backtop

Software Jack Thompson May Face Contempt Charges
Chris Peredun - October 24, 2006 9:22 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 26 comment(s) - last by UserDoesNotExi.. on Oct 25 at 9:31 AM
Take-Two Interactive returns fire after being "Bully"ed in Florida

The website GamePolitics is reporting that lawyers representing Take-Two Interactive, publishers of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto titles, and more recently the controversial Bully, are seeking to have Jack Thompson held in contempt of court.

Attorneys for the Philadelphia law firm Blank-Rome, representing Take-Two, have filed a "Petition for Order to Show Cause" which requests that Judge Friedman - who earlier this month ruled against Thompson's attempted ban of Bully in Florida - order Thompson to appear in court and give a good reason as to why he should not be held in contempt of court.

In a worst-case scenario for Thompson (gamers may have a slightly different perspective), he could face jail time - but more likely would face fines, judicial admonishment, or censure.

Thompson has reacted to the motion with his usual predictable attitude. Below are some excerpts from emails carbon-copied to GamePolitics:

"You want to play hardball…?  You want to try to throw me in jail?  You have no idea what you are unleashing in doing this.  You’re at the brink… "

"If this court in any fashion proceeds toward issuing a show cause order, given its utter baselessness and the bad faith goo in which it slithers, then Thompson will add whatever judge should do so as a defendant in the aforementioned federal civil rights action…"

Presumably the first quote comes from Thompson himself, and the second from a fellow member of his firm, unless it is Thompson again, but speaking in the third person.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
hmmm
By sprockkets on 10/24/2006 10:14:10 AM , Rating: 1
Why the move for this though? I missed something.




RE: hmmm
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 10/24/2006 10:52:20 AM , Rating: 3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_%28atto...

Have a good read. Everyone hates Jack Thompson, even his own mother......


RE: hmmm
By encryptkeeper on 10/24/2006 11:27:25 AM , Rating: 5
Thompson gave (Janet) Reno a letter at a campaign event requesting that she check a box to indicate whether she was homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Thompson said that Reno then put her hand on his shoulder and responded, “I’m only interested in virile men. That’s why I’m not attracted to you.”

OWNED!


RE: hmmm
By Trisped on 10/24/2006 12:13:10 PM , Rating: 2
It looks like they are questioning weather the law suit he filed against bully put him in contempt of court. If I was to guess, filing superfluous law suits is considered contempt of court, so they are going to call him in to see if he can justify it.


RE: hmmm
By Christopher1 on 10/25/2006 2:39:23 AM , Rating: 1
It is contempt of court to file a lawsuit that you KNOW is superfluous, however it is RARELY ever invoked because lawyers know that if they do it, they open up THEMSELVES to the exact same allegations.

In this case, Take 2 is right to file a contempt of court motion. Just because something is controversial and someone else doesn't like it is NOT a good enough reason to file a court suit in order to ban it! You just avoid buying the product yourself, and go on with you life.

Of course, Jack Thompson won't do that. He is one of those people who think that anything remotely 'harmful' to children in HIS mind, shouldn't be allowed out in society.

Frankly, the only thing that is harmful about these ultra-violent games and children playing them, comes into play when the parents are not talking with their children about the violence in the games.


Not a Good Idea...
By qdemn7 on 10/24/2006 10:46:00 AM , Rating: 2
To badmouth Judges. THAT is a quick way to C of C.




RE: Not a Good Idea...
By Aikouka on 10/24/2006 12:08:16 PM , Rating: 2
It may be Contempt of Court, but I don't see how they can legally do this. From a simplistic point of view, they're saying he's guilty until proven innocent, which is the exact opposite of the ideal of the law.

Also, aren't you supposed to prove that the person is in contempt of court? :P


RE: Not a Good Idea...
By Trisped on 10/24/2006 12:14:47 PM , Rating: 2
They already believe he is in contempt of court do to the superfluous nature of the law suit to block bully. They are giving him a chance to speak for his actions before they make a final decision and sentence him.


RE: Not a Good Idea...
By Aikouka on 10/24/2006 12:25:44 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Although we haven’t yet seen the motion, the request would appear to relate to Thompson’s angry comments in the wake of Miami District Court Judge Ronald Friedman’s refusal to block sales of Bully.


