Gamers face jail in Greece
Discussion
From: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2121692,00.html
Makes New Labour look pretty tame!
So don't take your mobile to Greece. Or even bother going to Greece at all. The tw@ts.
quote:
new law passed in Greece means that anybody carrying an electronic game - even if it is just on a mobile phone - could face a hefty fine or lengthy jail sentence
Thousands of British tourists in Greece are unknowingly facing heavy fines or long terms in prison for owning mobile phones or portable video games. The Greek government has banned all electronic games across Greece, including those in home computers, Game Boy-style portable consoles, and on mobile phones.
Law Number 3037, enacted at the end of July, explicitly forbids electronic games with 'electronic mechanisms and software' from public and private places, and people have already been fined tens of thousands of euros for playing or owning games.
Internet cafes are allowed to continue to operate, providing all gaming is prohibited: if a client is found to be running any sort of game, including online chess, the café owner will be fined and the place closed. The law applies equally to visitors from abroad: "If you know these things are banned, you should not bring them in," said the commercial attaché at the Greek Embassy in London -- who declined to give her name.
The law was passed to prevent illegal gambling. According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, "The police will be responsible for catching offenders, who will face fines of 5,000 to 75,000 euros and imprisonment of one to 12 months. The blanket ban was decided in February after the government admitted it was incapable of distinguishing innocuous video games from illegal gambling machines." One online report said that even watching a film on DVD -- many of which contain promotional games linked to the movie -- had resulted in an arrest and a 10,000-euro fine.
The Greek gaming community has reacted with a mixture of shock, disbelief and anger. One site, www.gameland.gr, has opened a petition and a news service on the ban, as well as providing English translations of the law and messages of support from around the world.
A test case is to come before the Greek courts next week, and the Greek gaming community is already planning protests in the event that the defendant is convicted.
"We are trying to organise a protest against this law," said Petros Tipis of Thessaloniki-based gaming company Reload Entertainment, which has had to cancel a gaming tournament that was to be held this week.
If the prosecution of the defendant next week is successful, said Tipis, the Greek gaming industry will take the case to the European Court.
In the meantime, Tipis told ZDNet UK, a lot of people in Greece are very worried about the new law. "They are taking it very seriously," he said. "It even affects the games that come with Windows. This law isn't the right one," he added. "It is unfair. It was introduced too quickly."
Reload's tournament, which was to be held on 6 September, was a qualifier for the CPL Oslo 2002 gaming tournament. "Now we are trying not to lose the two slots we were given from CPL for the tournament," said Tipis. "This was the first time for a qualifier (for this tournament) in Greece."
Makes New Labour look pretty tame!
So don't take your mobile to Greece. Or even bother going to Greece at all. The tw@ts.
Another example of a ridiculous law that cannot possibly be enforced, I would think that 99.9% of people over the age of about 6 are guilty under this law.
Perhaps its another indirect tax, when short of funds send out the police to arrest enough people to fund whatever you want to do?
Perhaps its another indirect tax, when short of funds send out the police to arrest enough people to fund whatever you want to do?
quote:Nope, I think they've just gone mad. It'll be interesting to see how it progresses - I mean, most of MicroSnots products have games hidden as "easter eggs" in them - does that mean that anything running Windoze is banned? Result!
Unless they have gone mad, there has to be more to this. The idea that you are going to criminalise anyone flying into the country to do business, or all the tourists is just insane.
Is there no recourse to EU law? It's going to have some pretty big implications if it's rigidly enforced....
cheers,
Craig
quote:
WTF??????? Why?????? Is this a hoax????
I don't know; following sources confirm these news:
Kathimerini Press
Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-02-22
official law on pdf
translation for above
You can sign a petition against such nonesense under www.petitiononline.com/comp5932/petition-sign.html. The Greek parliament must be mentally ill by passing such a law. Don't they have more serious problems to cope with.
quote:
quote:
Is there no recourse to EU law? cheers,
Craig
Ahhh!!!
So do I take it that we are now in favour of Brussels having soverienty over the laws of individual member states in the EU?
What happened to all the "KEEP THE POUND" Brigade then?
No I'm not in favour of it, but if it's being forced on us, we might at least play the cards that we're played.....
Keep the pound I say
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