Thailand Wants to Prosecute VG Makers for Copycat Murders

In an extremely weak attempt to curb violence in his country, one Thai official has suggested that video game makers be held liable for copycat crimes committed by players imitating a game. This brilliant suggestion comes on the heels of the murder of a Bangkok cabbie thought to be killed by a GTA-addled maniac. Somchai Jaroen-amnuaysuk of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Office (now there is a mouth full: where are they for all of the child prostitutes?), said, "When a player copycats a crime he or she sees in the game, the game maker should be prosecuted. Prosecutions will automatically force game makers to act more responsibly." Right...

A Different Copyright!

Why limit the law to murder? The state should be suing Nintendo's Ass! I only ate the mushrooms because I thought they would make me bigger, and now look at me!

East Texas Controller Patent Case Finds for Plaintiff (big surprise), Nintendo Owes $21 Million

Keeping with the sordid history of patent cases in the Eastern District of Texas, Nintendo has lost its patent infringement legal battle with Anascape to the tune of 21 million bucks over patents relating to controller technology. Microsoft was also named, but settled for an undisclosed amount. It is unknown why Sony was not named as well.

Boohoo, Nintendo!

It is amazing to me how the EDT court system just pumps out these infringement cases. How is it possible that plaintiffs can win 70% of the time? I guess everyone is guilty in Texas...

House of Reps Puts Forth Bill To Require Carding Gamers

The House of Representatives is considering passing the Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act, a piece of legislation that would require game retailers to check the ID of anyone buying an AO or M rated game. As with almost all video game legislation, this is being done in the name of the children. Pass it for the children Congress!

VGREA, Helping to Stiffen Legislative Standards!

I'm going to have to agree with Dale on this one: we already get carded for everything cool anyway, cigarettes, booze, porn, so why not lend video games some street cred and throw that in there too?

United Arab Emirates Cracks Down on God of War, Again

UAE has decided to crackdown on God of War again. Banning it apparently was not enough, since now pirated copies are not hard to come by, so they are taking to the streets to remove this game which is harmful to their religious and moral beliefs. In fact, one went as far as to say he was shocked by how much the game contradicted Islamic views. Oh, and it has sex.

Don't Worship This God of War!

It just goes to show how much we, the Western gamer, take for granted. People here flip out over the smallest amount of censorship - we don't even know the half of it.

Prison Inmate Sues Game Publishers

Jonathan Lee Riches, inmate "rich" in intelligence, is seeking restraining orders from game publishers, including Activision, Atari, and Take-Two. Video games offend his sensibilities, AND they contributed to his identity theft, AND promote racial hatred, AND EVEN increase his fear that someone will beat him up and snatch his chain. He also is claiming that he is not granted access to video games in jail, which is a form of discrimination (when this is the most legit part of your claim, you know you are in trouble). This is the same man who "has already filed more than 1,500 lawsuits this year against a wide-ranging array of defendants including Washington Capitals left winger Alexander Ovechkin, Alone in the Dark star Christian Slater, St. Patrick's Day, the 9-11 Commission Report, and Star Wars. He is perhaps best known for suing former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for $63 billion after Vick's illegal dog fighting operation was uncovered."

How Did Someone This Smart Get Locked Up?

Freedom is the name of the game today: some people have it, and some do not.

Afghanistan May Ban Video Games

The Afghan Parliament, supposedly better than the Taliban, has introduced legislation that directly mirrors the types of legislation passed under the Taliban, namely advocating bans for many of the racier sides of life: no more wearing of jewelry by men, no make-up for women in public, women must wear veils in school and at work, no more pigeon-flying, and most importantly, no more video games. How could W let this happen?

Afghaniban

Don't they believe in freedom? Well, this sure is hell ain't America.

Minnesota Pushes Forward With Futile Legislation

Minnesota, that bastion for common sense, continues to resist the legal system's mandate that legislation creating penalties for the sale of violent video games is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! The state has filed an appeal to hear the case en banc, meaning all of the Eighth Circuit of Appeals judges will hear the case, instead of just three.

Presenting the Minnesota Golden Dotards!

I was tempted to not even report this story because it is hardly news. As a gamer, I am happy this legislation has not been passed because I am against censorship in general and it could set a precedent for further encroachment. As a lawyer, if this type of legislation does pass, there are going to be a lot of sheepish judges out there who will either have to go back and say they were wrong, or stop the spread of this legislation to cover their proverbial ass. My guess is that they would stop the spread.