George L. Rose
Encyclopedia
George Rose is Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer of
Activision Blizzard
.
Rose became the first immigrant from the former Soviet Union to attend Harvard Law School
, where he
earned a Juris Doctor
degree in 1986.
Rose started his career as a corporate entertainment attorney for Los Angeles firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
, LLP. After three years, he moved to a firm now known as Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro, LLP, where he worked on a variety of deals for MGM/UA Home Entertainment Group, MGM Grand Inc.
, and other entities owned by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian
in addition to other corporate entertainment transactions such Sony
’s purchase of Columbia Pictures
and construction of the
Stratosphere Las Vegas
entertainment complex.
With the fall of the Iron Curtain
in 1989, Rose and several friends founded Korbatov, Rose &
Rubinstein, a law firm dedicated to transactions in the republics of the former Soviet Union. In 1995,
after a brief stint at Katten, Muchin & Zaviz, Rose became one of the first legal department employees of
Activision, which had just emerged from bankruptcy.
General Counsel, and later, Chief Legal Officer. In these roles, Rose was responsible for overseeing
all aspects of the company’s legal strategy, including: acquisitions of more than a dozen studios;
signing key licenses with Marvel Enterprises, DreamWorks Animation SKG and Tony Hawk
; and development of properties such as Call of Duty
and Guitar Hero
. Following Activision’s merger with Vivendi Games
in 2008, Rose became Chief Legal Officer of the combined company, Activision Blizzard
. In November 2009, Rose was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer of Activision Blizzard
, where he iscurrently responsible for setting the course of the company’s government outreach and legislative efforts worldwide.
Activision Blizzard pays Rose an annual salary of $541,451, his total remuneration for 2010 was $3,682,450.
by banning the sale of certain violent videogames to minors. The 2005 law is currently the subject of pending U.S. Supreme Court case Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association
.
The Entertainment Software Association
, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Civil Liberties Union
are among the many organizations urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down this law.
Rose has long been a vocal advocate for the First Amendment rights of the video game industry, supporting efforts by the Entertainment Software Association
to oppose and enjoin as unconstitutional similar video game legislation in over a dozen states from Michigan to Louisiana. To date, such laws have been deemed unconstitutional by every court that has considered them.
In lieu of the proposed legislation, Rose and Activision are in support of the voluntary ratings system
currently in place through the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), a non-profit, self-
regulating body that independently assigns ratings, enforces advertising guidelines, and helps ensure
responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry. In advocating for this ESRB Rose has said, “the industry's ratings partnership has been thoroughly tested and praised by the Federal Trade Commission
as thorough and effective." And in op-eds penned for The Orange County Register
, San Jose Mercury News
, Los Angeles Times
and San Francisco Chronicle
, Rose has argued that ESRB is more effectiveand efficient in preventing the sale of violent games to minors and in helping parents make informed decisions about the age appropriateness of games for their children than a “taxpayer-funded bureaucracy the state can't afford.”
On March 17, 2011 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Rose debated Jim Steyer
, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, on whether the sale of violent video games should be restricted.
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., formerly Activision, Inc. is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, announced on December 2, 2007, in a...
.
Early career
After graduating from University of Michigan in 1983 with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration,Rose became the first immigrant from the former Soviet Union to attend Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where he
earned a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1986.
Rose started his career as a corporate entertainment attorney for Los Angeles firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a Los Angeles-based law firm of more than 400 attorneys and other professionals founded in 1965. The firm earned revenues of nearly $260 million in 2010...
, LLP. After three years, he moved to a firm now known as Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro, LLP, where he worked on a variety of deals for MGM/UA Home Entertainment Group, MGM Grand Inc.
MGM Grand Inc.
MGM Grand Inc. was formed by Kirk Kerkorian as a casino owner and operator.- History :On October 1, 1998 the company opened a temporary casino in Johannesburg, South Africa. It announced a plan to acquire Primadonna Resorts, Inc. on November 9, 1999...
