Minnesota’s “Fine the Buyer” game law appealed today
First, a recap. For those who may not remember, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed bill HF 1298 into law June of last year. This law states that any underage (18 and below) citizen who purchases a game with an ESRB rating of “M” will be fined a sum of US$ 25. As remembered, the law was met with heavy criticism from the likes of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
Fast forwarding to today, the legal battles over this matter have yet to subside, as the United States 8th Circuit Court will be hearing arguments today over a District Court ruling that the new law is unconstitutional.
Consider this an update on one of the more successful game-related laws we have run into as of late, even if it does leave a sour taste for some of us. On the other hand, the law have some sense – kids aren’t supposed to to be getting their hands on M-rated games in the first place, while retailers are strongly encouraged to enforce ESRB‘s ratings…often under strong incentives. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see where the arguments will go.
First, a recap. For those who may not remember, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed bill HF 1298 into law June of last year. This law states that any underage (18 and below) citizen who purchases a game with an ESRB rating of “M” will be fined a sum of US$ 25. As remembered, the law was met with heavy criticism from the likes of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
Fast forwarding to today, the legal battles over this matter have yet to subside, as the United States 8th Circuit Court will be hearing arguments today over a District Court ruling that the new law is unconstitutional.
Consider this an update on one of the more successful game-related laws we have run into as of late, even if it does leave a sour taste for some of us. On the other hand, the law have some sense – kids aren’t supposed to to be getting their hands on M-rated games in the first place, while retailers are strongly encouraged to enforce ESRB‘s ratings…often under strong incentives. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see where the arguments will go.
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