David B. Hoppe

MANAGING PARTNER
San Francisco

English 

日本語

About David B. Hoppe

David B. Hoppe is the founder and managing partner of Gamma Law.  Mr. Hoppe is an experienced international transactional lawyer and a recognized authority on emerging legal issues in high-growth media/technology sectors, including video games and esports, blockchain and digital assets, VR/AR/XR, and digital media/entertainment.

Over a career spanning nearly three decades, based in New York, Tokyo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Stockholm, and Helsinki, Mr. Hoppe has advised clients ranging from the world’s largest corporations to founders and early-stage startups on matters ranging from international debt and equity financings, venture capital and M&A transactions, to high-value content and technology licensing agreements, film/TV option agreements, and crypto/blockchain regulatory compliance.

Mr. Hoppe is a frequent speaker in the United States and internationally on cutting-edge legal topics and is regularly quoted in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Bloomberg Law, ABC News, and CNBC. He is the author of Chapter and Metaverse: Legal Trends and Developments in Web3 and NFTs, 2023, and Esports in Court, Crimes in VR, and the 51% Attack (Vision 2020 Press), a collection of observations, anecdotes, analyses, and opinions about media and technology legal trends. He has spoken on issues in media and technology law at Georgetown University Law Center and Harvard Law School and has been cited in numerous legal and academic publications, including The Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law, teaching a course he developed on practical skills in technology and media law.

Prior to founding Gamma Law, Mr. Hoppe was a senior associate with the global law firm White & Case LLP, based in New York, and was in-house international counsel for Excite.com, a Nasdaq-listed internet portal, in Silicon Valley.  He also served as North America general counsel for Capcom, the Japanese video game publisher, while maintaining his outside law practice.

Proficient in spoken and written Japanese, Mr. Hoppe lived and worked in Japan for several years. He is a member of the Japan Society of Northern California,  the Japan Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, and a frequent presenter at the Japan Online Game Association (JOGA) in Tokyo.  He is a member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, among various other professional and industry organizations.

Mr. Hoppe is a Northern California Super Lawyer (2020-2026).  He is licensed in California and New York.

Contact: dbhoppe@gammalaw.com

Clients navigating the intersection of technology, media, and global markets turn to David for nearly three decades of experience across New York, Tokyo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Stockholm, and Helsinki. His rare combination of Big Law training (White & Case), in-house corporate leadership (Capcom North America General Counsel, Excite.com international counsel), and deep Japan expertise gives him a perspective that generalist firms simply can’t replicate. Clients in high-growth sectors — from founders to the world’s largest corporations — value his ability to move fast, think across borders, and bring genuine industry authority to every deal.

Areas of Focus

  • Media & technology licensing
  • Venture capital financing (investor and company-side)
  • International & domestic M&A and joint ventures
  • Intellectual property
  • NFTs, blockchain & Web3
  • Crypto regulatory compliance
  • Corporate governance & shareholder matters
  • Early-stage company counseling
  • Film/TV option agreements & content licensing
  • International debt & equity financings
LANGAUGES SPOKEN
  • English
  • Japanese (proficient)
BAR ADMISSIONS
  • California
  • New York
EDUCATION

JD

  • Georgetown University Law Center
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

PREVIOUS

  • Interim General Counsel, Capcom
  • International Counsel, Excite@Home
  • Senior Associate, White & Case
  • Associate, Jones Day

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Blockchain Games Alliance
  • Esports Trade Association
  • Inter-Pacific Bar Association
  • Japan Society of Northern California
  • Video Game Bar Association
  • VR/AR Association

Published Works
by David B. Hoppe

Two definitive legal primers on the industries shaping the digital future. Available on Amazon in paperback and
e-book.

Paperback cover of 'Chapter and Metaverse' by David B. Hoppe, featuring a collage of digital-art panels.


Chapter and Metaverse
Legal Trends and Developments in Web3 and NFTs—a comprehensive guide to the legal landscape of the metaverse era.
GET THE BOOK →

Book cover: Esports in Court, Crimes in VR, and the 51% Attack by David B. Hoppe; purple collage of gaming, crypto, and technology icons.


Esports in Court, Crimes in VR, and the 51% Attack
Key Trends and Developments in Esports, VR and AR, Blockchain, and Cryptocurrencies.
GET THE BOOK →