“Gamers for Digital Rights” Launched and New Exec Hire Announced

WILTON, CT – October 1, 2009 – The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), the non-profit membership organization that represents gamers, today announced the formation of a new work group, Gamers for Digital Rights. This new group’s online presence is now available and features valuable information for consumers who want to learn more about their legal rights and understand more about issues in the world of video games, such as digital content distribution, license agreements, virtual property, and video game piracy. Gamers for Digital Rights is free to join and puts the power in the hands of gamers by providing the tools and resources that will help protect the rights of video game consumers today.

“Digital rights are an extremely important and timely subject for everyone who buys and enjoys entertainment, but especially for those who purchase and play video games,” said ECA Vice President and General Counsel, Jennifer Mercurio. “With Gamers for Digital Rights, our goal is to educate consumers about their rights, as well as the copyright and trademark laws associated with such technologies, and then work to open a dialogue between software publishers, developers and gamers.”

In forming Gamers for Digital Rights and becoming more active in a wide variety of DRM issues, the ECA has recently hired Robert L. Hunter, IV (“Beau”) as their Digital Rights Consultant. In his new role, Mr. Hunter will head up the ECA’s efforts on related outreach and educational programs for the Government Affairs team. Mr. Hunter also currently serves as the President of Global Intellectual Property Securities, a consulting firm dedicated to helping multinational clients develop IP education and enforcement programs.  Previously, he was the Director of Strategic Operations and Development for IPSA International, as well as Manager for IP Enforcement with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade association that represents video game publishers.

“The addition of Beau gives our Government Affairs team increased depth of knowledge and unparalleled expertise when it comes to topics related to this subject,” added Mercurio. “The importance of this issue is mounting, as we move from a packaged goods model, where we own what we buy, to a digitally-distributed model, where we may have a license for what we buy. With Beau’s unique background and skill-sets, we’re excited to have him on our team and are optimistic that we can tackle those challenges and work cooperatively with publishers to strike a fair balance that benefits everyone.”

To learn more about digital rights and how to join the Gamers for Digital Rights group, click here.

For more information on the ECA, including how to sign up to become a member, please visit: www.theECA.com