Kotaku: Law

Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants Anti-Bullying Tax on Video Games

Owen Good — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:30:00 EST

"Violent video games," a governmental classification of speech and expression that the Supreme Court found a smidge troubling last June, would be taxed extra under a proposed law in Oklahoma, with the collected money going toward state programs fighting bullying and child obesity. Here we go again. More »

These Video Game Companies Hunt Pirates For Cash

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:00:00 EST

You know how Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt were using German courts to go after alleged pirates of the game? And how they gave up when everyone told them how shitty the practice they were using was? Turns out CD Projekt are just the tip of the iceberg. More »

Capcom Says It Never Said It Supported SOPA, Won't Say It Doesn't Support SOPA, Either

Owen Good — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EST

Earlier this week, according to Digital Trends, a Capcom spokesperson was asked for the company's position on the Stop Online Piracy Act. "The ESA represents us on these matters," was the reply. The ESA supports SOPA. Applying the transitive property, that means Capcom supports SOPA. More »

Man Hacks Skylanders, Gets Nasty Letter From Activision

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:00 EST

Skylanders, Gets Nasty Letter From Activision" alt="Click here to read Man Hacks Skylanders, Gets Nasty Letter From Activision" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/12/small_d6f5b5f1f65f08d2f2afb691d003cf60.jpg"/>

To pass the time, hacker Brandon Wilson - who normally messes around with graphics calculators - decided a few months back he'd take a look under the hood of Activision's Skylanders action figures, see what makes them tick. More »

Sony Sued Over Its "No Sue" Legal Terms

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:50:00 EST

Sony, along with several other big companies, has recently tried to institute a "no sue" clause in the terms of service agreements for its consoles. More »

Those Awful "No Sue" Clauses, In Plain English, So You Can Understand Them

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:30:00 EST

The gist of many big company's new "No Sue" clauses are that you can't sue them, but beyond that, aarrggghh, there's so much legal wish-wash it makes your head spin. More »

Witcher Devs Playing Judge, Jury & Executioner With Alleged Pirates

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:30:00 EST

Witcher Devs Playing Judge, Jury & Executioner With Alleged Pirates" alt="Click here to read Witcher Devs Playing Judge, Jury & Executioner With Alleged Pirates" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/12/small_78e3f769196fb788ec225f524f1cf5b2.jpg"/>

CD Projekt, the developers of the Witcher series, have been sending letters to alleged German pirates demanding over US$1,000 for having illegally copied the game. More »

Now Microsoft Wants to Stop You Taking Them to Court [Update]

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:00:00 EST

It's one of 2011's more troubling, if less sexy developments: that of major publishers and platform holders finding ways to stop customers taking them to court if something goes wrong with their product or service. More »

It Might Soon be Cool to Jailbreak Your Consoles

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:00:00 EST

Might Soon be Cool to Jailbreak Your Consoles" alt="Click here to read It Might Soon be Cool to Jailbreak Your Consoles" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/12/small_44145bb54bf587bf0acb5772274a73d6.jpg"/>

It's totally cool to "jailbreak" an iPhone to get around its DRM. Apple may not like that, but the courts say otherwise, so it has to abide. Video game consoles? Less cool. But that could soon change. More »

Call the Cops, Nintendo's Reggie Drives Like a Maniac

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:20:00 EST

Reggie Fils-Aime, everybody's favorite pizza man turned game exec, is a terror on the road. The Nintendo of America president thinks it's okay to drive like Mario Kart in real life. You know, burning rubber and throwing heat-seeking turtle shells. More »

GameStop Employees Suing Over Unpaid Conditions

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:00:00 EST

Multinational retailer GameStop is facing a lawsuit from its own employees over security checks the company performs on them whenever they go for a break or clock off for the day. More »

Austrian Politician Cleared of Charges Stemming From Anti-Muslim Flash Game

Mike Fahey — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:20:00 EDT

A court in Graz, Austria today cleared Freedom Party deputy Gerhard Kurzmann of charges brought following last year's release of anti-Muslim flash game Moschee Baba ("Bye-Bye Mosque"). More »

U.S. Supreme Court Kicks Gaming's $1.4M Request For Cash to Lower Court

Brian Crecente — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:55:43 EDT

The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to rule on a request by the video game industry for $1.4 million in attorneys' fees tied to the landmark video game freedom of speech decision earlier this year, opting instead to kick the request down to the circuit courts. More »

Remember, Electronic Arts Won't let you Sue Them, Either

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:00 EDT

While Sony's new "don't sue us" terms of service are terrible, let's not focus just on Sony. Other companies are now free to do the same thing. More »

Is MMO Loot a 'Jackpot' Under the Law?

