Developing computer games and off-the-shelf software

There are numerous legal and regulatory considerations that games and software developers need to bear in mind when developing their products, such as:

• intellectual property rights and licenses
• consumer protection
• age ratings and classification
• advertising laws
• data protection and privacy
• gambling legislation
• responsibilities concerning staff and employment practices

For detailed advice on regulations, you should seek expert advice. Search for solicitors in Northern Ireland.

There are also various trade associations, which protect the interests of businesses in the industry:

• the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) is the UK's leading video games trade body
• the Independent Game Developers' Association (Tiga) is the trade association which represents the interests of independent games developers
• the Business Software Alliance (BSA) is the trade organisation representing the global commercial software industry
• the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) represents both software publishers and users, and aim to combat software piracy
• techUK, the UK trade body for the digital technology industry aims to improve growth in the industry and to provide its members with knowledge and advice