The commissioner of the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (Tela) has asked the Court of Appeal to ratify his power to vet video games. The commissioner yesterday launched his appeal against a January ruling in the Court of First Instance by Mr Justice Michael Hartmann, who shot down the commissioner's ability to vet games. At that review hearing, Mr Justice Hartmann found the commissioner had imposed his own moral and social values when he suspended a Mongkok video arcade for a fortnight last July following an inspection that found the games were offensive and of a violent nature. The review had been brought by the owner of the arcade, Eddy Chan Yu-tak. Mr Justice Hartman found the legislature did not intend to give the commissioner the 'unfettered power of censorship presently being exercised by him'. Yesterday, the Court of Appeal heard arguments that the commissioner was empowered under the Arcade Games Centre Ordinance to grant licences and impose such conditions as to the 'operation, keeping, management or other controls' of arcade game machines 'as he sees fit'. The appeal continues.
