Legal
3 ways in which my planned print-based media product could break the law:
- Defaming particular events, games, developers or consoles
- Stealing third party material (copyrighted images/information)
- Fabricating information about events, games, developers or consoles
Obscene Publications Act of 1959 and 1964
It is an offence to publish content which may 'deprave or corrupt' the reader. I will avoid obscene publication by not publishing any violent, graphic or sexual content because younger people will be able to access some of the content and I do not want them to be exposed to any obscene content.
The Defamation Act of 2013
Defamation is where you publish information which isn't true and could harm the reputation of the individual or company you are writing about. I will avoid defamation by not publishing false information about particular events, games, developers or consoles.
Copyright law
Copyrighted property cannot be legally used without the permission of the contents owner. I would avoid copyright infringement by using original content which I have created, or asking for permission from the creator if I decide to use someone else's material. If I need to publish information for the good of the public, then the publication would be exempt from copyright.
Negligent Publication
Published information which could cause someone to become seriously injured, or die from, is considered to be a 'negligent publication.' I will avoid negligence by not providing the reader with information which could cause them to injure themselves.
Ethical
Ethical issues are things which are not accepted by society and would offend people in some way, however it can not be brought to court because it isn't backed by law. I am going to avoid ethical issues by only publishing content about the average gamer rather than focusing on specific people within the gaming community. When talking about violent, graphic or sexual content I will be cautious to ensure that I do not say anything which would be considered socially unethical, I could do this by making sure it is clear my opinion is only related to the game rather than the realistic view of violence in society. Violence and breaking the law in games such as GTA can be entertaining, but I will need to make sure it is clear that I am not promoting violence being copied out of games.
