March 22, 2007
Last week GamePolitics broke the news that troubled game publisher Take Two Interactive had filed suit against anti-game activist Jack Thompson in Federal District Court in Florida.Late yesterday, Thompson sent out e-mails containing a copy of his response to Take Two's suit as well as a counter claim which, among other things, alleges the Grand Theft Auto publisher is at the center of a vast conspiracy to deprive Thompson of his civil rights.
Referring to Take Two in the court filing as "thuggish pornographers," Thompson charges that the company violated federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) statutes, commonly used to prosecute organized crime syndicates.
Among Thompson's claims:
Take-Two has, since July 2005, been at the center of an effort to violate Thompson’s civil and constitutional rights... In addition to... extortion (intimidation) of Thompson... Take-Two has committed other predicate RICO acts, including but not limited to fraud, distribution of obscene and/or sexual material harmful to minors...
Additionally... Take-Two, through its Blank Rome lawyers, sought in Alabama to tamper with a witness in a pending criminal case, according to that witness’ lawyer.
Neither the witness nor the lawyer are named in Thompson's filing. The Alabama reference would be to the Strickland vs. Sony case in which an 18-year-old GTA player killed two police officers and a police dispatcher. Thompson represents the families of the victims in a $600 million lawsuit against Take Two, Rockstar, Sony, Wal-Mart and GameStop. The judge in that case, however, revoked Thompson's pro hac vice (visiting) admission to the Alabama Bar in November, 2005.
Later in the 37-page filing, Thompson adds perjury and obstruction of justice to his allegations against Take Two. He claims that Take Two has "collaborated and conspired with third parties to commit these racketeering activities." As alleged by Thompson, these "third parties" include many influential video game websites and publications, including this one as well as Kotaku, Joystiq, GameSpot, IGN, Penny Arcade, EGM, Game Informer and Spong.
Thompson also claims that game industry groups including the ESA and ESRB are involved as well as consumer group the Entertainment Consumer Association (ECA). The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.
GameSpot has more. Read Thompson's filing here (37-page pdf).
Comments
(If there is a God, and if said chief deity has a really cruel sense of humor, he'll allow a Scottish judge to decide the case. Nothing would be funnier than watching JT explain his remarks regarding Scottish sociopaths to Judge McGregor.)
He's already a failure in politics (due to the same paranoia and lack of tact), so he'll probably just join up with some other far-right conservative group that will keep him on as long as he doesn't talk to anyone but their own members.
Sic transit John Bruce Thompson Esq.
Holly Crap, he just called take two's games Islamic Fascist recruitment call. what the hell?
and even though i've been out of the loop for a bit my opinion on this whole "anti game" crap is BullS*** its pointless and there is no reason for it when we have more serious issues to figure out then making sure Video games like manhunt 2 and gta arent in the hands of "children" in which maybe if some damn parents went and did there jobs as parents then we wouldnt have to deal with this crap. Given i dont have kids or a wife for that matter but it just seems commen sense to me But it seems now that parents have this idea that it is wrong to tell your children "no"
But im done ranting i know how bad i can get when i do so thats it
I looked at the long string of "Denieds" as Jack just answering "Nuh uh!" or "I know you are but what am I am?" several times.
oh well just for jack i'll go home and play vice city stories
And as for Jack Thompson saying that his on a "crusade" against video games: Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Christians lose the last time they went on a crusade? Meh, either way, Jack Thompson reminds me of a lyric from Breaking Benjamin's "Had Enough":
You had to have it all,
Or have to had enough?
You greedy little *******,
You will get what you deserve!
"Joe Bourrie Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
“The goal I set for myself was to destroy Rockstar Games and Take-Two”
- Jack Thompson
“Take-Two has, since July 2005, been at the center of an effort to violate Thompson’s civil and constitutional rights…”
- Jack Thompson"
I noticed he linked his psychological study, claiming it to be a causal effect once more, not a correlationary relationship as was explained. I'm pretty sure that the APA clarified through Dennis that is was not claiming causation. However, we all know Thompson doesn't believe what he doesn't like, as shown by his attitude the next day.
He's openly racist, hypocritical, and alarmist. His use of speech when describing "sexual" content he doesn't like (ie. kissing = homesexual sex, anal sex, etc.) is intended to shock. He brings in pages of quotes of important people, all unrelated to this series of events, in order to build up his own appearance. He repeatedly brings up violent crime that he claims as linked to violence in video games, no matter the game, in an attempt to legitimize his case, and demonize the entire industry.
His claim that media, industry groups, and even webcomics are in a grand conspiracy against him, all at the behest of T2 and their agents, is laughable. I doubt any of the groups will sue him over it. If anything, I could see them being called in as witnesses to define their relationship with Thompson. Penny Arcade would have quite the tale to tell.
His description of the harassment he has suffered is interesting. However, his listing is highly focused. T2 can easily wave it off as not their doing, no matter what. But I would enjoy them pointing out how some of those "deliveries" were in fact flowers from the gaming community, asking for an open dialogue, which he lashed out at.
