Jack Thompson Files Take-Two, Rockstar Lawsuit

rtt writes "Jack Thompson is back on the video game scene and has followed through with his threat to file a law suit against Rockstar, Take-Two and Walmart for Rockstar's upcoming "Bully" title. bit-tech was sent a copy by the man himself which started as follows "Take-Two has until five o'clock p.m., Eastern time, Monday, August 14, 2006, to inform me in writing that it will forthwith provide me with a copy of Bully so that I and others can analyze it to determine whether it still poses a threat of copycat violence in our schools.""

Comments

Jack is a better PR flack than lawyer

[Infonaut]

The language from his suit is designed for media consumption, not to sway a judge.

Here's a random clip from his statement of facts:

21. Take-Two is fraudulently and deceptively marketing this game not only because it desperately needs the cash from the sale of this controversial game, whose release has been delayed for over a year in large part because of the efforts of the undersigned petitioner, but also because controversy still swirls about the Bully game, and Take-Two is Hell-bent to defuse it.

Lawyers vary in how they make their statements of fact, but a long litany of statements like this make you sound unhinged and guilty of gross hyperbole. Maybe that's why he's been so stupendously unsuccessful in all of his anti-game lawsuits.

I also wonder at the letter he sent to Take-Two and Wal-Mart. The opening paragraph certainly sounds like a bald attempt at extortion. He's already skated on thin ice with the Florida Bar and with various judges. I wonder how much longer he'll be able to push the envelope with these vague and poorly constructed lawsuits before he gets nailed to the wall for it.

Re:Parenting philosophy

[russ1337]

I had to read your post a couple of times to get what you were saying. At first I thought you were advocating "stand up to bully" violence, but after a re-read, you say discipline your kids for fighting (no matter which one started from the postion of power).
I agree that the answer to kids being bullied is not to be 'coddled' - 100%. But standing up to bullies is sometimes what they are after.
I moved from NZ to Northern Ireland when I was 12, and because I was 'foreign' became the target of a few of a couple of the school bullies. I pretty much always managed to talk my way out of it. It'd have been a pretty dangerous situation for me to 'stand up to them directly'... most of these guys were pig farmers and victims of home violence. No punch I could deliver was even going to make them wince, and they could easily gather more friends than I had made in the first month or so. So, I had to use quick thinking, even quicker talking and a little avoidance here and there. In the end I got these guys working for me. I started selling potatoe chips (crisps) at school, undercutting the cafeteria and these guys were doing the leg-work and chasing up the outstanding debts.... win win. They just needed a bit of guidance and a little 'motivation'....