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Judge Orders Illinois to 'Pay Up'
After the state of Illinois lost its bid to ban violent games, they were slapped with the legal fees incurred by the ESA, Video Software Dealers Association, and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. Now, the Judge has come back to collect the tab: "Turns out Judge Kennelly doesn't play chicken. As the Chicago Tribune has recently reported, Illinois has been given an ultimatum: come up with a way to pay back $510,250 by December 18th or we will figure out a way for you ... 'They have answered the plaintiffs' entreaties with what amounts to shoulder-shrugging and finger-pointing,' Kennelly wrote in an opinion. 'Specifically, they have made no real suggestion about what the plaintiffs need to do to collect what they are entitled to, largely leaving that up to one's imagination.'"
And indeed, the USA's current laws mean games like San Andreas and Indigo Properchy are only available to the US in cut versions, where in the UK where they carried legal 18 and 15 ratings respectively they're available unmolested.
If games would shut the hell up with unconstitutional for 2 seconds they might realise that allowing the adult themed games to be legally protected is in everyone's best interest. The law still allows a parent or guardian to buy for their kid and it's them, rather than anyone else who should make that choice.
Indeed, here in the UK the BBFC ratings system seems to work well for games (doesn't stop the tabloids claiming GTA and its ilk will warp the minds of youngsters, but parents have to buy them for their kids for that to even be a possibility). I think the problem isn't making games rating legally binding, but rather that people like Jack Thompson appear to see this as a first step to banning violent games altogether. In the UK BBFC ratings for games has worked, but in the USA there are a lot more Christian crusaders with a problem with everyday things that get into the media and fuck things up for others.
/Not trolling Christianity, just pissed off with Thompson bringing God into a topic that could be a very reasonable and mature discussion without his bible-bashing.
As an Illinois resident, I'm glad to see punishment being dealt to the idiot administration which brought this lawsuit in the first place. Of course, I'd *prefer* that the fine come exclusively out of the pockets of the people who re-elected the proven-incompetent governor (and any other incumbents), but whatever.
The Bar association would of course claim this would dampen the ability of the little guy to sue, since the big corps could fight it with their army of lawyers, out secure in the knowledge that the little guy will pay dearly for messing with them once they prevail. Scary scary scary. And perhaps even a little bit correct, but another facet of "loser pays" is that it's usually up to the discretion of the judge for "particularly meritless" cases, that the decision itself can be appealed, and so on. Right now, the Judges can order court costs paid, which are usually a rather piddling percentage of actual legal fees.
Fact is, lawyers are the larval form of politicians, so there's virtually nothing short of an incredibly shocking and polarizing event that might give reform of the legal system a snowball's chance in hell of surviving legislation.
Done with slashdot, done with nerds, getting a life.