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ROTF: Red Cross protests the use of it's logo in violent games to depict health bonus
On behalf of the Canadian Red Cross, I wanted to bring to your attention a practise which appears to be rather widespread in the video game industry. The practise I am referring to is the unauthorized and indeed illegal use of the Red Cross emblem by the industry. A number of examples have been brought to my attention which display the Red Cross emblem to depict "First Aid" "Health" or "Injury Recovery" within the content of these games. The emblem has also been used in video games depicting Red Cross facilites and vehicles in combat situations presumably to give the games more versimultude.
Canadian Red Cross
Croix-Rouge canadienne
January 30, 2006
Re: Misuse of Red Cross Emblem
On behalf of the Canadian Red Cross, I wanted to bring to your attention a practise which appears to be rather widespread in the video game industry. The practise I am referring to is the unauthorized and indeed illegal use of the Red Cross emblem by the industry. A number of examples have been brought to my attention which display the Red Cross emblem to depict "First Aid" "Health" or "Injury Recovery" within the content of these games. The emblem has also been used in video games depicting Red Cross facilites and vehicles in combat situations presumably to give the games more versimultude.
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Internationally, the use of the Red Cross emblem is explicity reserved under the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949. In this regard, you may wish to consult Chapter VII Articles 38-44 of the Convention. As Canada is a signatory to the Convention, domestically the exclusive use of the emblem is reserved for the Medical Corps of the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Red Cross Society. This is confirmed in Canadian law under the Geneva Conventions Act and the Canadian Red Cross Society Act. With respect to the former, I would draw your attention to Articles 44 and 53 of the Schedule 1. In the case of the latter, you may wish to consult Section 4 of the Act.
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While we recognize that there is probably little that can be done to redress past infringements, we would like to engage in a discussion with game developers and publishers to ensure that the Red Cross emblem is protected in the future. We see this as a means of avoiding costly litigation while at the same time discharging our legal responsibilities to protect the emblem. I very much hope that we at the Canadian Red Cross can count on your support and cooperation in this regard and we would be pleased to provide additional information and respond to any questions you may have. As mentioned above, it is not only the right thing to do in terms of assisting us with our humanitarian mission, it is the law.
Yours sincerely,
David Pratt
Director, Humanitarian Issues Program
Canadian Red Cross
Croix-Rouge canadienne
January 30, 2006
Re: Misuse of Red Cross Emblem
On behalf of the Canadian Red Cross, I wanted to bring to your attention a practise which appears to be rather widespread in the video game industry. The practise I am referring to is the unauthorized and indeed illegal use of the Red Cross emblem by the industry. A number of examples have been brought to my attention which display the Red Cross emblem to depict "First Aid" "Health" or "Injury Recovery" within the content of these games. The emblem has also been used in video games depicting Red Cross facilites and vehicles in combat situations presumably to give the games more versimultude.
...
Internationally, the use of the Red Cross emblem is explicity reserved under the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949. In this regard, you may wish to consult Chapter VII Articles 38-44 of the Convention. As Canada is a signatory to the Convention, domestically the exclusive use of the emblem is reserved for the Medical Corps of the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Red Cross Society. This is confirmed in Canadian law under the Geneva Conventions Act and the Canadian Red Cross Society Act. With respect to the former, I would draw your attention to Articles 44 and 53 of the Schedule 1. In the case of the latter, you may wish to consult Section 4 of the Act.
...
While we recognize that there is probably little that can be done to redress past infringements, we would like to engage in a discussion with game developers and publishers to ensure that the Red Cross emblem is protected in the future. We see this as a means of avoiding costly litigation while at the same time discharging our legal responsibilities to protect the emblem. I very much hope that we at the Canadian Red Cross can count on your support and cooperation in this regard and we would be pleased to provide additional information and respond to any questions you may have. As mentioned above, it is not only the right thing to do in terms of assisting us with our humanitarian mission, it is the law.
Yours sincerely,
David Pratt
Director, Humanitarian Issues Program
yep....
And it's not from the onion....
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