Retailers selling adult-rated games and films to those under age can no longer be prosecuted because of a legal blunder 25 years ago.
In 1984 Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government introduced the Video Recordings Act (VRA), which was designed to ensure that games and films were classified and age rated by the British Board of Film Classification, making it illegal to sell adult-rated content to underage consumers.
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Lost and Damned
Official trailer
1:09It's the final countdown - reviewed next Tuesday
Lost and Damned
Official trailer
1:09It's the final countdown - reviewed next Tuesday
However, according to the BBC, Thatcher's government failed to notify the European Commission about the law, meaning that it was never officially enacted.
The legal loophole means that retailers who sell adult-rated games and films to minors can't be prosecuted until the law is passed again, which is likely to take three months.
A government spokesperson suggested that those previously prosecuted under the VRA "will be unable to overturn their prosecution or receive financial recompense."
Its not really a surprise. European Law is very fickle about these sort of things, and in the 80s i doubt they could have predicted how these mediums have evolved in such a way.
There have been much worse ones...The amount of rewriting the labour government have done to the recent laws is enough to give law students like myself, a headache
Its not really a surprise. European Law is very fickle about these sort of things, and in the 80s i doubt they could have predicted how these mediums have evolved in such a way.
That said, its rarely enforced anyway...
I was thinking the same, but I dont think new mediums come into it. Looks like they never got it ratified.
As a law student, do you think all the people prosecuted for this offence can get their convictions quashed? That would be mayhem if true!!
I would have been interested in this if I was say, under 18! But I've been able to buy 18 certifcated stuff for nearly 13 years now!
But yeah, Labour do have a fondness for excessive laws and red tape.
oh great! now im just waiting for a news story saying a minor went on a killing spree after playing gta or raped lots of little girls (or animals) after playing viva pinata, oh wait thats a family game.
Does this mean that retailers have to sell games to minors, or that they just can't be prosecuted if they do?
Just the latter lol.
Retailers have their own rules and policies and can still choose to not sell goods to people underaged, but if they do, there won't be any repercussions, for now.
Or the underaged could do what they have been doing for many years and buy one from Dodgy Dave at a car boot sale, like most of my schoolmates did. Not that I ever did of course. I would never dream of buying GTA: Vice City when I was 12
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