Deborah Fulton

Experience

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  Gardner Carton & Douglas (now part of Drinker Biddle)

  Jan 1988 - Jan 1994

  Associate

  Practiced in the Intellectual Property and Computer Law Group; clients concentrated in the healthcare and securities/commodities trading industries

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  WMS Industries Inc.

  Jan 1994 - Jan 1998

  Senior Counsel and Assistant Secretary

  See Midway Senior Counsel position above.

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  Midway Games

  Jan 1998 - Jan 2009

  Member of the senior management team and responsible for all legal affairs of a publicly traded video game publisher and developer (NYSE: MWY). At peak, managed a staff of five attorneys, two paralegals and two administrative assistants. Day-to-day practice was concentrated on software/intellectual property, entertainment, and employment law matters and supervision of outside foreign and litigation counsel. Highlights include:• streamlining contracting processes for high volume agreements, • originating and managing legal practices for internet and mobile business and entertainment industry (including guild) interactions,• developing licensing practices for ancillary exploitation and in-game advertising,• developing the product clearance process, and• developing and/or supporting varied compensation plans, including bonus, executive and equity. Corporate highlights include: • varied financings including public and private debt and equity offerings, credit facilities, and factoring, • stock and asset acquisitions and divestitures of companies, • opening and closing foreign offices/operations, • facilities closures and RIFs, • changes of control and senior management, • FTC and SEC investigations and internal investigations of officers, • securities class action/derivative suits, • transactions with a controlling shareholder, and• delisting and Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Show less Responsible for the transactional intellectual property matters of the coin-operated video game, home video game, pinball, novelty game and slot machine lines of business, particularly inbound and outbound licensing and software development matters. Highlights include:• transactions with all major U.S. sports leagues and most major motion picture studios,• negotiating and supporting distribution relationships, • support of a merchandise licensing program with over two hundred licensees, • acquisition of a competitor, • supporting the re-organization and spin-off of Midway from WMS, and • originating and managing legal department practices with respect to software development outsourcing, use of individual performers, and marketing materials clearance and compliance. Show less

  • Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel

    Jan 2002 - Jan 2009

  • Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel

    Jan 2000 - Jan 2002

  • Senior Counsel and Assistant Secretary

    Jan 1998 - Jan 2000
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  Bally Gaming (successor to WMS Gaming). a Scientific Games company

  Aug 2009 - Nov 2016

  Executive Director Associate Counsel

  Most recent role (from April 2016):Responsible for support of the interactive business (primarily social and online real money gaming), including agreements relating to the supply of gaming software and services to operators of gaming websites (a SaaS business). Majority of work in jurisdictions outside of the US, focusing on commercial agreements relating to software licensing, SaaS, software development, related services (e.g., MSAs), and vendor relationships. Prior role:Responsible for customer-facing matters of the gaming device business (i.e., special purpose computers and related software/services), including:• commercial agreements relating to the sale, lease and licensing of gaming machines and related software and equipment, • RFP responses, • customer bankruptcies, and• customs/shipment matters, collection activity, and other customer/consumer disputes/litigation. Highlights include: • building and managing a team for rapid customer contract processing using an automated contract generation system, including an attorney in Europe;• establishing/revamping forms of agreement and practices in new or changing territories, especially Mexico, Central America, and South America, and for new products;• implementing a new compliance regime throughout the business after acquisition of the company; • acting as the legal SME for the company’s automated contract generation system, leading all related projects within the legal department, especially as to the business process transformation project that implemented Oracle EBS R12 throughout WMS’ gaming device business, resulting in a radical improvement in the system; and• driving (on my initiative) the transition to automated contract generation for the products of a newly acquired company, including providing training to multiple departments.General corporate work included NDAs, real estate transactions, vendor agreements, corporate policy compliance matters, and legal automation projects. Show less

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  CSG

  Mar 2018 - May 2019

  Chief Counsel