IGN XBOX being SUED!!
We're Being Sued! You Won't Believe Why!
"IGN Xbox violates anti-trust laws with their monopoly on high-scoring reviews." -- Department of Justice
April 01, 2002 - Friday afternoon, Snowball.com, Inc., the parent company of IGN, was served by the U.S. Department of Justice. In its brief, the Department of Justice states IGN Xbox's high review scores "create an unfair monopoly on high scores. Other consoles are not afforded enough high scores because of this." The brief goes on to mark numerous examples of high scores. Some of those included in the brief were WWF Raw, Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions, and Gunvalkyrie.
IGN Xbox has ninety days to respond to the brief. After which time, a judge will set a trial date. The DoJ wishes to have the review scores split up and dispersed among lesser review scores. "Reviews are a viable market, one that must be allowed to grow. The preponderance of evidence shows IGN Xbox willfully gave high scores to games with the full knowledge of its affects on the marketplace," the brief stated.
On Monday, IGN Xbox released this statement in response to the suit, "We at IGN Xbox know more about games than the United States government. We know what's good for games. IGN Xbox is not a threat to other review scores. It has never been the intent of IGN Xbox to harm the growth of other reviews by any of its practices or methodologies."
The Department of Justice responded to this response with a simple, two-word, "Yeah right."
The two sides have scheduled a meeting for Wednesday in order to discuss a possible plea bargain. The DoJ has made clear its desire to see IGN Xbox's monopoly on high scores broken up. "We are prepared for a long battle," lead prosecutor for the DoJ, Martin Shank, said Monday. "The Department of Justice fully believes in the principles of capitalism, but even capitalism has its limits. IGN Xbox has crossed that line."
IGN Xbox is prepared to offer a stipulation to its current review policies, allowing high scores to be seen by Insiders only. There has yet to be an official response from the DoJ towards this proposal. We'll keep you informed as this story develops.
-- Associated Press
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