Is the game studio illegal?

Online game studios are generally not illegal, as long as the studios do not involve hacking, tax evasion and can ensure that the studios do not operate Internet cafes and other business projects that require special approval. However, you must apply to the industrial and commercial bureau for registration, otherwise you will be punished for illegal business operations. The application process of online game studio business license is as follows:

1. Approved name;

2. Registration process: After determining the company type, name, registered capital, shareholders and contribution ratio, you can go to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau or submit an application for name verification. If the verification passes, if it fails, it needs to be re-verified;

3. Submission of materials. After 5- 15 working days are approved, confirm the address information, senior management information and business scope of the game operation, and submit the pre-application online. After the online pre-trial is passed, submit the application materials to the industrial and commercial bureau according to the appointment time;

4. Receiving the notice of approval of establishment registration;

5. Get a license. On the day of appointment, bring the Notice of Approval of Establishment Registration and the original ID card of the person in charge to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to obtain the original and photocopy of the business license and obtain the business license;

According to the relationship between studios and game operators, game studios are generally divided into official game studios and third-party game studios. The official game studio itself is an institution owned by game developers and operators, and its legitimacy is not controversial. Compared with the official game studio, the third-party game studio is an industrial chain that grows wildly in the gray area. Third-party game studios do not have the function of game development and operation, and their operation has nothing to do with game developers. It refers to an organization that is operated by an independent third party that has nothing to do with the game operation and development, and is attached to the game function, providing specific services for gamers or selling game virtual property for profit. In the game virtual trading market, such game studios, like factories, continuously produce virtual props and game services and sell them to players, thus earning income.

At present, the services provided by third-party game studios are various, and there are different profit models according to different businesses, which generally include selling game accounts, game virtual currency/props, game plug-ins, and providing game training services.

The game accounts sold by the studio include selling the game accounts created by themselves and reselling other people's game accounts. Selling the game accounts created by the studio is different according to different situations: one is that the studio creates an account and sells it to players who can't register, and the other is that the studio sells the account as a whole after playing to a certain level or obtaining some game props after creating an account. Reselling other people's accounts is usually to buy other players' game accounts at a low price, and then sell them at a high price to earn the difference. Such third-party studios are generally illegal.

legal ground

Criminal law of the people's Republic of China

Article 225 Whoever, in violation of State regulations, commits one of the following illegal business operations and disrupts the market order, if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal income; If the circumstances are especially serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years, and shall also be fined not less than one time but not more than five times for illegal gains or confiscation of property:

(a) operating a franchise or monopoly commodity or other commodities whose operation is restricted by laws and administrative regulations without permission;

(2) buying and selling import and export licenses, import and export certificates of origin and other business licenses or approval documents stipulated by laws and administrative regulations;

(three) without the approval of the relevant competent departments of the state, illegally engaged in securities, futures, insurance business, or illegally engaged in fund payment and settlement business;

(four) other illegal business activities that seriously disrupt the market order.

Article 217 If the crime of copyright infringement aims at making profits, and the amount of illegal gains is relatively large or there are other serious circumstances, it shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years and shall also, or shall only, be fined; If the amount of illegal income is huge or there are other particularly serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined:

(1) Reproduction, distribution and dissemination of written works, music, fine arts, audio-visual works, computer software and other works prescribed by laws and administrative regulations to the public without the permission of the copyright owner;

(2) Publishing books with exclusive publishing rights enjoyed by others;

(3) Reproduction, distribution and dissemination of audio and video products made by the producer to the public through the information network without the permission of the producer;

(4) Reproduction and distribution of audio and video products of their performances without the permission of performers, or dissemination of their performances to the public through information networks;

(five) the production and sale of counterfeit works of art;

(6) Technical measures taken to intentionally avoid or destroy the copyright to protect the copyright or copyright-related rights of his works, audio-visual products, etc. Without the permission of the copyright owner or the copyright-related obligee.