One man game company?

[Trent]

Let's assume, hypothetically, that some long time gamer decided to produce and market at least one game product before he shuffled off this mortal coil.

Let's assume he wanted to market it as a PDF for an existing game line that was more or less OGL like and had clearance from the guy at the top to do it.

Now, what does it take to declare one's self a game company? Do you just need a logo and a name? Assuming the person in question doesn't want to "incorporate" for various reasons what does he need to do? Just declare the company name and logo his IP?

I'm just curious...

 

[aramis]

Fundamentally, one needs product, and a venue.

For credibility, it helps to join GAMA and get your three letter code, and to buy a block of ISBNs, but those are not essential.

Your local city, county, province, or state may require a business license.

For a corporation, consult an attourney. Seriously. The overlapping state and federal laws are best sorted out by an attourney, who, if he screws up, faces his state bar...

 

[Trent]

Fundamentally, one needs product, and a venue.

For credibility, it helps to join GAMA and get your three letter code, and to buy a block of ISBNs, but those are not essential.

Your local city, county, province, or state may require a business license.

For a corporation, consult an attourney. Seriously. The overlapping state and federal laws are best sorted out by an attourney, who, if he screws up, faces his state bar...

mmkay, how much does joining GAMA and buying ISBN #s cost?

 

[BeRKA]

It might be easier and cheaper to register your company in another country.

Good Luck with your plans!

 

[Trent]

Yeah, GAMA wants 300$ to register as a game maker. What, they think game writers MAKE money?:nonono:

 

[aramis]

mmkay, how much does joining GAMA and buying ISBN #s cost?

http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/isbn-fees.asp

REGULAR PROCESSING
(15 business days turnaround)

ISBN price list (the categories below include the combined processing fees and registration fees):

10 ISBNs: $275.00
100 ISBNs: $995.00
1000 ISBNs: $1,750.00

PRIORITY PROCESSING
(48 business hours turnaround)

ISBN price list (the categories below include the combined processing fees and registration fees):

10 ISBNs: $375.00
100 ISBNs: $1,095.00
1000 ISBNs: $1,850.00

EXPRESS PROCESSING
(24 business hours turnaround)

ISBN price list (the categories below include the combined processing fees and registration fees):

10 ISBNs: $400.00
100 ISBNs: $1,120.00
1000 ISBNs: $1,875.00

SELECTING BAR CODES:

The EAN-13 bar codes are the bar code translations for ISBNs. Most bookstores, distributors, and industry related sectors require EAN-13 bar codes on books and book type products.

Bar code price list:

1-5 bar codes: $25 per bar code
(i.e. 3 bar codes at $25 per unit will total $75)

6-10 bar codes: $23 per bar code
(i.e. 6 bar codes at $23 per unit will total $138)

11-100 bar codes: $21 per bar code
(i.e. 11 bar codes at $21 per unit will total $231)​

 

[Trent]

Boy, thank god that this kind of thing wasn't around when Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense".

I assume you HAVE to have an ISBN to get anything sold....

 

[aramis]

Not to get it sold, just to get it sold in most bookstores, you'll nead an ISBN and an EAN13.

To get it in game stores, a GAMA membership is useful, but not essential.

Neither is needed for DTRPG nor Lulu, but again, it's one more way for people to actually find it.

 

[Trent]

Not to get it sold, just to get it sold in most bookstores, you'll nead an ISBN and an EAN13.

To get it in game stores, a GAMA membership is useful, but not essential.

Neither is needed for DTRPG nor Lulu, but again, it's one more way for people to actually find it.

Thanks, Aramis.

 

[Vargas]

Not a lawyer but . . .

If you're going to sell games you're best served by creating a business entity to do so in order to shield yourself personally from legal and tax liabilities. If for any reason someone wants to sue you, for example the person you have the agreement with changes his mind, or there is a dispute as to what was actually agreed to, then everything you own and could make into the future could be on the line. Having a business entity means it gets sued and your personally remain untouched. The same applied to your relationship with the IRS.

