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The Courts Government News Entertainment Games

Thompson Stifled by Take Two Suit 55

Posted by Zonk from the you-with-the-mouth-shut-it dept.
Take Two has done something that many gamers have probably dreamed of: they've managed to make Jack Thompson shut up. In return for dismissing their suit against Thompson (and the dismissal of Thompson's counter-suit), Thompson has agreed to limit communication with Take-Two Entertainment. He's also barred for the time being from filing suit against games made by the company, ensuring we'll see a minimum of court drama around the release of GTA IV later this year. Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog reports: "It appears that his once mighty roar is now to be temporarily quieted, as the well-documented case--which included numerous bold claims, outrageous scandals, and even a counter-suit--between Thompson and publisher Take-Two has reached a settlement ... Any statements or concerns that Thompson wishes to voice will now have to first go through Take-Two's lawyers."
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Thompson Stifled by Take Two Suit More

Thompson Stifled by Take Two Suit

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  • Can I get a hell yeah! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Captain Splendid ( 673276 ) <capsplendid&gmail,com> on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:06AM (#18812675) Homepage Journal
    About time somebody got that idiot to quiet down. Wonder if he can sit on his hands like a good boy or if he's just going to harass somebody else in the meantime. I'm not holding my breath.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by JustNilt ( 984644 )
      I suspect he's currently preparing his lawsuit against his god for breach of contract.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • Like the advertisements in a certain Halloween episode of The Simpsons, media whore waste away and die without someone to look at them.

        Good thing you included a link to his book then! :-P
      • Wow the tags are great.

    • About time somebody got that idiot to quiet down. Wonder if he can sit on his hands like a good boy or if he's just going to harass somebody else in the meantime. I'm not holding my breath.
      Well, judging from his public statments after the Virginia Tech shootings, I'd say he's simply shifting his aim to, Counterstrike and other first-person shooters. Out of curiosity, has he gone after any light-gun games yet?
      • You never know, that Duck Hunt gun looks just a little TOO realistic. Might give kids the wrong idea.

  • I wonder if this is the best decision for Take Two (Score:5, Interesting)

    by adam613 ( 449819 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:07AM (#18812689)
    Some of the best publicity Take Two has gotten for its games has come from Jack Thompson. I only noticed Bully when JT sued to stop it from being released; I ended up buying a copy and finding that it was a pretty good game. They should let JT continue to rant and give their legal department some of Marketing's budget.

  • Awww... (Score:4, Funny)

    by andrewd18 ( 989408 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:08AM (#18812707)
    I was really hoping for anything but definition #2.

    stifle1 /stafl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[stahy-fuhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -fled, -fling.
    -verb (used with object)
    1. to quell, crush, or end by force: to stifle a revolt; to stifle free expression.
    2. to suppress, curb, or withhold: to stifle a yawn.
    3. to kill by impeding respiration; smother.
    -verb (used without object)
    4. to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
    5. to become stifled or suffocated.

  • Jack Thompson is likely an Industry insider anyway (Score:5, Interesting)

    by trdrstv ( 986999 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:08AM (#18812711)
    You know, Jack Thompson is probably the best thing for the Video Game industry right now; and I'm not convinced he's not on Take Two's payroll already. Can you imagine what a competant lawyer could do? They could take the rampant paranoia of lawmakers who are uneducated (about video games) and get video games regulated in a manner that wouldn't be turned over by the courts.

    Jack is actually our best friend because he's such a wack job that these things get overturned and set a precident for future legislation.

    Thank you Jack. Don't ever change...

    ---S.

    • Not to mention his ability to shift focus off of their current financial and legal mess.

    • Re:Jack Thompson is likely an Industry insider any (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Perseid ( 660451 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:29AM (#18812977)
      Jack Thompson's insanity is far older than TakeTwo. Remember the outrage about Body Count's Cop Killer song? That was Thompson.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by theonetruekeebler ( 60888 )
        Body Count, hell. Try 2 Live Crew and N.W.A.

        He's been giving (well, helping give) Florida a bad name since at least 1990.

    • The only way anyone could hold his opinion and not realize the err of their ways at some point would be another nut job. Any sane, rational person is going to realize that this is the same thing that always happens. The older generation is uncomfortable with something they don't understand. A person who is competant would get shot down and then realize they were wrong.
  • ...it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

    Please note: I tried to use the sarcasm tags, but the filter rejected them.

