Jon’s Bio

Background:

Jon Festinger, K.C. is an Adjunct Professor at the Allard School of Law, where he teaches courses including Intellectual Property Law, Torts, A.I. and Law, Communications Law, Video Game Law, and Business Organizations. In 2019, he received a Teaching Service Award from Allard Law. Jon has extensive experience in pedagogic AI projects, including Socrates A.I., UBC T.E.A.C.H., and the Judicial Interrogatory Simulator, developed in collaboration with UBC’s LT Hub and Emerging Media Lab. He is Of Counsel to Chandler Fogden Lyman Law Corporation.

Jon has held academic appointments at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, Graduate School of Journalism and Faculty of Arts, as well as at the TRU and UVic Faculties of Law, Simon Fraser University/Centre for Digital Media, and was an Honourary Industry Professor at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. He is the author of Video Game Law (LexisNexis, 2005; 2012) and co-founded the Interactive Entertainment Law Journal in 2018. Jon’s career also includes significant industry roles, including in-house counsel at WIC Western International Communications, Senior VP of the CTV Television Network & founding GM of VTV Vancouver Television, as well as being Executive VP, Business & General Counsel of the Vancouver Canucks and GM Place. Jon’s volunteer activities include being a Director of the British Columbia Law Institute, and having been Chair of viaSport British Columbia, Ronald MacDonald House B.C., and a Trustee of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.

Academic Talks & Panels (selected):

1. Fourth Edition of “More Than Just A Game: Culture, Identities, Freedoms and Artificial Intelligence”, The Centre for Commercial Law Studies, The School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, April 5, 2018 at Ironmongers’ Hall, London U.K.; Presentation on “Life As A Game: Legal Consequences of A.I. Individuated MEdia.”

2. Third Edition of “More Than Just A Game: Games and Interactive Entertainment Law International Conference”, The Centre for Commercial Law Studies, The School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, April 6, 2017 at Stationers Hall, London U.K.; Presentation on “Trusting Ourselves: Freedom of Thought in Virtual Realities.”

Industry Talks & Panels (selected):

1. Vancouver International Film Festival panel discussion on the film “Bye Bye Blues” and orphan rights in copyright law, with Professor Joel Bakan and Professor Colin Browne, November 12, 2014 (audio)

2. Full Indie Summit 2014, Presentation on “Law-ification” August 10, 2014

3. Full Indie Vancouver, Presentation of “Candy Crushing on Flappy Birds: Originality in Video Games” April 29, 2014

4. “The Battle of the Living Room: Video Game Consoles as Media Centers” with Kraig Marini-Baker (Davis Wright Tremaine LLP), Alan Bruggeman (Microsoft), Anoop Desai (Electronic Arts). Part of Law Seminars International 3rd Annual Seattle Conference on Gamer Technology Law, October 4, 2012.

5. The Law Society of Upper Canada “Entertainment & Media Law Symposium 2011″ April 15 & 16, 2011, Toronto, Ont.; Keynote Address “The Three Faces of Convergence”

Media:

It was truly a great honour to be profiled as part of “Team Open” by Creative Commons in December 2014. There are many reasons why, but most obviously because it has everything to do with the collaborative efforts around modeling the Video Game Law course in an open way. I understand that my inclusion relates almost entirely to initiatives which are due to the contributions and support of so very many students, guest speakers, colleagues, staff and administration at both the Allard School of Law, UBC and at the Centre for Digital Media, as well as the unflinching efforts of the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology. For more information about the open pedagogic design of the course click on: http://videogame.law.ubc.ca/about-2/communityparticipate/

Finally it is impossible not to be mindful of the incredible contributions to world made Creative Commons as an organization and by its founders including Professor Lawrence Lessig and Aaron Swartz. The vision and focus of the rest of Team Open is a humbling reminder of both what is possible and what is left to be done. To read the Team Open article click on the image below (and don’t forget to donate to Creative Commons if you are able).

While on the theme of “open” here is a YouTube video and related article where I get to share my views on the subject. Both were skilfully put together by the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology.

As far as milestones for the course go, being covered by a legitimate video game website also ranks right up there. Most important my wife Corinne liked it and thought it had me down. Thanks to Justin Gifford for being entirely too kind. Apologies in advance to the entire Commonwealth of Australia…

Click on image below to get to the article.

For background about the origins of Video Game Law as both a book and course, you can find that story on this Podcast by clicking on the image).

Also in the category of making me look and sound much too good comes this interview with the new website BasedGamer which originates here in Vancouver.

Not to mention this cool video produced VR Chat about our Project Oculus experiment during the 2014 edition of Video Game Law.

Was also part of the Canadian Lawyer cover story for October 2014 “The Next Frontier: Global Trends And Technology Are Driving The Evolution Of Law”. Click on the image below to get to the article.

Wrote a short article on “Why Video Game Law Is Important” which landed me on the cover of the February 2015 issue of BarTalk, the monthly publication of the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch. Click on the image below to get to the issue.

Appeared on the cover of the February 2015 issue of Lexpert magazine and in an article on sports law. Click on the image below to get to the article.

Finally, and at least in part because if there was one language I always wanted to learn it was Italian, here is a short piece which I won’t understand until I finally act on my original intention to learn that language.