Owen Good — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:30:00 EDT

Video games regulators in South Korea say MMO publishers there have obstructed an investigation into "jackpot items," predicated on the idea that players risking in-game currency for random-item payoffs is in fact a form of gambling. More »

Proposed City Law Would Require Mugshot When You Sell Used Games

Owen Good — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EDT

In Oregon, when I trade my games in, I'm required to certify there is no lien against them, like the IRS wants my copy of NCAA Football 11. It's one of the many fun-filled ways in which local ordinances regulate the sale of used games. Madison, Wisc., is scheming up another. More »

How Did Sony Get Away With Its New Terms of Service?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:30:00 EDT

Sony's new PS3 terms of service are designed to stop the company being hit with class-action suits, and having to front juries, which care about little things like the right of the consumer over the operations of multi-billion dollar corporations. More »

Remember, Sony's Shitty New Terms of Service Don't Apply to Everyone

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:30:00 EDT

Everyone" alt="Click here to read Remember, Sony's Shitty New Terms of Service Don't Apply to Everyone" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/09/small_ps3top.jpg"/>

Sony's new PlayStation Network terms of service, which basically exist to try and stop the company being taken to court by disgruntled users, aren't exactly popular in the US. If you're from Europe or Australia, though, relax: They don't apply to you. More »

New PlayStation Network Terms of Service Include a No Suing Sony Clause

Mike Fahey — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:30:00 EDT

Have you agreed to the new PlayStation Network terms of service yet? If you have, then you've agreed not to take Sony to court or participate in a class action lawsuit against the company. You really should read things before you sign them, even digitally. More »

Take-Two Accused of Treating Some Testers Like Crap

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 05:30:00 EDT

A former tester at Visual Concepts, the developers behind 2K's NBA and MLB games, is trying to take the pair's parent company Take-Two Interactive to court, accusing them of a number of workplace violations. More »

Minecraft Creator Wants to Settle Elder Scrolls Fight...With a Quake Match

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:45:00 EDT

Minecraft Creator Wants to Settle Elder Scrolls Fight...With a Quake Match" alt="Click here to read Minecraft Creator Wants to Settle Elder Scrolls Fight...With a Quake Match" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/08/small_nn30ymzja6y.jpg"/>

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has found himself in the middle of an unexpected legal battle with Bethesda, publishers of the Elder Scrolls series. Rather than fight it out in court, though, he has a better idea. More »

South African Cops Make First-Ever Raid of PS3 Jailbreak Operation

Owen Good — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EDT

In what is believed to be the world's first-ever arrest in connection with circumventing a video game console's security, South African authorities raided a jailbreaking operation in Johannesburg, sending one man to jail and confiscating all kinds of hardware and software the outfit used. More »

Activision Is Getting Sued over a Music Game. Again.

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:00:00 EDT

A few years back, it was all the rage for musicians to sue Activision over appearances in Guitar Hero. Courtney Love was doing it, The Romantics were doing it, No Doubt was doing it, even Axl Rose was in on the action. More »

Wow, so, a Ton of People are Suing Sony

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:30:00 EDT

Ton of People are Suing Sony" alt="Click here to read Wow, so, a Ton of People are Suing Sony" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/07/small_butler_did_it.jpg"/>

While Sony's "Welcome Back" package smoothed over most people's concerns following the PlayStation network attacks in April and May, not everyone is won over. Some are taking Sony to court. And when I say some, I mean many. More »

Australia is (Probably) Getting Adults-Only Games

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:00:00 EDT

Despite one of the state Attorneys General required to change Australia's classification laws not turning up to a meeting earlier today, those present (and the Federal Government) have agreed "in principle" to institute an adults-only game rating for the country. More »

The Greatest Mario Rip-Off of Them All

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Like any other artistic medium, most video games "borrow" content and ideas from other titles. That's how inspiration works. There's a line between inspiration and copyright infringement, though, and in 1987 Time Warp Productions jumped over that line (then into a warp pipe). More »

Man Deploys 'Madden Defense' to Beat Murder Rap

Owen Good — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EDT

A man on trial in North Carolina for killing his pregnant fiancée says he could not have been the killer, and is using a screen capture from a game of Madden NFL as his alibi. More »

Wait a Minute, Could Uploading Video of Video Games Really Send You to Prison?

