Protection of video game mechanics through the patentability of software
Protección de mecánicas de videojuegos mediante la patentabilidad del software
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Abstract
Video games have grown to become one of the most important industries in the world. They combine a wide range of creative, industrial and technological elements, so we can define video games as complex works that can embody multiple intellectual creations. Nevertheless, many professional have assumed that the copyright system is the only one that applies in the case of the legal protection of the systems through which the players interact with a game, referred to as “video game mechanics”. This position leaves aside other options that could offer their own benefits and even circumvent existing legal loopholes. This paper explores the possibility of the use of the patent law system, with its own limitations, in order to protect those video game mechanics.
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