NEWS RELEASE

May 1994                                           For Further Information:
                                                             Karen Crowther
                                                               707 937-3320

             Congressman Declares War on US Software Companies
              Children's and Educational Programs Endangered

     US Representative Tom Lantos (D-Calif) has declared war on small
American software businesses. In a public hearing held in San Francisco on
May 21, Lantos reaffirmed his support for the establishment of an expensive
private bureaucracy for the purpose of applying ratings to computer games,
even if it means the destruction of hundreds of small companies. This plan
would be administered by the Interactive Digital Software Association
(IDSA), an organization created by a few giant video game manufacturers.
     The IDSA plan would require the publishers of computer games to
produce and submit videotapes, pay processing fees of $500 or more, and
await review by a secret committee before they could release products in
the marketplace. In contrast to this plan, four major trade associations,
representing over 3000 businesses, are in the process of developing a
standardized ratings system that could be quickly and accurately applied to
software as part of the development process, and which would impose no fees
on the publishers.
     Although the IDSA plan has been heavily criticized by both independent
publishers and the trade associations, and has not yet started operation,
Lantos, along with Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn) and Herbert Kohl
(D-Wisc), has already sent letters on Congressional letterhead to major
retailers, urging them to purchase software only from businesses which
submit to the IDSA plan.
     According to software industry spokesperson Karen Crowther, the costs
and delays of the IDSA plan would be devastating to many small and
entrepreneurial software businesses which produce children's and
educational software. Lantos' response was that "protecting our children"
is more important than the survival of these companies. Ironically,
Nintendo and Sega, billion-dollar companies and major proponents of the
IDSA plan, publish "Mortal Kombat", the game most often cited by Lantos in
his campaign against "filthy and disgusting" video games.
     Daniel Sejzer, president of Villa Crespo Software, a games publisher
based in Chicago, labeled the IDSA plan "ridiculous. Under no circumstances
should publishers agree to reveal their trade secrets and new concepts to
outsiders." Sejzer added that he would favor self-applied ratings following
industry guidelines.
     Rosemary West, president of the Educational Software Cooperative
(ESC), representing over 50 companies, said "If implemented, the IDSA plan
would actually prevent distribution of many wholesome, educational games,
because the smaller developers simply cannot afford these unnecessary
costs."
     Crowther added that the IDSA plan would assist foreign-owned Nintendo
and Sega in "crushing their smaller, U.S. competition" and asked, "Why is
Lantos supporting an anti-competitive ratings system instead of one
developed by our own games publishers?" She pointed out that callers
requesting information from Lantos' office are given the phone number for
IDSA's Washington lobbyist.

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                      FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: 
                              Karen Crowther
                               P.O. Box 892
                            Mendocino CA 95460
                          Voice/Fax: 707 937-3320
                          CompuServe: 71501,3553