This means that the publisher would need to comply with regulations under the Bank Secrecy Act. They also may be classified as a money services business by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in the US Department of the Treasury. For example, a publisher may need to register as a casino operator, regardless of whether their game uses a casino format. Game currencies that may have a monetary value in the real world subject a publisher to tighter regulations. They might make a credit card payment or trade for game currency through a currency exchange on the Internet, in which users can exchange currencies across games. In other situations, a player may pay something of real value for game currency. The player can collect them only by completing certain achievements or getting certain rewards in the game. In some cases, these currencies cannot be used outside the game and lack any connection to real-world currency. Many video games contain currencies that players can use to buy items in the game or otherwise improve their game experience. For instance, a game based on a movie cannot use copyrighted elements of the movie without a license.

Sometimes the video game creator also may need to sign a licensing agreement if they want to integrate content protected by intellectual property or other rights. A license may be limited to a certain use, a certain location, and a certain length of time. In exchange for a fee, the licensee can use a character or another protected feature of the video game in its merchandise. Companies that want to produce and sell this merchandise must sign licensing agreements with the video game publisher or any other entity that holds the intellectual property rights to game content. The popularity of video games has spawned wide demand for merchandise related to the games. Entities in the video game industry fiercely protect their intellectual property rights, since vast amounts of investments and profits are often at stake.

Trademarks essentially are branding elements that encourage consumers to associate certain words, symbols, or designs with a product. Certain other features of video games may qualify for trademark protection, such as the title and logo of the game. Each of these elements is subject to copyright protection, since it consists of original content that has been fixed in a tangible form. However, video games include many creative elements, such as art, music, narrative features, and code. When you play a video game, you probably think of the game as a single item.

Online games laws