Call for Blogs | RGNUL Student Research Review (RSRR) on E-Sports

The RGNUL Student Research Review (RSRR) is a bi-annual, student-run, blind peer-reviewed legal journal based at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab. In addition to this, RSRR began with its RSRR Blog Series in 2017.

About RSRR

RGNUL Student Research Review (RSRR) is a bi-annual, student-run, blind peer-reviewed legal journal based at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab. We have been publishing the academic journal in association with the Eastern Book Company since 2014. The RSRR Blog was established in 2017 as a medium of voicing opinions and sparking discussions.

The Editorial Board in association with IKIGAI Law invites submissions for the RSRR Blog Series on “Regulating E-Sports: Paving the Road Ahead”.

Background

E-Sports are increasingly growing in terms of popularity as well as lucrative sports entertainment.  The booming rise of industry, at Indian as well as global platform, has witnessed a spectacular evolution. Infrastructure to hold competitions at national and international level, as well as coming into existence of rule-making bodies is paving the way further for e-sports. Due to the advent of e-sports at worldwide level, the youthful obsession of multiplayer gaming has now become a unique professional endeavour. With the inclusion of e-sports as a demonstration sport in Asian Games, 2018 and the potential inclusion of e-sports into 2024 Olympics, it is vying with the ‘conventional’ sports. The expansion of e-sports combined with big sponsorships and large audience-base has brought with itself an array of legal complexities and policy considerations. The instant blog series aims to facilitate discussion related to the legal and regulatory policy considerations for E-Sports in India. The blog seeks to inquire onto depths of the unexplored issue and highlight the potential obstacles for the industry.

Sub-Themes 

1. Legal Recognition of E-Sports as a Sport and medal event at international events;
2. Need for Regulation of E-Sports (Eg: Statutory, Self-Regulatory etc.);
3. Determining the distinction between E-Sports and Gambling;
4. E-Sports and Intellectual Property Protections (Issues related to thin line difference between adaptation and copyright infringement, competition law principles vis-à-vis game publisher’s IP rights, etc.);
5. Regulation of Online Streaming and Broadcasting Rights For E-Sports;
6. The menace of betting, match-fixing and cheating over E-Sports;
7. Skill building and learning through engagement in E-Sports;
8. Understanding ‘E-Doping’ and need for fair competition in E-Sports;
9. Intermediary liability vis- à-vis E-Sports hosted on gaming platforms;
10. Legal implications of Foreign Court’s decisions on E-Sports in India: Critical Analysis;
11. Professional E-Sport athletes: Need for recognition of ‘professional athletes’ in E-Sports, ?immigration classification and legal protection;
12. E-Sports and monetization of data: The privacy rights of players, data localization, biometric data, leasing out data, unregulated usage of such data and ownership of metadata;
13. E-Sports and Contract Management and Enforceability (Eg: Employment, Sponsorship etc);
14. E-Sports and Free Speech: Creative freedom in developing and usage of E-Sports;
15. Taxation issues in operation of E-Sports;
16. Competition law in E-Sports vis- à-vis Right to Trade

The submissions are, however, not restricted to the aforesaid sub-themes, provided they fall within the ambit of the main theme.

Submission Guidelines and Procedure

• All submissions must be in Garamond, font size 12, spacing 1.5.
• All endnotes should be in Garamond 10, single-spaced.
• Margins: Left 1.5 Inch, Right 1 Inch, Top 1 Inch and Bottom 1 Inch.
• Word Limit for each post is a maximum of 1800-2100 words (exclusive of endnotes).
• Please ensure inclusion of endnotes instead of footnotes. A uniform style of citation is necessary for acceptance.
• The manuscript should be accompanied by a cover letter specifying the author’s name, designation, institute, contact number, and e-mail for future reference. [Participants are requested to not put their name anywhere in the main manuscript]
• All entries should be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
• The manuscripts must be e-mailed to submissionsrslr@rgnul.ac.in
• The subject should be titled “Submission for RSRR Blog Series: E-Sports”.
• All selected entries shall be e-published on the RSRR Blog Series.
• E-certificates will be awarded to the authors of each published blog.
• Co-authorship of maximum of 2 is permitted.
• The author(s) bear sole responsibility for the accuracy of facts, opinions or views stated ?in the submitted Manuscript.
• In the case of gross plagiarism found in the contents of submitted manuscript, the ?manuscript shall be subject to rejection.
• Copyright of all blog posts shall remain with RGNUL Student Research Review and IKIGAI Law. All Moral Rights shall vest with the author(s).

For further details, please visit https://rsrr.in/call-for-blogs/.

Deadline 

The last date of submission is 30th June, 2019.? In case of any query, contact submissionsrslr@rgnul.ac.in.

Contact

RSRR’s website can be accessed at www.rsrr.in.

Previous Blog Series are available at http://rsrr.in/blog/.

Furthermore, the Editors-in-Chief can be contacted:

Aryan Babele (9926041054)

Shrey Nautiyal (7988767598)