Commentry on A call for a vote on the Rating System.

[Chris <chris@starforge.co.uk>]

#15-Sep-01# Message from *Steve Baker*:
Hi Steve,

> 
>  1) We clone the ESRB system making only such changes as are necessary
>     to the icons and to the explanatory text as is necessary to keep us
>     out of copyright infringement.

>  2) We have FIVE icons: EC, E, T, M, AO corresponding to the ESRB
> definitions
>     for Early Childhood, Everyone, Teens, Mature and Adult-Only. I
> suggest
>     we drop the NR (Not Rated Yet) icon because with a self-rated system
>     it's unnecessary.

Have you checked whether these will violate ESRB's trademarks? I expect it
could be argued that any rating system which uses the same letters as the 
ESRB system could be sued for trademark infringment: trademarks are there to
identify a mark with an entitity, by using the same letters as ESRB they
could probably argue that we were trying to use their rating system in
violation of their trademarks.

This is my major concern with the single letter mark, it opens the door to
trademark infringment suits by ESRB (just as showing only a single U, PG,
12, 6, 18 could get us into hot water with the BBFC, or four boxes with
ages in would with ELSPA). 

>  3) Our system is named "OGRE" and the icons are some kind of cute ogre
>     of an appropriate age holding a banner or wearing a T-shirt or

This may significantly increase the amount of time it will take to produce
the images, more on that once I've had a word with the artist (my brother
to be exact..) I will try for that sort of system though.


>  5) We encourage members of cultures who do not approve of the ESRB
> system
>     or who have special ratings needs to design and promote their own
>     parallel systems.

Problem 2 - how do they do this while remaining consistent with the OGRE
graphics system and ensuring that the cultural differences are plain? If we
just have the ogre picture with a sign/emblem or whatever there is no way
to communicate these differences. Please don't even suggest putting the OGRE
in national dress ;))) 

However, I could modify my current image, stick the ogre image in the middle
where the rating display is currently and then where it now says "Rating"
different cultures could change that to something meaningful for them - so
it'd look like

OGRE         OGRE       OGRE
.-------.    .-------.  .-------.
|       |    |       |  |       |
|  pic  |    |  pic  |  |  pic  |
|       |    |       |  |       |
`-------'    `-------'  `-------'
   Rating        Hindu      China

or something like that.
  
Chris
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