The Academy Awards. Hollywood's opportunity to bask in itself and spend loads of money on limos, parties and wooing Academy members to vote for "important" motion pictures. Last week, Gamasutra ran an article, which compared a planned Japanese game award show to the Oscars. The Academy's sue-happy lawyers jumped down Gamasutra's throat:

The headline reads [before it was edited] "Japan Plans 'Game Academy Awards'." It refers to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to create an award for the country's video games industry. Regardless of whether or not this ACADEMY AWARDS reference was derived from an outside news source, it is nonetheless concerning to the Academy. We consider the use of the ACADEMY AWARDS name in Gamasutra's headline as damaging to our rights by tending to dilute the ACADEMY AWARDS mark's unique identification with the Academy or incorrectly implying these awards are in some way connected with or endorsed by the Academy.

Thing is, the "Game Academy Awards" bit came from a Japanese newspaper, The Yomiuri Shinbun, and was simply quoted by the site. So to prevent the Oscars' "unique" identity to be diluted, the Academy strong-armed Gamasutra to remove a quote from a major Japanese newspaper.

Just know Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, that hopefully this Japanese "Game Academy Awards"—I'm quoting here as it's not connected with your dog and pony show—will be nothing like the Oscars. Judging by your track record (take for example, stiffing Martin Scorsese in favor of Kevin Costner for Best Director), I can only hope that the Japanese "Game Academy Awards" will be nothing like the "Movie Academy Awards." Otherwise, fat chance Miyamoto or Kojima will ever get recognized. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [GameSetWatch]