Wednesday, September 3 (the form: here). We depart at 07:00 from Hotel PACAI, and we return there by 08:00. Registration required, as we must balance the teams!

Summit Cups (日本製)

We continue to accept pre-orders for Summit-inspired cups created as a collaboration with Asemi Co., made in Japan. To reserve, please email Alma.

Attendee Bags

The attendee bags have arrived: we opted for this year's key color on the handles, but left the main surface in natural color. We hope that you will reuse these bags on your holiday, or to transport a few things around town – they are pretty solid.

Please note the luggage tag that will have your name on it: this is how you can tell your bag from another person's bag. We hope that you will also reuse it beyond this conference.

Monday Dinner, and other matters

This is an assortment of news that need to come across:

• if you have not confirmed your hotel dates by now, you may be in trouble – please mind the deadlines for cancellation-free changes in booking;
• a lot of people have already provided their arrival flights: congratulations, we have a pickup arranged for you! please note that there will be no pickups for attendees who have not shared their arrival details with Alma at least 72 hours in advance.
• no drop-offs, no drop-offs, no drop-offs. please arrange directly via hotel or a taxi company (Alma has the contact details, if you need).
• there will be running groups on the morning of Tuesday (09:00), Wednesday (Relay Race 07:00) and Thursday (07:00). please get in touch with Evelina Georgiades and Andy Ramos for additional details.
• a number of people arrive early, including some who land on the weekend. on Monday night, about 20 counsels are going out for Monday Dinner of spicy food and some light beers. if you're in town early and would like to join, please email me or Alma. it's a good way to meet new people (provided you do not order chicken vindaloo, and do not wash it down with Beluga).

That's about it for now – see you later!

Sergei / Charlie Oscar