"Bully" Case Goes Global

"Bully" Case Goes Global

October 14, 2006
Jack Thompson's unprecedented legal challenge to Rockstar's upcoming release of Bully made news around the world this week.

Thompson himself cited coverage by the BBC, which was given access to an unfinished version of the game. While noting Thompson's objections to Bully, the BBC included extensive comments on the game from an unnamed Rockstar spokesperson. The news service also pointed out that public nuisance suits of the type filed by Thompson typically address issues like environmental pollution.

Thompson cited the BBC's access to the game in an appeal to Florida's Third District Court, which was immediately denied. The attorney claimed that Rockstar's making Bully available to the BBC for preview negated arguments of prior restraint of free speech raised by attorneys for Take Two.

The Bully saga also showed up in news coverage as far away as India and the North Korea Times.

We wonder if Kim Jong-Il pre-ordered?

Comments

I was indifferent to Bully to begin with. It looked like it could be kind of cool, but could also be a major flop.

Jack Thompson encouraged the world to see what the game is really about: Childish pranks and novel ideas regarding the way the game responds to you.

I've since preordered it. Thanks, Jack!
This is made funnier by the fact that I got loaded and watched that movie last night.
"The attorney claimed that Rockstar’s making Bully available to the BBC for preview negated arguments of prior restraint of free speech raised by attorneys for Take Two."

OK, can somebody explain this logic to me. I just don't get it.
@ sqlrob:

or me.
Thompson is funny because he thinks that the reason R* wasn't giving him a copy was because they couldn't, they weren't giving him one because they didn't WANT to. :D
Maybe is going for the "I may not win, but I will just confuse the shit outta everyone. Thus making it look like I am martyr in this grand conspiracy to corrupt todays youth."

It could also just be classic JT rearing its head when he is on the losing side again. Lots of incoherant ramblings of a tool.
The review at IGN convinced me that it might be a good game, but I wouldn't have even been interested enough to read that review if it weren't for John Bruce stirring up all this fuss.
So wait.
Jack says that Take-Two, having delivered a beta version to the BBC for a preview, negated Prior Restraint, even though Prior Restraint refers to material that is commercially and publicly released? That's like letting Roger Egbert watch an unfinished cut of a potentially good movie- nobody else is watching it, and in the case of Roger, nobody important.
Great. Now if we go to nuclear war with North Korea, the politicians and Jack Thompsons already have a game to blame. ;)
im sick of people blaming games for violence.Violence has been around before games fuck it was around before tv and all you cunts who think diffrent can blow me

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 01/06/09 at 04:12pm
DeepThorn: Dero, I swear she told me she was 18.
Posted 01/06/09 at 03:07pm
HarmlessBunny: @PHX Corp: No surprise. Jack's favorite desperation move: Image-laden filings that make zero sense! Guarunteed to piss someone off, and provide hilarity to us
Posted 01/06/09 at 01:54pm
Derovius: What did you call my little sister?
Posted 01/06/09 at 01:38pm
DeepThorn: 'Security' additions, which means it protects the music, which you bought, and have the right to use. It doesnt stop illegal activity, and even copying the music onto 2 back up CDs isnt illegal. Giving one to your little sister is border line.
Posted 01/06/09 at 01:36pm
CK20XX: What's it gonna take for JT to get arrested? It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Posted 01/06/09 at 12:12pm
PHX Corp: Look on JAABLOG at his recent court filings he's starting to post pictures again http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DB5ODRNE
Posted 01/06/09 at 11:51am
CMiner: It's the same as the controversy over Sony's rootkits in their music CDs, as far as a separation of the issues of cd content and the security additions.
Posted 01/06/09 at 11:27am
Vake Xeacons: But there does need to be a limit on DRM. I mean, CD check's okay, but spyware? That's an invasion of privacy!
Posted 01/06/09 at 11:00am
Krono: @insanejedi: DRM isn't an aspect of the game. Unless you can make an argument that Securom is an intregal part of Spore that the game would be an incomplete experience without.
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:57am
insanejedi: It's asking the government to regulate aspects of a game. Their just going to use this as a backdoor to regulate other aspects.
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:53am
Krono: @insanejedi: DRM = trade practice, Violence in games = speech. I'm not seeing the similarity here.
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:40am
insanejedi: Guys, Regulation of DRM is fudementally the same as regulating violence in games...
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:13am
sortableturnip: He's in full swing now, asking for all expenses paid by the Florida Bar.
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:51am
sortableturnip: @ Simonbob: isn't it better to read the comments, LOL wise?
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:41am
SimonBob: You could've mentioned it's close to the bottom, although it's good to know he's actually got an okay golf swing.
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:41am
PHX Corp: @Sourtable T JT's brain acts like a cookoo clock, It never stops Cookooing
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:23am
sortableturnip: In his latest filing, JT claims he is still admitted to practice as an attorney in the Southern District of Florida: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2007/09/04/pardon-our-appearance.aspx?pg=3&view=threaded
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:13am
SimonBob: Or the falsified usernames of gaming company CEOs. :P
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:07am
Alevan: Yeah, he doesn't use the shoutbox... then again, he doesn't like to confront his problems head on. He hides behind the "law"
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:05am
SimonBob: It's funny, Alevan, I've never seen him respond to anything in the shoutbox. I think he's got tunnel vision.
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