On November 4, 2022, the 4th annual conference of the Research Center for Esports Law took place on the topic of "The Influence of the publisher on the Ecosystems in Esports" at RCADIA Hamburg.

The intention of the event was to provide a platform for the exchange of views and discussions on current legal topics in Esports. The 4th annual conference focused on the central stakeholder in Esports, the publisher of the computer game. After an introduction concerning the central position of the publisher, his influence on the different stakeholders was examined with regard to different areas of law.

The event was also transmitted via livestream on Twitch. The footage of the 4th annual conference can be accessed via the following link on YouTube.

Speakers and Panelists

• Dwayne Bach, Legal Trainee at Baker McKenzie Düsseldorf
• Prof. Dr. Dieter Frey, LL.M. (Bruges), Frey Attorneys at Law, Cologne
• Prof. Christopher Grieben, University of Applied Management, Cologne
• Dr. Valentin Horst, LL.M. (Glasgow), Legal Trainee at Baker McKenzie Frankfurt
• Prof. Dr. Jens Junge, Director of the Institute for Ludology, SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences
• Prof. Dr. Martin Maties, Professor of Law at the University of Augsburg, Research Center for Esports Law
• Nepomuk Nothelfer, SKW Schwarz Attorneys at Law, Esports Research Network, SpoPrax
• Maximilian Pöhner, PhD student at the University of Augsburg
• Dr. Philipp Schlotthauer, Research associate at the University of Augsburg, Research Center for Esports Law
• Dr. Tobias Scholz, University of Siegen, Chair of Human Resource Management and Organization, Esports Research Network
• Fabian Ziermann, LL.M. (LSE), LL.M. (LMU), PhD student at the WU Vienna

Presentations

• Prof. Dr. Dieter Frey - Esports and Law - An Overview
• Dr. Valentin Horst - The factual and technical position of power of the publisher
• Dwayne Bach/Fabian Ziermann - From delimitation of the market to abuse of power
• Maximilian Pöhner - Streaming of user-generated content without a license agreement
• Nepomuk Nothelfer/Dr. Philipp Schlotthauer - Fireside Chat: The influence of publishers on professional gamers

Panel

• Prof. Christopher Grieben, Prof. Dr. Jens Junge, Prof. Dr. Martin Maties, Dr. Tobias Scholz
• Panel with the speakers and Dr. Andreas Jens (BluePort Legal)

Agenda

9.30 a.m. – 10.00 a.m.: Welcome

• Slot 1 (10.00 a.m. – 10.15 a.m.): Beginning of the Stream
• Inauguration of the conference (Prof. Dr. Martin Maties)
• Greeting by RCADIA
• Slot 2 (10.15 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.): Esports and Law - An Overview (Prof. Dr. Dieter Frey)
• Slot 3 (11.00 a.m. – 11.45 a.m.): The factual and technical position of power of the publisher (Dr. Valentin Horst)

11.45 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.: Lunch 

• Slot 4 (1.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m.): Interdisciplinary panel on the development of Esports in sciences (Prof. Dr. Christopher Grieben, Prof. Dr. Jens Junge, Prof. Dr. Martin Maties, Dr. Tobias Scholz)
• Slot 5 (2:00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m.): From delimitation of the market to abuse of power (Dwayne Bach, Fabian Ziermann, LL.M. (LSE), LL.M. (LMU))
• Slot 6 (3.15 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.): Streaming user-generated content without a license agreement (Maximilian Pöhner)

4.00 p.m. – 4.15 p.m.: Coffee/Break

• Slot 7 (4.15 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.): Fireside Chat: The influence of publishers on professional gamers (Nepomuk Nothelfer, Dr. Philipp Schlotthauer)
• Slot 8 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.): General panel with the speakers and Dr. Andreas Jens (BluePort Legal)

6.00 p.m.: Conclusion and Farewell

Afterwards: Evening get-together (with prior notification)