Arizona bill would hold content creators liable

by Ross Miller on Apr 7th 2008 1:30PM

A new Arizona bill aims to take on the entire media industry. House Bill 2660, which passed the state House of Representatives last month, aims to make a person "liable for damages if the person produces, publishes or distributes written, audio, video or digital material" that is deemed "dangerous or obscene." Such wording could apply to books, websites, video games, movies, TV shows and Numa Numa.

While the bill sounds ridiculous to the point of fiction, it is causing many to be concerned -- for example, who decides what is dangerous and obscene? The Video Game Voters Network has issued a call to action over the bill, and representatives for the MPAA and the Arizona Newspaper Associations have taken issue with it.

We at Joystiq aren't too worried. Should the bill pass, it would logically self-destruct, seeing as it is also dangerous and obscene written material.

[Via Game Politics]

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Tags: arizona, book-burning, censorship, content, hb-2660, hb2660, law, legal, mpaa

Reader Comments (60)

In this corner, weighing 129 pounds and all hopped up on antibiotics to stave off laryngitis, the Scrawny Scraper from Arizon, House Bill 2660.

...and in this corner, coming in at over three hundred pounds of pure muscle, sporting a whirlwind assorment of weapons, such as an M16, Poisoned Dagger, and enough Phoenix Downs to last until the final boss, it's the Swift Sword of Justice, The First Amendment!

[crowd roars]

If you're so upset with morality, why don't you move to a country that doesn't have any?

Oh wait, they all have a standard of morality. I guess you're just fucked then, aren't you.

You know what's even scarier? The House of AZ actually passed this. Is there anything good from AZ? The Cardinals sure do suck.

John McCain is one of the more sane Republicans out there, and they do ignore daylight savings time, to their credit

And somehow this bill comes from that? Explain that to me. And also explain how hillary clinton is one of the biggest opponents of violent and "morall deficient" games. I'd really like to see you pin "Christian Values" on her.

You just hate Christians, and thus everything you don't like is their fault.

Oh, another unconstitutional anti-game law about to hit the wall like so much "Jackass" idiots on shopping carts? I wonder how THAT ends...To bad this isn't being filmed, proper.