Quote: Original post by ProgramMax
I heard that there is a large tax on games with swastikas in them. Something to make the German consumer say "Hrmm do I want this $50 game or this $500 game with a sqastika?"

There's a law in Germany (and in many other European countries) that prohibits glorification of the crimes of the Nazi regime. Displaying swastikas and pictures of Hitler can be interpreted as glorification and therefor result in a ban of a game. That has happened to Wolfenstein 3D for instance.

Again, some companies have choses to remove swastikas from the German version of their game to prevent conflict with that law. (i.e. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis).

hi,

i'm living next to germany. The way they handle selling games which contain gore and blood is to put some "mature rating" or "use at 18" mark on their game packing. (hope you understand what i mean)

Germans really watch these marks when selling movies or video games to customers.
So i dont think that removing blood and gore completely from the game is a must-have to actually sell a violent game in germany.

best regards,
- christoph -

My non-lawyer take:

Just do what they do with so many other pieces of software and add a disclaimer. You often see warnings like "If you are a terrorist or a resident of {list of countries}, you may not use this software". Or the warning "You assert that you are over 18 or the age of consent in your area and that viewing this content is legal in your area. Show me the goods!"

My lawyer had me put a statement on all purchases that "...you accept responsibility to pay all applicable taxes related to this purchase." If they tell me they are local, then I collect sales tax and pay it to the government. If don't tell me that, then they are still liable for their local taxes and need to (or are supposed to) pay them.

Perhaps something similar would work for this? "SOFTWARE may be subject to your local laws. You assert that download and use of SOFTWARE complies with your local laws."

Basically it's a way of saying "I'm trying to do what's right. It's legal where I am. If you are violating your own laws, it is your fault not mine."