Play Meter

nEUIS BRIEFS
au Dawn Adorno
North Carolina operators have succeeded in getting the state's
proposed $200 tax on videos (Play Meter, April 1, p. 6) reduced to a
$15 state tax per game. A prov1sion in the tax measure allows both
cities and counties in the state to add an additional $ 5 tax, making
the maximum tax on video games in North Carolina $25. The state leg-
islature previously dropped a proposed $100 tax on video games as
well as a proposed gross receipts tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dream Ltd., a Tokyo firm, pled not guilty in Japan's first crim-
inal trial concerning video game copyrights in May . Dream Ltd., Falcon
Co., and Kyoei Co. are three of at least sev en defendants accused of
producing or distributing pirated versions o f Nintendo's Donke y Kong
Junior. According to the Japanese Amusement Press, Dream Ltd~-princi­
ples contend that the y have already come to terms with Nintendo and
that video game copyrights are not yet clearly established . Unautho-
rized copy ing of video games was first judg e d a criminal offense in
Tokyo District Court in December 1982 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........ . .. . . .
Unheeded warning s that a video g ame tax was too hi g h has left
West Chester, Pennsylvania, with a $20,000 budget shortfall. The
borough created a $200 per game tax to be paid b y May 1. But by May 1
half the videos in West Chester had been removed. Some n on-profit
organizations were req uesting the boroug h to exempt them from the
tax. In mid-May the borough had collected just $10,500. "Like others,
we got out," said Sharon Harris of Stan Harris & Company , a larg e
Pennsylvania operating firm. "The tax proved to be self -defeating."
Joseph Fay and Joseph Rossi of Belleville, New Jersey, face pro-
secution for supplying 13 Essex County locations with Hi-Lo and Joke~
Poker video card games which were used as g ambling devices. The
arrests are the result of a continuing inve stigation conducted b y the
Essex County prosecutor's office. Police said each o f the machines
netted the defendants betwee n $500 and $700 pe r wee k. Fay and Rossi
have complicated their defenses by being v i d eotaped while they were
allegedly offering a policeman a bribe of $1,400 to i g nore their
operation. The two could get 6-month sentences and $10,000 fines for
promoting gambling and five to 10 years in prison for attempting to
bribe a police officer.
Walter Day's Twin Galax ies Arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, is hosting
the second annual North American Video Game Olympics. Video game
players will vie for positions on their state teams August 24-26.
State and province representatives will then play against each other.
Twin Galaxies will tally scores and determine which play ers will com-
prise the U.S. video game team. The national team will then face
teams from other countries in the World Vid eo Olymp ics to be held
within the ne x t six months. All players will compete on the same
arcade games. Notary publics will be at each state site to verify
scores and to ensure fair p lay. Countries worldwide ha v e been invited
to participate in the World Video Olympics utilizing the rules
specified by Twin Galaxies.
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PLAY METER, August 15, 1983