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California Video Game Law Blocked

California Video Game Law Blocked

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Federal court Judge Ronald Whyte has barred California’s video game law from going into effect. Whyte states that video games are protected by the First Amendment and the concept of “strict scrutiny” applies.

“VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association) frankly takes no pleasure in this decision. The injunction was inevitable, as a final ruling that the law is unconstitutional. It is indeed unfortunate that the state of California has wasted precious taxpayer dollars in pursuing this legislation, when the outcome is so predictable: This law will never go into effect…It is time for legislators to move beyond the rhetoric uttered in support of passage of such censorial legislation,” Bo Anderson, the President of the VSDA, commented.

“We are extremely pleased by today’s announcement. We deeply respect the concerns of the Governor and the Legislature that gave rise to the law. For the sixth time in five years, Federal Courts have now blocked or struck down these state and local laws seeking to regulate the sale of games to minors based on their content, and none have upheld such statutes. It is therefore time to look past legislation and litigation in favor of cooperative efforts to accomplish the common goal of ensuring that parents use the tools available to control the games their kids play,” stated Doug Lowenstein, President of the Entertainment Software Association.

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