Slashdot Mirror
Jack Thompson Under Investigation
djflipstarx writes "Jack Thompson, famous anti-videogame lawyer, has found himself in the position of being investigated by the Florida Bar Association after trying to get Penny-Arcade writers Gabe and Tycho arrested. A bunch of people from the Penny-Arcade forums then went and sent letters to the FBA asking for them to check up on Thompson's current actions and review his license to practice law. The fact that even the National Institute on Media and the Family distance themselves from Thompson doesn't help his case either." The lesson here? There are many nerds in the world. Some of them have a posse. Be careful who you pick on.
To quote the shirt, "I HATE Jack Thompson" as much as anyone, but keep in mind that an investigation alone won't get him disbarred. I'd love to have that kind of P.R. weapon on the side of the games industry, but premature gloating isn't going to win any hearts on the Florida bar. In fact, it may have the opposite effect.
A better strategy would be to send correspondence to the bar alerting them to other infractions Jack has made besides those against Penny Arcade. For instance, his use of these same tactics on Lou Kerner of Bolt Media is my personal favorite.
Or you could cite his threats against the author of VGCats.
Or even the latest vague legal threats against Dave Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family.
One of these can be overlooked, but if the Bar knows about all of these, perhaps Jack will be out of the game for good.
If you visit ground zero (the Penny Arcade forums) you can find some evidence that this is the case:
I contacted the FBA requesting an update, and was told that they have been so overwhelmingly innundated with complaints, that they are having an emergency meeting to decide what kind of action to take.
So there is certainly something happening at the FBA, even if it's not a formal investigation yet.