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Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Violent Video Games, First Amendment

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 30, 2006 - 9:31am.
Washington - The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights on Thursday began a hearing entitled "What's in a Game? State Regulation of Violent Video Games and the First Amendment," which featured testimony from video game industry advocates, academics, and the brother of a police officer whose killing was linked to violent games. The brother of the slain Alabama police officer, Rev. Steve Strickland, called some games "cop-killing simulators," and said his brother's teenage killer -- who was an avid player of the violent "Grand Theft Auto" game -- told police, "Life is like a video game, everyone has to die sometime." Strickland also referred repeatedly to his attorney Jack Thompson, a strong proponent for video game regulation. Patricia Vance, president of the game industry's ESRB ratings board, touted a recent Peter D. Hart Research Associates study that found 83% of parents are aware of video game ratings and 74% use them regularly, up from 78% and 70%, respectively, in 2005. The hearing was co-headed by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who along with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is sponsoring a bill that would fund study of the effects of electronic media on children. The sworn testimonies of the other witnesses, as well as statements from members of the Committee, are available at a link below.
tags: Hearing | Hold | Senate Committee | Violent Video Game | First Amendment |

U.S. Copyright Office to Hold Public Hearings on 1201 Rulemaking

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2006 - 2:59am.
Washington - The U.S. Copyright Office announced on Thursday that it plans to hold public hearings in connection with its Section 1201 rulemaking proceeding, which will determine whether there are particular copyrighted works which should be exempt from the provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that prohibits circumventing the copyright controls on a digital device. The Copyright Office will hold hearings at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. on March 23 and 24, and at the Library of Congress in Washington on March 29 and 31, and April 3 and 4. Requests to testify must be received by March 10.
tags: Hearing | Public | U.S. Copyright | Hold | 1201 Rulemak |