S. Gregory Boyd, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz PC.

S. Gregory Boyd is a partner and the chairman of the Interactive Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit. Mr. Boyd has extensive experience negotiating and drafting game development agreements for consoles, PC’s, mobile games, social games, online games, and MMO's. Mr. Boyd negotiates, structures, and drafts agreements for multiple game and high technology media publishers and developers. Mr. Boyd also has experience with legal documents associated with the ongoing operations of online games, social networks, branded entertainment, and high technology media outlets.

Mr. Boyd is co-author and editor of Business and Legal Primer for Game Development (Charles River Media) and serves as an Adjunct Professor at New York Law School. He is frequently quoted in Gamasutra, Edge-Online, CNN, Fortune, Forbes, and the New York Law Journal. Mr. Boyd has his JD and MD degrees from University of North Carolina (Chancellor’s Scholar, with honors, 2004). Mr. Boyd wrote for the North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology. He also has an MBA from the NYU-Stern School of Business (2009), and is a graduate of East Carolina University (MS 1998, BS magna cum laude, 1996). He is admitted to practice law in New York and is a registered patent attorney with the USPTO.

Brian F. Colin, Game Refuge, Inc.

The founder and president of the Chicagoland game development company Game Refuge Inc., Brian F Colin is a vastly experienced Game Designer, Artist, Animator, & Development Group Leader with over 34 years in the videogame industry and over 80+ titles to his credit in the Coin-Op Arcade, Home Console, PC, Casino, Mobile and Social Game markets... including the creation of some of the most-popular, highest-earning & best-selling titles in video game history! 

Some of his better known games include: Rampage, Pigskin 621 AD, Xenophobe, Arch Rivals, Rampage World Tour, Star Trek Voyager, and General Chaos .

William K. Ford, The John Marshall Law School

William K. Ford is an Associate Professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He teaches courses in contract law and intellectual property, including a course on video game law. He has published law journal articles or book chapters on copyright issues in the early video game industry, the right of publicity and games, trademark issues and video games, and the litigation over state restrictions on minors’ access to violent video games. A forthcoming book chapter focuses on the use of scientific evidence in the state legislatures prior to enacting those restrictions on violent video games. Professor Ford received his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 2003.

Dona Fraser, Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

Dona Fraser is Vice President of the ESRB Privacy Certified program, which helps companies ensure they are in compliance with the growing complexity of privacy protection laws in the United States and Canada, European Union (EU), Asia-Pacific region and South America.

In overseeing the ESRB Privacy Certified program, which is one of only seven Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-approved COPPA Safe Harbor programs, Dona works closely with the FTC, Department of Commerce, various state and federal legislators and attorneys general in resolving top level privacy issues for consumers. On a day-to-day basis, Dona advises members (e.g. Nintendo, Activision, Sony and others) on how to overcome the everyday practical hurdles that video game and social networking companies face in developing and implementing responsible online and mobile privacy practices.

She works closely with member companies on compliance with privacy protection laws in the U.S. and abroad, including COPPA, CAN-SPAM, PIPEDA, and various E.U. laws while helping companies develop sound information practices that foster consumer confidence in an online environment.

Under Dona’s direction, ESRB Privacy Certified has expanded to include privacy seals and guidelines for compliance in the E.U. and in the mobile app environment. She has also developed best practices in the areas of social networking, downloadable games, behavioral advertising and much more.

Frank Goldberg, Zynga, Inc.

Frank Goldberg is Associate General Counsel of Intellectual Property at Zynga Inc., where he leads the company’s IP practice. He specializes in trademark and copyright prosecution and enforcement, counseling, and litigation. He also advises on publicity issues, content clearance, IP licenses, mergers and acquisitions, patent issues, and general intellectual-property matters.

Before joining Zynga, Frank was Corporate Counsel at Gap Inc., focusing on trademarks, copyrights, and publicity issues. Frank began his career as a Litigation and Trademark Associate at Cooley LLP in San Francisco, where he represented various technology, game, and start-up clients. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Martin Goldberg, Freelance Writer

A writer and programmer in the video game industry, Goldberg has had a lifelong fascination with all things electronic entertainment since first playing PONG and Tank as a child at his local arcades in the 70s.

As the former site director of IGN/GameSpy’s ‘ClassicGaming.Com’ and a current freelancer for Retro Gamer magazine and RETRO magazine, Goldberg has been writing about video games for 13 years. Along with Dan Loosen and Gary Heil, Goldberg is also a co-founder of the Midwest Gaming Classic, one of the largest electronic entertainment expos in the United States open to the general public. In 2004, Goldberg also founded the Electronic Entertainment Museum (E2M), a non-profit archive whose mission is to help preserve the history and artifacts of the video game and home computer industries. In line with this goal, he’s also a member of the International Game Development Association’s (IGDA) Game Preservation SIG, a hub and community for those interested in digital game preservation and history which includes professional museums and archives from around the world.

Jason Greenglass, Robert Morris University

Jason Greenglass is an Assistant Coach of the RMU Eagles eSports program. A licensed attorney and avid gamer, he began working with Robert Morris University in 2014 to create a first class program focusing on developing players personally and professionally. In the 2014-2015 season, Jason worked with both Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams. Currently, he works with the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams as an assistant coach and he is also the Outreach Coordinator and Media Contact for the RMU eSports program. Jason knew gaming would play an important part of his life as far back as that first Super Nintendo with Super Mario 3. His first experience in eSports was watching the young NA professional scene in Season 1 while attending law school at Case Western Reserve.

