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German Lawmakers Call for Ban on Violent Games After School Rampage

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 21, 2006 - 1:58pm.
Berlin - Some German lawmakers are calling for a ban on violent video games, following a school rampage in the country on Monday where an 18-year-old wounded as many as 27 people with guns and explosives before killing himself, Reuters reported.
tags: Games | Law | Europe | Censorship | Germany | Violent Games | Bans | Education | Politics |

Skill Games Site Closes to Americans Following 'Net Gambling Ban

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 17, 2006 - 1:34pm.
London - GameAccount, a provider of person-to-person online skill-based games, announced on Friday that, after consulting with attorneys, it has closed its site to U.S. citizens to comply with the letter and spirit of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act of 2006.
tags: Games | Internet | Law | Gambling | UK | Bans | GameAccount | Poker | UIGEA |

U.S. Permanently Bans U.K. Gambling Site BetOnSports

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2006 - 2:50pm.
St. Louis - U.K. online gambling site BetOnSports on Thursday settled civil charges filed by U.S. prosecutors, agreeing to permanently ban any wagers placed from the U.S., the Associated Press reported.
tags: Sports | Internet | Law | Settlements | Gambling | UK | Bans | BetOnSports |

Australia Bans Atari's Video Game Based on "Reservoir Dogs" Movie

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 28, 2006 - 8:22pm.
Sydney, Australia - The Australian government's Office of Film and Literature Classification has banned the sale and import of video game publisher Atari's "Reservoir Dogs" game, which is based on the violent Quentin Tarantino film.
tags: Games | Law | Atari | Movies | Censorship | Violent Games | Bans | Reservoir Dogs | Australia |

Oklahoma Legislature Approves Ban on Violent Game Sales to Minors

Authored by dmw on April 28, 2006 - 6:14am.
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The Oklahoma state legislature has approved a bill that would place video games in the same category as pornography and make it a felony to sell violent video games to minors. The proposed legislation now heads to Gov. Brad Henry (D), who has indicated he will sign it into law, GamePolitics.com reported. A bill that similarly aimed to deem such games as obscenity failed to make it out of the Utah state legislature. The video game industry has so far successfully sued to have any restrictions on the sales of video games to minors overturned, with courts in California, Illinois, Michigan and Washington, as well as the city of Indianapolis and St. Louis County ruling unanimously that the laws are unconstitutional on First Amendment free speech grounds.
tags: Games | Law | Commerce | Youth | Censorship | Violent Games | Oklahoma | Bans |

Sweden Bans Downloading of Copyrighted Films and Music

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 31, 2005 - 6:10am.
Stockholm -- The Swedish parliament announced that it has passed a new law that prohibits the downloading of copyrighted material such as films and music from the Internet. "The decision means that a clear ban has been introduced against downloading music, pictures and other material on the Internet for private use without the copyright holder's permission," parliament said. Until now, Sweden has permitted the downloading of copyrighted material, while at the same time banning the uploading of material. Pressure from Hollywood to crack down on rampant peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, however, has led the country to change the law. Parliament said the new law would go into effect on July 1.
tags: Movies | Sweden | Bans | Download | Musics |

Bans on Violent Game Sales to Minors Fail in California, Advance in Illinois

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 5, 2005 - 10:12am.
Los Angeles -- A bill that would have fined retailers for selling M-rated video games to minors has failed in the California State Assembly, while a similar bill has passed in the Illinois state Senate's Housing and Community Affairs Committee. "It is evident that most of the committee members recognized the obvious flaw with the legislation -- that it is wholly unconstitutional," said Marie Sylla, director of government relations for the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association, in commenting on the California state bill. The approval of the Safe Games Illinois Act, which would empower the state to create its own game ratings system, will now move on to a vote in the full Illinois state Senate. State Sen. Deanna Demuzio (D) told CNET News.com that the bill will not come to a vote until the state clarifies how it plans to arrive on its ratings, and determines fines for retailers who sell objectionable games to minors. Court challenges to similar laws have consistently resulted in their being overturned on First Amendment free speech grounds.
tags: Games | Bans | California | Minors |

Illinois, Alabama Lawmakers Approve Bans on Sale of Violent Games to Minors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 17, 2005 - 10:33am.
Springfield, Ill. -- Illinois state lawmakers have approved a bill that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors in the state, with the Illinois House voting 91-19 in favor of the legislation. The bill will now move to the state Senate. Meanwhile, a similar bill to ban violent game sales to minors passed on Wednesday in the Alabama House of Representatives. Courts have routinely struck down similar video game sales bans on First Amendment grounds in the city of Indianapolis, St. Louis County, Missouri and the state of Washington.
tags: Law | Bans | Illinois | Alabama Lawmakers | Violent Games to Minors |

Australia Bans Sale of Rockstar Games' Violent "Manhunt" Video Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 1, 2004 - 3:25am.
Sydney -- Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) this week announced that it has effectively banned developer Rockstar Games' violent video game "Manhunt," after revoking the title's "MA15+" certification that allowed it only to be sold to those over 15 years of age, Australian IT reported. The game, which made headlines in the U.K. when it was associated with the murder of a 14-yeard old by a 17-year old, is now prohibited for sale to anyone in Australia. "Manhunt," in which players must murder characters in increasingly more gruesome manners in order to advance, had been on store shelves in Australia for nearly a year. "In the Classification Review Board's opinion, the game warrants a refusal of classification because it contains elements beyond those set out in the classification guidelines and legislation for a computer game at the MA15+ classification," the OFLC said in a statement. The OFLC said it would publish its reasoning behind the new prohibition within 28 days.
tags: Rockstar Games | Bans | Australia | Video Game | Violent Manhunt |

Judge Strikes Down Wash. Law Banning Violent Game Sales to Minors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 16, 2004 - 5:20am.
Seattle -- A Washington state law passed last year that restricts the sale of violent video games to minors has been struck down in federal court via summary judgment. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik said the law was "unconstitutionally vague" and violated free-speech rights. The law would have imposed a $500 fine on any clerk who sold games depicting violence against law enforcement officers. "While we may have lost this one battle in the sale of violent games against children, the war is far from over," Washington Democratic state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, who wrote the law, told Reuters. She added that she has not decided yet whether to appeal or propose new legislation. "It's our hope that Washington state and all other states will now turn their focus to helping us in our efforts to implement voluntary ratings measures at the retail level and enhance parental awareness and use of the ESRB game ratings," said Doug Lowenstein, president of industry trade group the Entertainment Software Association, which supported plaintiffs the Video Software Dealers Association.
tags: Law | Violent Games | Bans | Minors | Judge |