PALO ALTO, CA, October 31, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present James Alan Cook with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Cook celebrates many years' experience in his professional network and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Cook's distinguished career in law, and particularly video games and interactive entertainment, spans nearly five decades, marked by innovation, leadership and a commitment to understanding, protecting, and commercializing evolving consumer technologies and related intellectual property rights. As the founder and principal attorney of the Law Office of James Alan Cook, which re-opened in 2003 after his departure from The 3DO Company (and as co-founder and managing partner of Cook & Cook, LLP from 2022 to 2025), he has provided legal counsel to clients around the world in the video game, computer, social media, and entertainment industries. His law practice focuses primarily on drafting and negotiating agreements regarding the development, acquisition, licensing, production, marketing and distribution of interactive entertainment products and services. Mr. Cook is also the founder and president of Prism Entertainment, Inc., a company that he established in 2009 to undertake the licensing and publishing of interactive entertainment products for both physical and digital media.

Apart from his primary roles, Mr. Cook most recently served as the chief legal officer and executive vice president of business and legal affairs at Side America Inc. from June 2022 through June 2025, where he oversaw the preparation of the development and production agreements and related transactional documents regarding the product testing, co-development, localization, translation, customer support, and other professional services offered by Side America Inc. and its affiliates worldwide. He was also general counsel and senior vice president of business and legal affairs at Tastemakers LLC between 2019 and 2020, and at OL2 Inc. from 2014 to 2015, and was general counsel and executive vice president of business and legal affairs at Gaikai, Inc. between 2010 and its acquisition by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2012, and served as general counsel and executive vice president of legal and business affairs at The 3DO Company between 1993 and 2003.

Mr. Cook's tenure at 3DO was an important cornerstone of his career, as he developed the various forms of commercial agreements for both the hardware manufacturers that were licensed the right to produce and distribute their authorized versions of The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, the world's first CD-ROM based video game system, including Matsushita (Panasonic), Sanyo, Goldstar and Samsung, and for the third-party video game developers and publishers that were licensed the opportunity to develop and commercialize compatible software products. Mr. Cook was responsible for protecting 3DO's proprietary technologies, structuring and drafting the model agreements used by 3DO and its affiliates, negotiating and consummating such agreements, and thereby enabling hardware and software production that met 3DO's technological standards. In 2005, Mr. Cook acquired 3DO's back catalog of titles securing ownership of many of 3DO's original products and related brands, including BattleTanx and its sequel, BattleTanx: Global Assault, Battlesport, World Destruction League, and Vegas Games.

Mr. Cook first opened the Law Office of James Alan Cook in Palo Alto, CA in 1985 after departing from Atari, Inc. in 1984. His early clients included prominent software publishers and developers in the U.S. and the U.K., coin-operated and consumer video game companies in Japan and their affiliates in the U.S., computer hardware and software companies in the U.S., and computer and video game manufacturers in Hong Kong. In 1989, he co-founded the Law Offices of Cook & Lefevre, P.C., which provided legal services from the same Victorian building in Palo Alto in which the Law Office of James Alan Cook is still located. Cook & Lefevre's clients included video game manufacturers and publishers, such as Sega, Electronic Arts, and Capcom, computer hardware companies in the U.S., such as Everex Systems, independent game developers in the U.S. and Europe, and video game and personal computer manufacturers in Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China. Mr. Cook began his legal career as an associate at Fleischman & Walsh, P.C. in Washington, D.C. in 1977, where he began his representation of Atari Inc. and its parent, Warner Communications, Inc. In August 1981, Mr. Cook joined Atari, Inc. as vice president and counsel for Atari's Home Computer Division, where his contributions included the introduction and commercial operation of The Atari Program Exchange, the world's first consumer software "app store" catalog distribution service. In 1983 he was promoted to senior vice president and corporate counsel of Atari, Inc. and was responsible for managing legal and business affairs for Atari's consumer video game and home computer businesses around the world.

Mr. Cook received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1971, where he majored in political science and graduated Magna Cum Laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and he received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975. He was first admitted to practice by the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1977 and the District of Columbia Bar that same year, and after moving to California in connection with his employment by Atari Inc. was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1985.

Throughout his career, Mr. Cook has demonstrated an eagerness to embrace new technologies while remaining attuned to emerging laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad regarding intellectual property rights, privacy, generative artificial intelligence technology and other proprietary rights worldwide. He credits his parents, Alice S. Cook and Charles R. Cook, for their efforts to instill in him the values that have helped to shape his character.

Mr. Cook's professional achievements have been recognized with numerous accolades from his employers and clients, such as the Star Achiever Award that he received at The 3DO Company in l995 and a commemorative award from Sega of America, Inc. in 1992 for his contributions to the successful launch of the Sega CD system. Looking ahead, he aims to deepen his understanding of generative-AI technology, both for professional applications and matters of personal enrichment, while continuing to provide legal services to the interactive entertainment industry and dedicating more time for family pursuits.

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