    • <sarcasm>...it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.</sarcasm> use & (ampersand) lt=less than or gt=greater, then ; (semicolon) - this basic html also applies to other characters such as printing an ampersand properly is "& amp ;" (without the spaces)

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by tsdw ( 937315 )
      thats because fucking sarcasm tags arn't real .. damn if you can't type coherently enough to convey and if your audience isn't intelligent enough to understand (sarcasm) then the comment is problably worthless.

      don't perpetuate stupidity please

  • Indeed. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Shadow Wrought ( 586631 ) * <shadow DOT wrought AT gmail DOT com> on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:14AM (#18812765) Homepage Journal
    For such a narcissistic egomaniac as him to agree to this, he must have realized just how hosed he was. Good for Take-Two.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Ant P. ( 974313 )
      Or maybe he has the new directors in his pocket, so no longer needs to do publicity stunts.

  • Does anyone know.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by robably ( 1044462 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:18AM (#18812831) Journal
    where Thompson's money comes from? Wikipedia says he's an attorney but it's hard to see how he has spare time to do any actual "attorneying" for anyone. Does he make a living purely from interviews, or is there a sinister backer we should know about?

    • Re:Does anyone know.. (Score:5, Informative)

      by bigbigbison ( 104532 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:31AM (#18813007) Homepage
      Jack wife is also a lawyer and she works for what is aparently a pretty well known firm in Miami. In is book Jack wrote that when his son was born he gave up actively practicing law to take care of his son because he was making less money. Now that his son is getting older Jack has more time to pursue his enemies. He is basically a house husband with a lot of free time on his hands.

      • Re:Does anyone know.. (Score:4, Informative)

        by c ( 8461 ) <beauregardcp@gmail.com> on Friday April 20, 2007 @12:31PM (#18813857)
        > Jack wife is also a lawyer and she works for what is aparently a pretty well known firm in Miami.

        That must make conversations around the water cooler a bit awkward.

        "So, I heard your nutjob husband's legal theories were ruled unconstitutional and cost [US state] $[legal bill]..."
        • Partner: "So, I heard your nutjob husband's legal theories were ruled unconstitutional and cost [US state] $[legal bill]..."

          Mrs. T: "Well it gives him something to do while I bring home the bacon. The tough part is turning him down when he wants to help with my cases. I tell him the firm can't afford someone of his caliber!"

          Partner: "Yeah, can't afford to lose!"

          Both: "Ha ha ha ha ha!"

          Mrs. T: "But seriously, he has a huge johnson."

          Partner: "Ah... I knew it wasn't his brains."

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by c ( 8461 )
            Reason #471 c will not have children: to avoid having to explain his accidental involvement in the infamous Jack Thompson Slash Fiction thread of 2007 AD.
      • Isn't there a nonviolent soap he could get into? Or maybe game shows--that's it! The Price Is Right!

  • He is already blaming video games for VT massacre (Score:4, Informative)

    by krbvroc1 ( 725200 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:18AM (#18812833)
    He certainly isn't silenced beyond some limited Take-Two criticism.

    Despite several folks, including dorm mates, saying the Cho never played computers game (he spent most of his time writing)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weG7A4lTGtg [youtube.com]

  • Why'd they stop? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Zeek40 ( 1017978 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:24AM (#18812933)
    I would have much rather seen Take Two continue with their contempt of court case (which looked pretty strong) and get this attention whore thrown in jail. The guy acts like a madman when he gets on the subject of violent games and has a long history of frivolous lawsuits against the gaming industry, so I can't imagine it would have been difficult for them to succeed in their second filing.

    • Re:Why'd they stop? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by OldeTimeGeek ( 725417 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:44AM (#18813175)
      Take 2 Games (TTWO, NASDAQ) is a publicly traded company. Most investors aren't terribly happy with lawsuits to put the smackdown on someone that's bothering them or "just to prove a point"
    • My thoughts exactly. This is kind of like the SCO/IBM thing, in that while an immediate resolution would be nice, there's probably more to gain by taking this all the way through the courts and getting things settled once and for all. The conditions he agreed to as a settlement could have been better enforced as a result of a court case, I would think.

