For Immediate Release:=

Video Game Retailers Respond to Ruling Against Illinois Video G= ame Law

ENCINO, CA (November 27, 2006) ... Bo Andersen, President of the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), issued the following statement in response to today's favorable appellate court ru= ling affirming the overturning of the 2005 Illinois video game law:

"Now that the Court of Appeals has affirmed the holding of the district court, it is time= for the Illinois governor and the legislature to respect the Constitution and its guarantee = of freedom of speech," declared Bo Andersen, President of the Entertainme= nt Merchants Association. "Video game retailers have voluntarily committe= d to parents to enforce video game ratings to ensure that minors do not gain acc= ess to video games their parents do not want them to have. We call on Illinois' elected officials to support these industry initiatives, which the court suggested = is a constitutional and effective way to address the concerns that motivated this law."

The case is Entertainment Software Association v. Blagojevich, Case Nos. 06-1012, 06-1048, 06-1161 (consolidat= ed) (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit). EMA is a co-plaintiff in t= he lawsuit. The case involves an appeal by the state of Illinois of a ruling that a portion of= Illinois Public Law 94-315 was unconstitutional. The portions at issue would have directed every Illinois video game retailer to post in its store signs informing customers that the video game rating system of the Entertainment Software Rating Board is avai= lable to aid in the selection of a game. The law dictated the minimum dimensions = of the signs and the type size and color. In addition, under Public Act 94-315 retailers would have been required to provide information explaining the ra= ting system to customers on request. The challenged portions also barred the sal= e or rental to minors of video games defined by a standard loosely tied to the state's "obscene for minors" law. In December of last year, a fed= eral district court found all the provisions unconstitutional. [The district cou= rt also found a restriction on violent video games unconstitutional, but the s= tate did not appeal that ruling.]

In today's ruling, the Seventh Circuit found that the signage and additional information requirements went "t= oo far" and that the restriction on video games failed to comply with standards established by the U.S. Supreme Court for such laws.

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA). EMA is the not-for-profit international trade associati= on dedicated to advancing the interests of the $32 billion home entertainment industry. EMA represents more than 1,000 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate more than 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. th= at sell and/or rent DVDs and computer and console video games. Membership comprises= the full spectrum of retailers (from single-store specialists to multi-line mass merchants), distributors, the home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home entertainment industry.&n= bsp;

# # #

For more information, please contact:

Sean Bersell, Vice President, Public Affairs

Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA)

818-385-1500 Ext. 226 or sbersell at entmerch.org=