Postal court case dismissed

Some six years after the United States Postal Service filed a lawsuit against Running With Scissors over its controversial PC action game Postal, the developer has been informed by the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board of the US Department of Commerce that the case has been dismissed with prejudice.

Postal is a third-person action game in which players are essentially required to commit acts of random violence and kill anything that moves. The game was banned in more than 10 countries and was blacklisted in the US, but what makes the case brought by the USPS in 1997 unusual is that, despite its title, the game has absolutely nothing to do with the Post Office or its employees--an argument that failed to carry any weight with then-Postmaster General Marvin Runyon.

Earlier this year, Running With Scissors released a first-person sequel to Postal through publisher Whiptail Interactive. Postal 2 is every bit as controversial as its predecessor, although it is actually possible to complete the game without ever resorting to violence.