GTA4: "Hot Coffee mod" settlement announced

N

nintenho

Veteran
http://www.gamingsteve.com/archives/2008/01/its-not-often-that-people.php

Just in case you forgot in 2007 Rockstar Games proposed a settlement for a class action lawsuit concerning the infamous Hot Coffee modification. As a result any US citizen who was officially "offended and upset" by the ability to unlock this hidden content can now claim up to $35 in compensation.

The exact amount you may be entitled depends upon directly upon how much documentation you have of your "outrage":

  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas First Edition Disc: Replacement Disc
  • Detailed Store Receipt: Cash payment up to $35.00
  • General Credit Card Statement or Check: Cash payment up to $17.50
  • Disc/Purchase Details: Cash payment up to $10.00
  • No Disc/Purchase Details: Cash payment up to $5.00
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The plaintiff's lawyers got $1,000,000...

How is a piece of unfinished code that you can only find after modding worth all of that? And why are they letting people who can't prove anything get any money at all?
 
This is just so pathetic. It would seem that ambulance chasers have made it into the gaming world.
 
nintenho said:
As a result any US citizen who was officially "offended and upset" by the ability to unlock this hidden content can now claim up to $35 in compensation.
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They were offended by something they have to call upon themself...
So if I rip off someones clothes in a public space I can be offended by his/her resulting nakedness and sue him?

Also why do they pay 5$ (not much,but still) to ppl who cant prove they own (or even played) GTA:SA?
 
Hot Coffee was also in the PS2 version of the game, and gamers found the code using ActionReplay, I believe.

In all honesty, Rockstar was so stupid it deserved to be sued. They insisted that Hot Coffee was a mod, and therefore not their fault, up until people went and showed that hey, it's in the console version too! They started the whole shitstorm, lied about it, and gave all the 'ban videogames' folks a real example of where the ESRB failed to do its job.
 
Not so fast, scumbag lawyers:

Theodore Frank, director of the Legal Center for the Public Interest at the American Enterprise Institute, believes that the lack of claimants proves that the case was meritless from the beginning. He submits that this lack of response proves that the plaintiffs claims were overblown, and as a consequence the suit may be deemed meritless and the lawyers who tried the case will not be able to collect their $1.3 million in legal fees they are demanding from Take-Two.
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Having said that, it was pretty stupid for Rockstar to leave the code in there, when they could have removed it all together.
 
Seems to me the lack of response is due to a lack of damage payment versus effort. What did you have to do to get your $5? Unless someone was pretty much handing out dollar bills on the street, most people wouldn't bother filling in a form for five bucks. I know I wouldn't!
 
Shifty Geezer said:
Seems to me the lack of response is due to a lack of damage payment versus effort. What did you have to do to get your $5? Unless someone was pretty much handing out dollar bills on the street, most people wouldn't bother filling in a form for five bucks. I know I wouldn't!
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Probably the vast majority of players just didn't know about Hot Coffee. Maybe those that did because they are into the whole online community of GTA decided they'd rather spend their time playing the game, that they got more than enough enjoyment for their money, or that it would be dishonest of them to claim they were offended when no such thing happened.

Is it possible that GTA players are more honest and well adjusted than scummy class-suit ambulance chasing lawyers looking to steal a slice of the GTA profits? Looks like it.
 
I can see the people behind adding these codes to be sacked from Rockstar (maybe they already have). A moment of madness costs their job.
 
kudos to the lawyers and lol@ the american justice system.

Seem that all you need is good enough lawyers and if your persistant enough, no matter how stupid your case it, you might win.

The fact that you have to mod the game to see this "hot cofee" minigame (Are the people even naked in this minigame?) and its allready rated 18+, makes this imo hilarious.
 
Im a little pissed off Rockstar settled this. They should have taken it to court and made a big deal about it.
 
Ostepop said:
...and its allready rated 18+...
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Actually it was only rated 18+ after the hot coffee mod was exposed and they had to send out new discs. Prior to this whole debacle, it was rated "T" which is why places like WalMart and Target would sell it.

Don't you recall the whole retailer crusade to pull the original version off the shelves? If you don't, go do some googling.
 
Albuquerque said:
Actually it was only rated 18+ after the hot coffee mod was exposed and they had to send out new discs. Prior to this whole debacle, it was rated "T" which is why places like WalMart and Target would sell it.

Don't you recall the whole retailer crusade to pull the original version off the shelves? If you don't, go do some googling.
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Just to clarify, it was originally rated "M" 17+, at least that's what my launch box says.
 
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