Then, we come to the final page. The very end. Whereupon we discover how he could have a chance at winning this. He's requested a jury trial.
A jury of uninformed individuals, who would possibly be open to all Thompson's half-truths, outright lies, and libelious statements. Unless T2 does a significantly better job at highlighting all the holes in Thompson's "proof" and "experts", his case could possibly be seen as reasonable. If Thompson gets a good lawyer, and manages not to cut in with one of his rants, his case gets even better.
I sincerely hope that it does not go to a jury trial. I would much prefer to see an informed judge, one who knows what is legal and what is not, cut through the arguments. One who will do background research upon being given evidence by either party, and notice the inconsistencies. And one who will have no issue with telling Thompson not to try such blatant falsehoods with him after he's researched the issue.
Thanks for that link. I must have missed that somehow, or more likely I just forgot about it.
You do have a point there. The descriptors that were already there should have covered it. That makes me wonder if the FTC wasn't playing the political game when they were forced into the middle of that mess.
Saddened? Welcome to politics/activism/apathy/life.
People wishing pain suffering and death on people of opposing beliefs in nothing new. I bet jack has wished even prayed for the death of someone who disagrees with him.
He also accuses them because he puts his home and work addresses and phone numbers in each of his posts and expects the websites to protect his private information.
He is not very bright when it comes to using the internet.
"17. Videogames also contain extensive visual, graphic, animated and computer-generated artwork, as well as original music scores and songs."
From Thompson's filing:
"17. Denied."
Well gee, hard to argue with that, huh?
Andrew Eisen
I had almost forgotten he had a psyciatric examination before. I will have to steal a favorite saying of my husband's for JT's latest piece of work. He's so sane, he's in sane.
After reading through all 37 pages, I have extreme sympathy for the poor judge who has to read it.
"Thompson never, as Take-Two has incorrectly alleged, proceeded against Take-Two's Bully nor threatened to similarly come against Grand Theft Auto IV and Manhunt 2 in an attempt to prevent either game's commercial release" (Page 5)
All in all though, one has to consider. This may be a monumental moment in game history. Jack Thompson is about to topple his own career. I say we throw a party after he's disbarred. Anyone care to join me? XD
Truly something where we can say "I was there", eh? I'll bring ice cream.
Sure, the brickwall might nod to humor you, but you're really getting nowhere.
This is the Take-Two suit:
http://www.gamepolitics.com/images/legal/FL-T2-JT.pdf
Maybe word's spell checker is in on the conspiracy too.
Kind of funny and ironic that he wouldnt have all this stress if he just played some gta and learned to relax
Loser
::jumps up and down::
Way to go. This should go into the legal hall of shame.
But when he does it it's ok? I'm confused.
Who makes every violent game?
Take-Two! Take Two!
Who controls the Florida Bar?
Who makes Janet Reno a star?
Take-Two! Take Two!
Who leaves sex toys at my door?
Who's simply rotten to the core?
Take-Two! Take Two!
Who makes toilet paper with my name?
Who makes every violent game?
Take-Two! Take-Two!
We Do as sung by John Bruce Thompson
Totally agree with you and your farther.
This man has clearly lost his way, and is willing to sacrifice everything he has to win his "holy" crusade against the evils of the gaming industry and of the gaming community.
What really floors me is some of the people here (as I read back through wiki quote) tried to open up dialog with him and he shot them down with a hate filled email calling them "Drug users" or "Stupid" this in my opinion is uncalled for and just shows the blatant ignorance of this man.
I have played video games all my life and I have became a very successful man, I have a wife, an college degree, an awesome job, and a son on the way.. yet according to ole' JT I am nothing but scum who needs to do something with my life.
Hopefully this case will finally show the rest of the world just how crazy and deranged that JT is, because at the end of the day the only person who is filled with hatred is JT and not the so called evil gaming community.
That's funny, because Jack Thompson sought in New Mexico to tamper with defendant Codey Posey in a criminal case. Thompson promised to get Posey a lesser sentence if he blamed videogames. Posey refused, claiming all responsibility for what he had done.
I made a post about Jack's hilarious 37 page rant, and originally I was just going to write a few paragraphs. Then suddenly it became a line-by-line rebuttal, and I know nobody wants to hear my boring nerd ass prattle on for a novel's length, so I stopped myself.
However... one thing I did notice was Jack's use of wording and phrases. Employing "murder simulator" "homosexual sex" and "harmful to minors" is clearly a sneaky way of trying to evoke a certain response from the reader. Maybe that kind of rhetoric is a common lawyer's common trick, I don't know.
Terms like “the technologically adroit and morally
challenged cultural Neanderthals in the Edinburgh, Scotland,” stand out as childish and extremely unprofessional in my mind. I’m wondering if this is nothing more then a ploy though. Is Thompson merely playing the part of someone who is two cards short of a full deck in order to have some wiggle room for when the courts come down on him?
But I mailed him (politely) and got a typical JT answer (rude).
At least he respond to all his mails...
I think he's finally gone so far over the edge that I might actually be starting to pity him.