SYSTEM SHOCK TM SIGN
Take-Two Interactive recently purchased Irrational Games, who developed the well-known System Shock 2 game. That game was published by Electronic Arts. Take-Two has announced that it will publish Irrational’s next game, BioShock, which is touted as the “spiritual successor†to System Shock 2 (although it is not a sequel). Perhaps in related news, EA recently filed a US trade-mark application for SYSTEM SHOCK. Whether this means that a sequel to System Shock 2 is in the works remains to be seen. Coverage at:http://shorl.com/jepybreketega and at:http://shorl.com/bygrarilytujy The US District Court for the Northern District of California has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the implementation of California’s new video game law. The Court stated that video games are protected by the First Amendment’s freedom of speech principles, and that the law would likely be ruled unconstitutional. This is the third video game law in two months to receive such treatment by courts: Michigan’s video game law was ruled unconstitutional in November, and the same thing happened to an Illinois law a few weeks ago. ESA Press Release at:http://shorl.com/gipilagagovu Coverage at:http://shorl.com/humufrakijyri The lawsuit against Take-Two brought by the families of police personnel murdered by a GTA-playing teen will continue to trial. An Alabama judge has dismissed Take-Two’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. As a result, the way is most likely cleared to a jury trial, and all the uncertainty and possibility of enormous damages that brings with it. Coverage at:http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=13645 Maybe it was all that holiday eggnog that did it. Who knows? But the kind folks atBlawg Reviewdeclared our Video Game Law Blog the “judges’ choice for Speciality Blawgs†in their Blawg Review Awards 2005. Coverage at: http://www.shorl.com/gyvatenyjika While we thought we were pretty good at coming up with cool and innovative ways to defend intellectual property,Ivy Supersonic has taken it to a whole new level. In 2002, Ms. Supersonic, publicist and hat designer to the stars,sued Twentieth Century Fox for trademark infringement, claiming she had created a character called Sqrat (half squirrel, half rat, all fun) way before a rodent character called Scrat showed up in the 2001 animated feature "Ice Age." She lost the case but is back and suing Fox again in anticipation of the release of "Ice Age 2," demanding her share of royalties from the estimated $500 million gross from the first movie. She's representing herself in court and has launched what she calls a full-scale media attack on Fox, which has includedrenting planes to fly around Los Angeles and New York pulling banners featuring pictures of her (semi) naked body, which she has had covered in Sqrat tattoos, publicizing statements in support of her cause from esteemed celebrities such as Tommy Lee, and posting every letter and email she receives from Fox on her website… Coverage at: http://www.scrat.com andhttp://sqrat.net The owners of a video game store in California were recently indicted for allegedly copying XBOX games and installing them on modded consoles. Video game piracy is obviously an infringement of copyright, and it might also be a criminal offence. Likewise, circumventing copy protection technology can violate US copyright law. Canada does not yet have anti-circumvention legislation; however, Canada’sproposed amendments to the Copyright Actdo currently contain anti-circumvention provsions. Coverage here:http://www.shorl.com/bejubugrekuko
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