Responding to the Supreme Court’s ruling today in the case of MGM v. Grokster, the Entertainment Software Association’s President, Douglas Lowenstein, issued the following statement:

"We are heartened by the Supreme Court's resounding decision and are hopeful that it will put an end to the efforts of those who for the last several years have advanced tortured and flawed legal rationales to legitimize good old fashioned copyright theft . The Supreme Court made clear that when people and companies actively and knowingly induce massive copyright infringement on the Internet, they are on the wrong side of the law. The ‘I can't help it’ defense advanced by Grokster doesn't wash. Simply put, this ruling means that one cannot intend to promote infringement, then distribute tools to accomplish infringement and expect to avoid liability. This is absolutely the right outcome. As perhaps the most proactive of any content industry in its embrace of the Internet as a tool for distributing our products, we understand that the creative and technological innovation we have fostered can only thrive in an environment where copyright laws are strong. The Court's decision creates such an environment."

The ESA is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $7.3 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2004, and billions more in export sales of entertainment software.