Ross Hersemann, Loading Law

Ross is a gamer, writer, and attorney. He received his J.D. and an LL.M. in intellectual property from the John Marshall Law School, where he also founded the John Marshall Video Game Law Society. In 2013, Ross launched Loading Law, a law blawg devoted to developing legal issues in video games. Ross has contributed articles to IGDA Perspectives, Game Dev Law, and his first book on video game law will be published in early 2017.

Ross speaks about video game law regularly at conferences and conventions. His most recent speaking events include Indy Pop Con, Valor Con, and the Ohio Game Dev Expo. Ross also serves as the Board President of the Video Game Art Gallery, Board Member of the International Game Developers Association – Chicago Chapter, the Legislative Liaison for the Chicago Bar Association Creative Arts Committee, and the Alumni Advisor of the John Marshall Video Game Law Society.

Gilbert Lee, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP

Gilbert Lee is an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Digital Media & Interactive Entertainment practice group. Gilbert’s practice focuses on general commercial litigation with additional expertise in intellectual-property and class-action matters. He represents clients on matters ranging from strategic consulting of businesses, to preparation of cases for trial, to extensive background in handling cases on appeal.

Jeff Lee, D. Gottlieb and Company

Jeff Lee is the original video artist at D. Gottlieb and Company. One day Lee came up with the concept of large-nosed, armless critter hopping around a pyramid of cubes and by happy serendipity a classic of the Golden Age of Arcade Video was born. If you were a kid in 1983 you may remember Q*Bert or maybe you saw him and his frenemies in Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph” or more recently in "Pixels". Lee had drifted out of the video game field, but upon acquaintance with dedicated retro-gamers he has started working on some new projects and revisited some old ones.

Doc Mack, Galloping Ghosts Arcade

Doc Mack is the owner of the Galloping Ghost Productions, which is currently in production on the arcade game Dark Presence. Doc is also the owner of the Galloping Ghost Arcade (the largest arcade in the world).

Ryan Morrison, Morrison & Lee LLP

Ryan combined his passion for games with his knowledge of the law by opening a firm dedicated to the industry. Deemed "The Video Game Attorney" by the countless developers he has helped through his free online legal Q&A;'s, Ryan understands that this new and innovative industry requires a new and innovative approach to law. From legal subscription services to never charging for communication, he strives to make the legal world a lot less intimidating for developers.

Lydia Picknell, PARADIGM

Lydia is a 27-year old Canadian online presence with a big personality. Her work in e-sports has been highlighted by Polygon, ESL, PC Magazine, and an upcoming profile in The Daily Dot. She's been featured on multiple gaming-related podcasts such as Pantheon, The Smite Podcast, Really?! With Krett and F., and E-Sports Weekly. She was named Streamer of the Week by SMITEGAME in January – only one month into her streaming career!

She was the first competitive female in SMITE, a highly-competitive MOBA with an annual $1 million tournament – the Smite World Championship. Although no longer a professional player herself, she is now the only woman to coach and manage a professional team, PARADIGM, who are the 2015 European Champions and were the #1 seed for the 2016 Smite World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia in January.

Sarah Sexton, Microsoft

Sarah Sexton is a Technical Evangelist, a dedicated advocate for technology, committed to highlighting strengths and seeing more women and minorities get involved in game development. Her responsibilities at Microsoft include public speaking, writing code, blogging and tweeting about cool services, and interacting with communities in the Midwest. She helps developers find success on Windows platforms through meetups, conferences, university workshops, and game jams. She is also a co-founder of the Voxelles: Chicago’s Women in Game Development. She focuses on Unity, Construct2, BizSpark, Visual Studio, C#, Node.js, Bootstrap, and Git. She is most passionate about diversity, inclusion, and communicating clearly.

Frederick J. Sperling, Schiff Hardin LLP

Frederick J. Sperling is a partner in the Chicago office of Schiff Hardin LLP. He has more than three decades of experience with high-profile, complex civil litigation, including successfully representing national entertainment and media companies and major sports figures. He has a broad litigation and counseling practice that includes commercial law; professional liability; sports, media and entertainment law; defamation; misappropriation of the right of publicity; real estate; and trusts.

He practices in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels, and he has substantial experience in both mediation and arbitration. He is a 1975 graduate of Amherst College and a 1979 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School where he was an editor of the law review.

Patrick Sweeney, IE Law Group

Patrick has negotiated an array of game development agreement, resulting in the commercial release of more than 250 games across all distribution platforms and territories. In addition, he has represented clients with respect to the game rights for more than 50 major motion pictures and television properties, as well as negotiated numerous technology licenses and other agreements inherent to the games industry. Patrick is a founding member and co-President of the Video Game Bar Association, an invitation-only organization made up of the top legal practitioners in the games industry. He is a frequent speaker on game law issues, regularly authors articles for several outlets, and teaches Video Game Agreements at Southwestern Law School.

Josh Tsui, Robomodo

Joshua Tsui has been in game development since the early ‘90s in key roles on games such as the Mortal Kombat series, Tony Hawk series, WWE titles and Fight Night. Currently the President of Robomodo, Josh has also worked at Midway Games and Electronic Arts in various director roles.

His next big project is the documentary “Insert Coin”, the story of how Midway Games revolutionized the arcades in the ‘90s.

Marc Whipple, Tech Industry GC

Marc Whipple was playing, writing, and obsessing about video games long before he became a gaming lawyer. As former General Counsel for Meyer/Glass Interactive and Incredible Technologies, he has been involved in the development, publication and sale of console games, arcade games, and regulated gaming devices as counsel for both publishers and developers. He specializes in keeping game developers out of trouble and enjoys nothing more than serving as an interpreter between the world of creative development and the law.