Jack Thompson, the anti-video games violence attorney that you love to hate is at it again, this time reportedly sending an open letter to the CEO of Take-Two regarding the sale of GTA IV. Read in for what he had to say.
Writing to Paul Eibeler, CEO and President of Take-Two, Thompson said he intends on filing a lawsuit to prohibit the sale of Grand Theft Auto IV, which is currently scheduled to be released on October 17 this year, to minors. He writes:
Dear Mr. Eibeler:
Please be advised that I shall be filing shortly a lawsuit to prohibit, by injunction, the sale of Grand Theft Auto IV, scheduled for release by your company on October 17, 2007, to minors.
The lawsuit I filed against you all and some retailers, such as Wal-Mart, against the sale of Take-Two's Bully to minors was a dry run for what is to come. As it turns out, I was absolutely correct about the appropriateness of that lawsuit, as the National Institute for Media and the Family, headed by Dr. David Walsh, proved that Bully is a Mature game fraudulently masquerading as a Teen-rated game. You were able to dodge that bullet by having Take-Two employees lie to Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Ronald Friedman.
There is absolutely no chance that GTA IV will be rated anything other than "Mature," so good luck in having your Blank Rome lawyers trying to persuade a court of law that it should be sold to minors, especially in light of the United States Federal Trade Commission's findings that 42% of the time underage kids can buy "Mature-rated" games.
If Take-Two does not, by written agreement, promise not to allow sales by retailers of GTA IV to minors by March 9, 2007, then I look forward to your winning MarketWatch's "Worst American CEO Award," which you won in 2005.
I will secure that injunction, and then all sorts of other wonderful things will fall into place.
Regards, Jack Thompson
Let's see how this one plays out, as with previous occassions surely this one will have just as much drama and bring just as much entertainment. Attorney at law and blogger at GamePolitics.com Norman Kent had this to say of Thompson:
"Jack Thompson is all hype and puffery, a lawyer who has not tried a case in this century or won one in the last two. The only thing he does when he goes to court is get himself thrown out, admonished or censured."
