The family of a man teenagers killed in Tennessee plans to file lawsuits against Sony and Take Two within a month. Attorney Jack Thompson said his clients will accuse the game publishers of being responsible for the man's death. Two half-brothers aged 16 and 14 used a 0.22 caliber rifle to shoot at traffic on Interstate 40 in June. They killed Nurse Aaron Hamel and wounded a woman in another car. The teenagers - whose names are being withheld because they're minors - told the Knoxville News Sentinel and the police they got the idea for the shooting from Grand Theft Auto III. The Rockstar Games publishing division of Take Two produced GTA. The brothers were sentenced on Aug. 28 to detention in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. GTA is rated Mature for game players 17-years-of-age and older.
News source: The Adrenaline Vault
View: Previous coverage
News source: The Adrenaline Vault View: Previous coverage
"The bottom line is that it leaks like a sieve," Blanford warned.
He also insisted that the plan would force consumers to replace (and the FCC to regulate) "virtually every single device in the home network".
In addition, it would severely restrict consumers' "fair use" and reasonable expectations by stopping workers from sending digital broadcast content from their homes to their offices, students from sending it to teachers, and people from sending it to their parents.
Thirdly, according to Blanford, the plan would give a small group of consumer electronics and computer companies, through their control of "authorised technologies", the incentive and opportunity to restrain competition on digital content protection technology and digital consumer electronics products.
Blanford added that current technological limitations in redistributing digital content over the internet give US lawmakers "plenty of time to consider the issue fully".
He went on to express hope that a "watermarking" system could address the problem without causing harm to consumers, and he offered to work with the studios on such an approach.
Of course they did. It had nothing to do with them being a couple of psychotic <censored>
I mean what kind of legal precedent will this set (asuming there aren't any to begin with)?
"Look, McDonald's made me fat!"
(The funny thing being, I am canadian myself.)
Either:
a) The kids are telling the truth about the whole thing. So the parents are to blame, as, had they been properly brought up, they would have had no illusions as to what shooting people does.
or
b) THey are lying. So again, their parents didn't bring them up properly or they wouldn't have expected to be able to cheat and lie their way out of this.
Also, the plaintiffs are obviously just gold digging, or they're totally retarded.
I really feel sorry for Sony and Take Two. What a waste of money!
Unless you keep your children on a leash you have little or no control over what they do.
Some children are just born "different" even if the parents we're absolutely perfect. (My brothers a good example)
(I might be wrong with the exact ages, this was how it used to be, don't know if anything has changed in the last couple of years)
Parents: Well they are responsible for the minors, so yup.
Defendants: Well they shot the gun.
Gun Control: Just a joke in the states, sorry.
GTA: Oh please, it's a fantasy game.
It's too easy to commit a crime, and take no responsibility by blaming it on a game.
yes it is easier, compared to other countries, but thats a gross simplification. Those guns were stolen fromirresponsible adults (who should also be held accountable), they didnt just go out and buy them.
Microsoft Flight Simulator: Encourages youths to steal airplanes.
The Need for Speed series: Wreckless driving.
Frogger: Encourages children to run across busy streets.
The Sims: Ok, I just threw this one in because I hate it.
Seriously, are there any games that are safe from these crazy accusations?
I sincerly hope you are joking, because if you don't, my friend, you are THE BIGGEST DUMBASS in the whole universe.
Although I bet it'd be easier for me to fly a plane, knowing the controls and operations that go into a basic takeoff.
Regardless, the parents are stupid and the kids even stupider. I went and bought GTA 3 and Vice City myself, even though I'm only 16. I'm not an idiot and I'm not gonna go out shooting people, or launching Rockets or throwing Maltov Cocktails. Although in a closed and safe environment, such as our huge ass school parking lot, it'd look cool as hell.
If they are minors, why the hell did their parents let them play the dam game anyway? Its rated R, and M for Mature! Jees.
If they are minors, why the hell did their parents let them play the dam game anyway? Its rated R, and M for Mature! Jees.
The UK isn't as sue happy as America is. Certain people in here in the US can't understand that maybe it's their fault. Too many people trying to make a quick buck by blaming someone else for their failings. In this case, the parents.
Hah, almost everyone blames someone else, no matter how stupid their reasoning or how impossible it may be.
They also suck.
They doubly suck for blaming a bloody video game.
I bet their dad was Hank Hill.
Maybe a lot of kids here in Holland feel like shooting people after playing GTA but they can't without a gun
The Game gave them the idea to go shooting traffic. It was there choice to do it or not. So yes, if they had not played the game they probably would not have gone shooting traffic.
And the hundreds of reports of drive by shootings that are reported on TV annually had nothing to do with it. These "innocent children" have demonstrated the callous disregard for the lives of others and the inability to separate reality from fantasy. They ought to be euthanized, not pitied.
yeah, it's quite old news, but oh well, amusing. lol
Parents in finacial trouble send kid out to kill... sue game company, quick $$$$
Sorry, but Alabama takes the prize for allowing "church" (read : extremist christianity) to influence government - even though the Alabama constitution acutally has one of the more stringent separation of church and state clauses.
As to the topic: those kids need some serious psychiatric help and the parents or whoever owned the guns should be held responsible. Maybe the kids can be salvaged, who knows?
I'm so damn tired of ppl suing everyone left and right - hell, if you don't like something, you sue them nowadays. WTF happened to common sense? N/M - everyone is a moron anyways.
"Sorry judge....but playing Grand Theft Auto made us all start up a mob. Everything we stole should be blamed on Sony."
Sorry but I think people should know better then let thier kids play with rifles let alone access them.
I thought they got the idea from Michael Douglas' movie Falling Down? Oh wait that was entertainment just like Grand Theft Auto.
This is another frivilous lawsuit that the person who initiated the suit should pay the time of the court while they could be doing something more productive.
Bah. Blame it on a video game....idiot
Bottom line is that these children need to seperate fantasy from reality and if they can't the real problem isn't a game publisher, but rather these children need to see a psychiatrist.
Parents dont want to be resoponsible for what there kids do. Content providers dont want to be responsible for what they make. The kids themself dont want to be responsible for there own actions. and thats who should be. The kids should both get the electric chair. The parents of the kids should get suedby the dead peoples relatives I know if my kid hurts some one I have to pay for it.... (becouse how did they get guns ?) The game manufacurer should be fined some money to go into educating people about violence. Another thing is what where they thinking ? shooting poeple on the way home from work ? I mean if they had GTA couldnt they get there entertainment that way ? and agressions out ?
when i first read it, i thought it said morons. caffeine to go please
It's no ones blame except for those kids, and only them. Not Sony, not the kids's parents, only the kids... period.
And as for the people sueing, money doesn't solve the problem, and they should be greiving about the whole thing, not trying to get money. Greedy *******s.
The only ones getting anything... should be those kids... the electric chair, that's what they should be getting.
blame = parents
}
thats why this ought to be thrown out
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