According to the article, they believe his contempt of court suit is in accord to the statements he made after the judge threw out his claim. The definition of Contempt of Court does say disrespecting the judge is a viable reason to call for the motion, so it definitely would work.

Although, if he must prove he's innocent, then the title of the article really needs to be changed as he should have been charged already.


RE: Not a Good Idea...
By Madellga on 10/24/2006 12:45:27 PM , Rating: 2
Normally if you are to claim something you have to prove it. Take 2 is basically saying: he is finger pointing us but based on what? They are just turning the table, which is correct in my opinion, since such claims can damage Take 2 business.


RE: Not a Good Idea...
By Dactyl on 10/24/2006 4:46:43 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
From a simplistic point of view, they're saying he's guilty until proven innocent
You're right, that is simplistic :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_court#Uni...


Shallow as the desert's mirage
By Aikouka on 10/24/2006 11:38:46 AM , Rating: 4
I think that the shallow thinking of people such as Jack Thompson is what causes such annoyances in the communities that sparks such hatred. It's that these people suspect there's such a vivid and apparent cause-and-effect relationship between a horrific event like a school shooting where the real cause is not as open as it may seem.

I may not have a psychological background, although I did really enjoy psychology while I studied Computer Science, I hated writing research (aka copy-someone-else's-work-but-throw-in-a-couple-orig inal-sentences) papers ;). I've seen that video games aren't a cause, but in some cases can be a sign. Socially despondent children that don't socialize for some reason or another (whether it be that perverse state of mind or they're just an overly shy person) may lean toward video games as an outlet for their time.

I'll admit that growing up my parents were Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. I don't suffer from the first problem (perverse state of mind) that I mentioned, but rather the second (overly shy person) and it really... really inhibits your ability to socialize like a normal human being should. You tend to overanalyze situations, and the problem is that humans are typically irrational and illogical, which creates states of confusion. Situations that are seen in video games, movies and television have altered your mind. Note that said situations are not necessarily bad, but you tend to believe in idealistic states such as "true love" (female co-lead always ends up falling in love with the hero, etc).

Socially inept people also tend to base human reaction on the only template they know... themselves. Thinking such as "if I do this, I'd react this way, so they must do the same thing" isn't uncommon, but it is more on the subconscious level rather than such a direct level of thought like I portrayed. So, you may tend to have ideas in your head from video games... they don't necessarily affect you to the point where you go out and shoot people. Sorry, those children were already messed up before they picked up the controller.

Any takes?




RE: Shallow as the desert's mirage
By encryptkeeper on 10/24/2006 12:41:51 PM , Rating: 2
Good point about obsessive video game playing that leads to social isolation (or vice versa) and that it should be a warning sign to parents. But so many people are REALLY into video games and have good social skills. The truth is there are probably a billion factors that go into what makes a kid go on a shooting spree. I think what needs to happen with these kids who are isolated and turn to video games is their parents need to step in and help them find other kids who have the same problem. Eventually, with 4 or 5 kids together as friends they can overcome being shy and isolated, to an extent. Humans most often become violent when they think it's the only option, and friends are what help keep you from being that desperate.


RE: Shallow as the desert's mirage
By Aikouka on 10/24/2006 1:16:52 PM , Rating: 3
I really wanted to make sure I fixed this point as it shows the opposite of what I think.

I don't think that obsessive video game playing leads to social isolation in the least bit. What I believe is that in some cases, social isolation can lead to video game playing. Video games can be a great way to pass time, and imagine how this looks to someone who has no friends to pass the time with. It's kind of awkward to think of it like that.

Also, sometimes social isolation can become severe enough that people simply cannot coexist with other people. This doesn't mean that they all turn out violent killers, but they just don't know how to interact. I saw a snipet of a movie that this topic reminded me of. In the movie called I'm a Sex Addict, a female walked past the main character and said "hi". Immediately after, it changed to the character saying how the simple interaction gave him the notion that she wanted to have sex with him. That is a type of inability to interact with others, and in this case, gross misinterpretation of intent. Either that or he's a soothsayer as they did have sex later on in the movie :P.


Strange . . .
By knowyourenemy on 10/24/2006 10:37:48 AM , Rating: 2
I do not believe his whole "So you want to play hard ball?" comment really assisted his position at all, seeing at this point, this statement will be used in court.

