Arizona Bill to Make Companies Liable for Content Will Not Be Enacted This Year
The Arizona State Senate Judiciary Committee determined that House Bill 2660 will not have the opportunity to be voted into law, arguing that the law still leaves open too many questions. The Law was sponsored by Warde Nichols, a Republican from Gilbert, Arizona, and was intended to make companies financially liable for creating media (including films, books and games) that led to an act of terrorism or a felony.
Entertainment companies and lobbyists for industries such as film and video game concerns argued that the bill violates the U.S. Constitutional amendment of free speech and would lead to frivolous lawsuits against anyone who creates, publishes or distributes entertainment content. Nichols claimed that the law was intended to punish those who create and distribute underground pornographic content that depicts actual rape. The Judiciary Committee determined, in a four to two vote that the law was too broad and would have unintended consequences. The law, however, passed the Arizona state House last month.
The Judiciary Committee supported the intent of the bill – stopping movies that depict rape – but Senator Ken Cheuvront noted that "at the same time this bill is so broad based, we have to be careful about unintended consequences." Nichols plans to reintroduce a more specific version of the bill next year, noting that the bill he introduced was not intended to govern works protected by the first amendment. He only wanted to deal with "obscene" material.
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