Jack Thompson (Lawyer)
John Bruce "Jack" Thompson (born July 25, 1951 in Cleveland , Ohio ) is a retired American attorney .
The American lawyer Jack Thompson has made a name for himself since the heated debate over the video game title Manhunt, which was seized in Germany .
Thompson's actions usually meet with incomprehension among those affected, examples are the hostility towards Take-2 board member Paul Eibeler regarding the game GTA: San Andreas and the desire to get a pre-release version of the video game Canis Canem Edit in order to test it for glorification of violence. Thompson also planned to prevent the game from being released in the United States by filing a lawsuit if he did not receive an advance copy of Canis Canem Edit .
Due to partly untenable arguments (for example the Microsoft Flight Simulator is a "training program for terrorists") Thompson is currently losing its supporters within its own ranks.
Take 2 has now filed a complaint against Thompson for damage to its reputation and defamation. The group is also demanding reimbursement of all costs it incurs. According to Thompson's own statement, this was a mistake by Take 2. He is now pulling out the last counterattack against the publisher, with which he wants to bring him to his knees.
The dispute took on a new dimension when Thompson was to become part of the video game GTA IV . Due to his rigid approach in the hot coffee affair and statements like “Guns don't kill people, videogames do”, the developers apparently dedicated the first mission in GTA IV to him. According to the test report by the US magazine Game Informer (September 2007 issue ), gamers should kill a lawyer who takes action against killer games and who also uses the latter quote. Since Thompson is convinced that players act out what has been played in real life , he feared for his life.
If this level was actually intended, it has apparently been removed in the release version. The reason for this could be a lawsuit reported by Gamepolitics.com magazine. Thompson demanded the removal of the mission mentioned in the game report - with success. GTA IV was published on April 29, 2008 and the described content cannot be found. Only in the “Final Interview” mission do you have to kill a lawyer during an interview; an explicit reference to Jack Thompson is not made.
A US court saw it as proven that Thompson wanted to draw attention to himself and unnecessarily burden the US judiciary with his often baseless lawsuits and complaints and recommended that he revoke his license as a lawyer for ten years or even more drastically To take action. The latter due to multiple verbal derailments against judges and trial observers. In the said trial, for example, he left the courtroom cursing loudly after he was forbidden to read out loud a self-written counter-statement.
The responsible judge considered imposing a lifelong professional ban. In a recent verdict, he was fined $ 43,675 and his license to practice law in the state of Florida was revoked. In 10 years he may apply for a license again.
Despite losing his license, Thompson faxed Defense Secretary Robert Gates, asking him to ban the Medal of Honor , which was due to appear on October 12, 2010. The game had previously come under fire for its ability to play the role of Taliban. Here is an excerpt from the fax:
With all due respect, as someone who has cared for the surviving family members of school massacres triggered by video games, I personally plead with you, as Secretary of Defense, to do what is necessary and appropriate and to publish the Medal of Honor on October 12, 2010 to disallow. Above all against the background that the game represents a verifiable threat to our troops. "
He also demanded that every military member who participated in the game should be held accountable. However, the game was released as planned.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ GamePro.de: Bully - lawyer threatens to take legal action
- ^ Joystiq: What's next, Paul, a game in which players can practice flying commercial jetliners into the World Trade Towers?
- ↑ Jack Thompson is afraid for his life ...
- ↑ Jack Thompson is suing GTA IV levels
- ↑ GameStar: Jack Thompson - threatens withdrawal of license and fine
- ↑ Lawyer license withdrawn for 10 years ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ GameStar: Medal of Honor - US lawyer calls for general sales ban
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thompson, Jack |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Thompson, John Bruce |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American lawyer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 25, 1951 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cleveland , Ohio |