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Oklahoma Judge Blocks Implementation of Video Game Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 12, 2006 - 1:15pm.
Washington - A federal judge in Oklahoma on Thursday blocked implementation of a new state law that prohibits the sale of video games to minors that depict "inappropriate" violence. U.S. District Court Judge Robin J. Cauthron issued a preliminary injunction against the Oklahoma law, siding with the video game industry's arguments that the law is unconstitutionally vague, and violates First Amendment free speech rights. "This marks the ninth Court decision in the past five years to enjoin restrictions on video games," said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. "We're grateful for the preliminary injunction and look forward to prevailing in the effort to permanently strike down the law."
tags: Games | Law | Commerce | Censorship | Oklahoma | Rulings | Retail | ESA |

Oklahoma Gov. Signs Video Game Bill Into Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 12, 2006 - 1:12pm.
Oklahoma City, Okla. - Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry last week signed into law a bill that makes it a felony to sell or rent violent video games to minors in the state.
tags: Games | Law | Commerce | Censorship | Violent Games | Oklahoma | Bills | Legislation | Retail | ESA | Minors |

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 |