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Video Game Violence Law Put On Hold
Last Thursday it was ruled the enforcement of the Washington State Video Game Censorship Law would be put on hold while the legal challenge is pending, as a preliminary injunction in the VSDA et al v. Maleng lawsuit was granted.
Bo Andersen, President of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) said,
"While VSDA does not believe that children should be able to obtain video games that their parents determine are not appropriate for them, we are pleased that the court agrees that the solution devised by the state of Washington is 'arbitrary' and 'too broad' and likely infringes the constitutional rights of video retailers and the customers. The better solution is for the industry to continue to educate parents about video game ratings and for parents to utilize those ratings to make informed judgments about the games that they permit their children to play."
VSDA et al v. Maleng involves a legal challenge to a recently passed law in Washington state that would impose fines on retailers that rent or sell to persons under age 17 video games that depict harm being inflicted on law enforcement officers. The bill was slated to go into effect on July 27. The plaintiffs are seeking to have the law overturned because it would violate the First Amendment rights of retailers and their customers. The suit also charges that the law is so vaguely written that retailers cannot be sure which games would be covered by the restrictions. Additionally, it alleges that the law unfairly singles out video games, as similar images in movies, books, and magazines are not covered by the law.
In addition to VSDA, the other plaintiffs are the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Hollywood Video, and the Washington Retailers Association. The lawsuit is being heard by Judge Robert S. Lasnik in the federal district court in Seattle, Washington.
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