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Victories over Video-Game Laws Yield Fee Awards
After obtaining court victories in several states against bans on video games deemed violent or sexually explicit, the video-game industry is running up the score by collecting $1.5 million in attorney fees. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a Washington, DC-based trade group representing computer and video-game publishers, has filed all but one of the suits seeking to overturn new laws that ban the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors.
The $1.5 million in attorney fees has been ordered from three states, a city and one county, including $510,000 from Illinois and $180,000 from Michigan. Fee requests for a total of more than $200,000 are pending in Louisiana and Minnesota. Other recent video-game victories include $318,000 in attorney fees from the city of Indianapolis, $180,000 in attorney fees from St. Louis County, MO, and $344,000 from the state of Washington.
In most cases, judges have issued preliminary or permanent injunctions against the new laws, claiming that they violate the free speech rights of video-game publishers under the First Amendment.
A federal judge in Illinois issued a permanent injunction and ordered the state of Illinois to pay $510,000 in attorney fees to three plaintiff organizations, including the ESA. After the state officials failed to pay, the judge issued an order in December 2006, requesting that the state of Illinois explain why and how it intended to pay the fees.
Amanda Bronstad writes for The National Law Journal, an ALM affiliate of Entertainment Law & Finance.
After obtaining court victories in several states against bans on video games deemed violent or sexually explicit, the video-game industry is running up the score by collecting $1.5 million in attorney fees. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a Washington, DC-based trade group representing computer and video-game publishers, has filed all but one of the suits seeking to overturn new laws that ban the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors.
The $1.5 million in attorney fees has been ordered from three states, a city and one county, including $510,000 from Illinois and $180,000 from Michigan. Fee requests for a total of more than $200,000 are pending in Louisiana and Minnesota. Other recent video-game victories include $318,000 in attorney fees from the city of Indianapolis, $180,000 in attorney fees from St. Louis County, MO, and $344,000 from the state of Washington.
In most cases, judges have issued preliminary or permanent injunctions against the new laws, claiming that they violate the free speech rights of video-game publishers under the First Amendment.
A federal judge in Illinois issued a permanent injunction and ordered the state of Illinois to pay $510,000 in attorney fees to three plaintiff organizations, including the ESA. After the state officials failed to pay, the judge issued an order in December 2006, requesting that the state of Illinois explain why and how it intended to pay the fees.
Amanda Bronstad writes for The National Law Journal, an ALM affiliate of Entertainment Law & Finance.
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