 

[Trent]

Not a lawyer but . . .

If you're going to sell games you're best served by creating a business entity to do so in order to shield yourself personally from legal and tax liabilities. If for any reason someone wants to sue you, for example the person you have the agreement with changes his mind, or there is a dispute as to what was actually agreed to, then everything you own and could make into the future could be on the line. Having a business entity means it gets sued and your personally remain untouched. The same applied to your relationship with the IRS.

I know, and that's exactly what I hate about corporations and why I think they should be banned. They exist to create a "paper man" and to keep real people from being accountable for their actions.

So the pigs running a corporation release unsafe products that hurt or kill people, like cars that explode on impact, and then hide behind their paper man when their actions are discovered to avoid consequences.

I know there are advantages to incorporating, but my morals and ethics wouldn't let me. My hypocrisy goes only so far...

 

[aramis]

If your state allows LLC (limited liability company), you have another option. It limits the personal liability of the proprietor(s), while not being a full legal corporate person.

In any case, if you plan on any indebtedness (which publication often entails), a Corporation is your safest hedge.

 

[Vargas]

I know, and that's exactly what I hate about corporations and why I think they should be banned. They exist to create a "paper man" and to keep real people from being accountable for their actions.

On the flip side, it shields you against expending time and money defending yourself against frivolous lawsuits.

And the moral character of your business is not a function of whether or not you are incorporated.

 

[Trent]

On the flip side, it shields you against expending time and money defending yourself against frivolous lawsuits.

And the moral character of your business is not a function of whether or not you are incorporated.

Gee, aren't corporations always complaining about "frivolously lawsuits"?

You know, like when mcdonalds got sued for having coffee so hot it burned a customers hand when the cup folded and she needed skin grafts, and mcdonalds had had plenty of warning that their cofee was too hot, in fact it was way above industry standards.

 

[aramis]

A corporation means their lawyers won't get your house... just the IP created for the corporation.

 

[Icosahedron]

Just as there are some despicable people who make money by selling dangerous goods, there are some despicable people who make money by (routinely) sueing honest but naive traders.

As Vargas said, wearing a seatbelt doesn't make you drive dangerously.

In the UK corporate executives can be sued in some circumstances.

I don't understand the big M case. Coffee is made with boiling water; you expect the temperature to be around 100C and it physically can't exceed that. Unless they make it with milk instead of water?

 

[aramis]

The McDonalds case is simple: idiot hurts self by stupidity, idiot lashes out at Big M, idiot claims the cup should have had a warning, and some stupid judge failed to throw it out as frivolous.

 

[Trent]

The McDonalds case is simple: idiot hurts self by stupidity, idiot lashes out at Big M, idiot claims the cup should have had a warning, and some stupid judge failed to throw it out as frivolous.

No, Aramis, that's what big business's publicity machine wants you to think.

The facts are that their coffee was much hotter than industry standards, and that several people had been injured by it before and they continued to ignore the fact it had injured several people.

Here: http://www2.bc.cc.ca.us/gdumler/Eng 1A Online/Editorials & Articles/mcdonalds_coffee_lawsuit.htm

 

[aramis]

She's still an idiot. Never put hot anything between your legs unless you want a burn.

 

[shadowdragon]

IIRC - not only did she put hot coffee, which if served fresh is going to be at or near 100c/212F, between her legs, she then had the brainiac idea to turn around to deal with her toddler in the rear seat while still driving. Irregardless of the actual temperature of a drink which any moron should know is served at temperatures which will cause serious injury, i.e. nearly boiling hot, she had no business not paying attention to where the frak she was driving. She could have killed someone by her negligence and instead gets $3,000,000? I could care less about industry standards at that point- she deserved nothing for her stupidity and instead she got rich. I hope she chokes on a cheeseburger.....


then again, i could be mistaken, i which case i hope she chokes on a french fry because no way, no how, should she be rewarded for being stupid enough to drive with frigging hot coffee between her legs. even i am not that stupid.