Jim Charne

Primary Areas of Practice: Computer and software entertainment; entertainment industry transactions and employment/services agreements; copyright and trademarks prosecution; licensing; Internet transactions, IP, and programming; all aspects of music; audio design; general corporate and individual representation.

Jim Charne is a California, New York, and New Jersey lawyer who has provided legal representation for clients in all phases of the computer software and videogame industry since the mid-1980's. He entered the industry in 1983 as a producer for Activision, and served as VP Legal & Business Affairs and CFO of a large console games developer from early stage through IPO.

Jim has been chair of the Legal and Business tutorial at the annual Game Developers Conference (gdconf.com) since 1998, serves as chair of the volunteer lawyers committee that wrote the three releases of the IGDA Business Committee “Contract Walk-Through” (found at www.igda.org), and writes "Famous Last Words," a monthly column on games contracting and legal issues found on the web at www.igda.org/famous-last-words.

Jim has been chair of the videogames panel at the annual Practicing Law Institute Entertainment Law Symposium, “Counseling Clients in the Entertainment Industry” each time a videogame industry segment have been presented since 2004.

In addition, Jim is chair of the Practicing Law Institute program, “Representing the Games Industry Client,” presented in September, 2010 in San Francisco.

Jim has been recognized as a Most Valuable Player by the International Game Developers Association (igda.org), and honored three times by the Game Audio Network Guild (audiogang.org) for his work on behalf of composers and licensors of music in the videogame field.

Jim is a member of the California State Bar Association, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, Santa Monica Bar Association, New York County Lawyers Association, International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS), Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), and is a past president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

Prior to entering the videogame industry, Jim maintained a law practice in recorded music, worked at Arista Records’ law department in New York, and was a marketing executive at a major record label throughout the 1970’s. He is the recipient of nine gold and platinum record awards.