Good job buddy, stop harassing us.




RE: Strange . . .
By brshoemak on 10/24/2006 11:55:02 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah, with harsh words to Take-Two AND towards a judge, Thompson is really acting like a......Bully


Oh well
By encryptkeeper on 10/24/2006 10:30:22 AM , Rating: 2
I'm so tired of Jack Thompson. This guy needs his little soap box taken away and get a clue as to why kids are violent. Alot of kids ARE violent by nature. Or at least, adults consider them violent. Mostly they don't realise the harm they cause since often they don't get hurt themselves. They view it as play. That's where parental guidance comes in.

And this guys has no leg to stand on since kids (and people in general) have been violent since ages before video games. Case closed, Jack.




ridiculous
By NotAok on 10/24/2006 11:11:24 AM , Rating: 2
I can't believe this guy is still trying. He has to know he's one of the biggest jokes in the country.




I hate Jack Thompson
By umerok on 10/24/2006 11:13:51 AM , Rating: 2
C and C is NOT legal due process.
By Dfere on 10/24/2006 12:55:53 PM , Rating: 2
If you have ever been before a mean judge, you will understand.

You have to get an appeal from another judge, or board to reverse, and this judges are loathe to do.

It is the main weapon judges have to coerce action in court and is very necessary (most times). No judge wants to limit this power.




By Creig on 10/24/2006 2:34:56 PM , Rating: 2
Well, he IS a contemptible sort of person, so I guess there's sufficient evidence to press charges.




Letter
By UserDoesNotExist on 10/25/2006 9:31:14 AM , Rating: 2
He should be held in contempt of court for that letter he sent the judge (www.gamepolitics.com/images/legal/FL-letter-to-jud ge.doc). I don't care who you are or what the merits or details of the case are; you do not treat judges like that, period.




By Aikouka on 10/24/2006 1:20:05 PM , Rating: 2
Riddle me this, riddle me that... what video game company physically sells their game to end consumers?

Sorry, had to throw the Batman pun in there... :P.

Yes, I've seen stores sell M-rated games to minors, although to be honest, I can't tell if their parent was there a minute before and okay'd the transaction. In most cases, stores refuse to sell the M-rated games without parental/guardian approval, which I have seen happen a lot.


By Helbore on 10/24/2006 1:27:27 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, just like those unscrupulous film companies that make R rated films. Selling such filth to children is disgusting.

Oh, wait, its not sold to children, its for adults. Selling violent and sex laced material to adults is not illegal. Video game manufacturers don't sell to children, they sell to retailers. If an underage child buys a violent videogame it is the fault of the retailer, not the developer. Oh, and it is also the fault of the parent for not monitoring their kid's activities. After all, the parent just has to check the game and confiscate it if it is inappropriate. The kid will soon learn not to waste his money in future. But no, its much easier for us to sue developers than actually educate our children.

Plus, Thompson made, shall we say, very angry remarks to the Judge after losing this case. That, unfortunately for him, is contempt of court.


By JWalk on 10/24/2006 2:20:04 PM , Rating: 5
Let me break this argument down to what it really is all about:

There is a large group of people out there who think that video games are made ONLY for kids. Period.

They don't see video games as a valid form of entertainment for adults. If you are an adult who plays video games, then they consider you odd or weird.

So, therefore, if video games are really only meant for kids, then how could these "terrible" companies make violent adult-themed video games? They see this as the same thing as Disney making an animated movie with cute cartoon characters and then filling it with sex and violence. They view it as a pre-meditated psychological attack on the youth. Regardless of mature ratings.

Of course, the solution to this whole problem will come in time. You see, the people I am describing who are outraged, are for the most part from the older generation. They are between the ages of 40 and 65.

Eventually, they will be replaced with people from a generation that has grown up with video games, and sees them as nothing more than another form of enteratinment. Time will fix the problem.

Of course, in the meantime, we have to deal with the "Salem witch trial/McCarthy hearing/book burning" of our era. But, this too shall pass. ;)


"If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." -- AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in 2007

DailyTech Poll
Which web browser do you use on your primary personal machine? 






44 Comments







botimage
Copyright 2009 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki