Text of Consent Agreement
Under a consent agreement, accepted by the FTC in a 5-0 vote, Take-Two and Rockstar Games will be subject to civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation if they violate their agreement to: (i) “clearly and prominently disclose on product packaging and in any promotion or advertisement for electronic games, content relevant to the rating, unless that content had been disclosed sufficiently in prior submissions to the rating authority”; (ii) not misrepresent the rating or content descriptors for an electronic game; and (iii) “establish, implement, and maintain a comprehensive system reasonably designed to ensure that all content in an electronic game is considered and reviewed in preparing submissions to a rating authority.”
Sources: FTC Press Release | Gamasutra | ars technica | joystiq | GameSpot | Next Generation | GameDaily.biz | GamePolitics.com | ars technica | 1Up.com | CNet | San Jose Mercury News | TheStreet.com | CNN
New York Investigation:
- Take-Two Receives Subpoenas Over Hot Coffee (June 26, 2006)
LA Civil Suit:
- Yet Another Take-Two/GTA Lawsuit (January 26, 2006)
FTC Investigation Related Posts:
- Take-Two/Rockstar Settle with FTC over Hot Coffee Mod (June 8, 2006)
- ‘Hot Coffee’ FTC Inquiry Given Go Ahead (July 26, 2005)
Stanhouse Class Action Suit:
- Stanhouse GTA San Andreas Class-Action Suit Moved to Federal Court (October 7, 2005)
- Another GTA San Andreas Class-Action Suit Filed (Stanhouse) (September 21, 2005)
Cohen Class Action Suit:
- Grandma Cohen’s GTA Class Action Suit Against Take-Two to Proceed (October 27, 2006)
- Outraged Granny Sues Over grand Theft Auto (Cohen) (July 27, 2005)
Other Hot Coffee Related Posts:
- ESRB Demands U.S. Game Publisher Audits for Hidden Game Content (September 12, 2005)
- ESRB Re-Rates Oblivion to Mature Following 3rd Party Mods (May 3, 2006)
- Take-Two Filing Reveals Multiple Lawsuits (February 1, 2006)
- Hot Coffee Spills into Australia as GTA:San Andreas is Banned (August 1, 2005)
- GTA San Andreas Rerated AO, Take-Two Suspends Production (July 20, 2005)
- Confirmed: ‘Hot Coffee’ Sex Minigame in PS2 GTA: San Andreas (July 15, 2005)