Owen Good — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EDT

It might in the future, according to one reading of Senate Bill 978, assuming it gets passed. This is a proposed law put before the Senate about a couple months ago, but the games community just sat up and noticed once it read the language and understood the totality of its prohibitions. More »

Wronged Chiptune Artist is Mysteriously Avenged

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:30:00 EDT

Last week we brought you the sad story of chiptune artist Andy Baio and his run in with the legal system over an album cover. Opponents of current copyright laws will no doubt then get a smile out of this. More »

Utah Pol Throws In The Towel on Anti-Game Bill After Supreme Court Ruling

Owen Good — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:30:00 EDT

Most of the time, a Supreme Court ruling has its intended effect of being the final word on laws, be they good or bad. On some issues, you can count on the defeated side looking for a way around the decision. The Utah state legislator behind an anti-games bill says he won't pursue it in light of Monday's high court ruling, though he seems to have arrived at that choice grudgingly. More »

8-bit Chiptune Cover Art Cost This Man $32,500

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:30:00 EDT

Chiptune connoisseur and tech guru Andy Baio released an album last year called Kind of Bloop, an 8-bit tribute to Miles Davis' jazz masterpiece Kind of Blue. Yet despite receiving permission to cover the songs, Baio still found himself in court. What gives? More »

Women Responsible for Company of Heroes' Developer Death Sentenced

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:30:00 EDT

Company of Heroes' Developer Death Sentenced" alt="Click here to read Women Responsible for Company of Heroes' Developer Death Sentenced" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/06/small_bwood.jpg"/>

The two women responsible for the tragic death last year of Company of Heroes developer Brian Wood have been sentenced to prison, The Herald reports. More »

Deus Ex Website Hacked, Customer Information Stolen

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 13 May 2011 01:30:00 EDT

Deus Ex Website Hacked, Customer Information Stolen" alt="Click here to read Deus Ex Website Hacked, Customer Information Stolen" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/05/small_deus.jpg"/>

According to a report on KrebsOnSecurity, the public websites for upcoming sci-fi title Deus Ex: Human Revolution and that of its publisher, Eidos, have been hacked, and a ton of information and code stolen. More »

Report: Hackers Say Anonymous Likely Behind Sony Attacks

Brian Crecente — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:00:00 EDT

Two long-time members of hacker group Anonymous tell the Financial Times that members of the loosely organized entity are likely behind the hacking attack on Sony, despite the group's official denials. More »

These Are the People Hired to Hunt the PlayStation Network Hackers

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 04 May 2011 07:00:00 EDT

To catch those responsible for the attacks on the PlayStation Network, which has brought the service down for over a week and exposed the private details of millions, Sony has hired not one but two teams of private investigators. And a third team of consultants, just for good measure. More »

Is the PSN Breach Worth Suing Sony for a Billion Bucks?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 04 May 2011 05:00:00 EDT

While Canada's privacy watchdog looks into the PSN breach, a twenty-one year-old Ontario woman moves forward with a class-action lawsuit against Sony. More »

Three Men Arrested after Fisticuffs at Nerd Convention

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 03 May 2011 01:00:00 EDT

Shinboku-con 2011 was held in Westlake, Ohio over the weekend, and was a festival aimed at showcasing and celebrating anime and video games. Maybe they should add pugilism to the bill. More »

There Are 2.2 Million PSN Member's Credit Card Details up for Sale

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:00:00 EDT

According to Kevin Stevens, an online security expert with TrendMicro, "low-level cybercriminals" are currently shopping around lists supposedly containing the credit card details of 2.2 million PlayStation Network members. More »

Canada's Privacy Watchdog Is also Looking into the PSN Outage

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:30:00 EDT

It's not just Britain's digital privacy watchdog looking into Sony's PlayStation Network data theft: Canada's Privacy Commissioner is now investigating the matter as well. More »

Department Of Justice Deals Out Indictment To Top Online Poker Sites

Mike Fahey — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:40:35 EDT

In case you needed proof that online poker sites were shady, the Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment against the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker, charging defendants with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling. More »