UK High Court overturns VAC appeal regarding Manhunt 2

The wheels of justice can turn rather slowly – especially if it’s the UK case involving Rockstar Games’ controversial Manhunt 2 (Wii, PSP). According to the UK High Court, the Video Appeals Committee that was responsible for the appeal on the ban imposed by the British Board of Film Classification misinterpreted the law and must reconvene. More legal twists await in the full article after the jump.

It looks like the UK release date of Manhunt 2 (Wii, PSP) has been endangered yet again as the long-winded legal battle regarding Rockstar Games’ controversial title continues. This time, the UK High Court overturned the Video Appeals Committee‘s (VAC’s) appeal of the ban imposed by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) on Manhunt 2.

According to the Honorable Mr. Justice Mitting, the VAC had misinterpreted the law when the committee had considered whether Manhunt 2 would be harmful to minors who viewed it.  Both Mitting and the BBFC said that the VAC had focused only on the actual harm that Manhunt 2 had not caused, but had failed to take into account the potential harm that Rockstar Games’ title would pose to British society.

Rockstar Games, on the other hand, argued that the game should never have been banned in the first place, citing the right to human expression. The VAC’s decision should stand, Rockstar Games maintained, regardless of whether the law had been misinterpreted or not.

Regardless, Mitting has told the VAC to keep the criteria he had mentioned in mind when the committee members reconvene to make a new decision in the weeks to come.