      I wonder what the penalty will be when he finally is unable to keep in compliance with this agreement.

  • Thompson is really a game industry plant! (Score:4, Funny)

    by PFI_Optix ( 936301 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @11:51AM (#18813269) Journal
    Think about it...what is the best way to marginalize a set of opinions? By being very radical in a very public way. Thompson's crusade has made him the poster boy for all those who would try to ban violent video games, and his status as a laughing stock means other like-minded individuals don't want to be identified with him and back down from their positions.

    So could it be that Jack Thompson is really working for the game industry, out there embarassing into silence anyone who would voice a similar opinion if it weren't for his incessant babbling?

    What's more, good ol' JT has done more to get consumers educated about game ratings with his public displays of affliction than the government and ESRB ever could have. Thanks to him and others like him, parents are aware of the ratings system that is the standard rebuttal by the game industry when they get airtime thanks to Jack.

    I think we need to stop hating Jack Thompson and thank him. Thank him for crippling the efforts to ban or restrict violent games. Thank him for giving the game industry a voice in the national media in the form of rebuttals to his statements. Thank him for giving the media a reason to discuss how the game industry and retail stores already provide concerned parents with the ability to know what their child will be playing.

    Thank you, Jack Thompson. Thank you. Your secret is safe with us.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by nuzak ( 959558 )
      So could it be that Jack Thompson is really working for the game industry, out there embarassing into silence anyone who would voice a similar opinion if it weren't for his incessant babbling?

      No, but he's certainly a useful idiot to have on the other side. He's been tilting at various culture-war windmills for his whole professional life. I wonder how much 2 Live Crew eventually pulled in because of him.
    • I for one would be happy to see Jack Thompson in a persistive vegetative state.

  • Wow (Score:2, Interesting)

    by brouski ( 827510 )
    For someone filled with such righteous indignation, he folded like a cheap accordion.

    It makes you wonder just how deep seated his convictions really are.

  • New MSNBC article highly critical of Jack (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ulysses38 ( 309331 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @12:05PM (#18813465)
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18220228/ [msn.com]

    from TFA: "The shooting on the Virginia Tech campus was only hours old, police hadn't even identified the gunman, and yet already the perpetrator had been fingered and was in the midst of being skewered in the media.

    Video games. They were to blame for the dozens dead and wounded. They were behind the bloodiest massacre in U.S. history.

    Or so Jack Thompson told Fox News and, in the days that followed, would continue to tell anyone who'd listen.

    • Lamenting lost mod points. Good article.
    • And in a letter sent to Bill Gates Wednesday, he wrote: "Mr. Gates, your company is potentially legally liable (for) the harm done at Virginia Tech. Your game, a killing simulator, according to the news that used to be in the Post, trained him to enjoy killing and how to kill."

      He's talking about f'cking counter-strike.

      What a dingus malingus.

      • Re:Lol, this article is funny (Score:4, Informative)

        by AndersOSU ( 873247 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @01:08PM (#18814447)
        An when he says, "according to the news," he really means, "according to me, on the news..." I know of no other nutjob who uses the phrase "killing simulator."
        • Yes, the news that was in the Post, then mysteriously gone was sourced by Jack himself. A real lawyer must have tipped them off that printing outright lies (there's no evidence Cho ever played a video game in his life..) might open them up to legal action, say from Valve (or as Jack calls them, Microsoft).

        • David Grossman. It was his term originaly if I recall correctly, but I'm not sure.

          I read some of his book "On Killing" a while back, and he made some valid points, but I believe he certainly overstated the potential harm.

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Grossman_(author ) [wikipedia.org]

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by AndersOSU ( 873247 )
      I also noticed that they quoted Isaiah Triforce Johnson in the fine article linked by parent.

  • I downloaded the actual settlement agreement (Score:3, Informative)

    by jhylkema ( 545853 ) on Friday April 20, 2007 @01:59PM (#18815205)
    Apparently he settled out right before a contempt hearing was set in the state court. He was apparently about to get his ass slapped pretty hard for something. Since I don't have access to the state court file, I can't tell you what it is. I'll see what I can find out and let everyone know.
  • JT STFU UB pwnzored by TT k thnx Bye!

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