, and other entities owned by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian
Kirk Kerkorian
Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian is an American businessman who is the president/CEO of Tracinda Corporation, his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California. Kerkorian is known as one of the important figures in shaping Las Vegas and, with architect Martin Stern, Jr...
in addition to other corporate entertainment transactions such Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
’s purchase of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and construction of the
Stratosphere Las Vegas
Stratosphere Las Vegas
Stratosphere Las Vegas is a tower, hotel, and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Its tower is also the tallest observation tower, and the 5th-tallest structure, in the United States, as well as being the tallest structure in Las Vegas.It is owned by Whitehall...
entertainment complex.
With the fall of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
in 1989, Rose and several friends founded Korbatov, Rose &
Rubinstein, a law firm dedicated to transactions in the republics of the former Soviet Union. In 1995,
after a brief stint at Katten, Muchin & Zaviz, Rose became one of the first legal department employees of
Activision, which had just emerged from bankruptcy.
Work with Activision Blizzard
Since joining Activision, Rose has held various positions within business and legal affairs such asGeneral Counsel, and later, Chief Legal Officer. In these roles, Rose was responsible for overseeing
all aspects of the company’s legal strategy, including: acquisitions of more than a dozen studios;
signing key licenses with Marvel Enterprises, DreamWorks Animation SKG and Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
; and development of properties such as Call of Duty
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in 2003. It is the first game in a series with the same name. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game is based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine...
and Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
. Following Activision’s merger with Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games, formerly known as Vivendi Universal Games, was the holdings company for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. Vivendi Games was founded as Vivendi Universal Games after Vivendi bought Universal Studios in the early 2000s...
in 2008, Rose became Chief Legal Officer of the combined company, Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., formerly Activision, Inc. is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, announced on December 2, 2007, in a...
. In November 2009, Rose was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer of Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., formerly Activision, Inc. is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, announced on December 2, 2007, in a...
, where he iscurrently responsible for setting the course of the company’s government outreach and legislative efforts worldwide.
Activision Blizzard pays Rose an annual salary of $541,451, his total remuneration for 2010 was $3,682,450.
Opposition to Schwarzenegger vs. EMA
In his role as Activision’s Chief Public Policy Officer, Rose launched an outspoken lobbying effort against a California law that would create an exception to the First AmendmentFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
by banning the sale of certain violent videogames to minors. The 2005 law is currently the subject of pending U.S. Supreme Court case Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association
Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association is a landmark Supreme Court of the United States case that struck down a California law enacted in 2005 that bans the sale of certain violent video games to children without parental supervision...
.
The Entertainment Software Association
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association and renamed on July 16, 2003...
, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
are among the many organizations urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down this law.
Rose has long been a vocal advocate for the First Amendment rights of the video game industry, supporting efforts by the Entertainment Software Association
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association and renamed on July 16, 2003...
to oppose and enjoin as unconstitutional similar video game legislation in over a dozen states from Michigan to Louisiana. To date, such laws have been deemed unconstitutional by every court that has considered them.
In lieu of the proposed legislation, Rose and Activision are in support of the voluntary ratings system
currently in place through the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), a non-profit, self-
regulating body that independently assigns ratings, enforces advertising guidelines, and helps ensure
responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry. In advocating for this ESRB Rose has said, “the industry's ratings partnership has been thoroughly tested and praised by the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
as thorough and effective." And in op-eds penned for The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
, San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, Rose has argued that ESRB is more effectiveand efficient in preventing the sale of violent games to minors and in helping parents make informed decisions about the age appropriateness of games for their children than a “taxpayer-funded bureaucracy the state can't afford.”
On March 17, 2011 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Rose debated Jim Steyer
Jim Steyer
James P. Steyer is an American child advocate, civil rights attorney, professor and author. He is most known for founding Common Sense Media, a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving media and entertainment choices for kids and families.Prior to launching Common Sense Media, Steyer...
, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, on whether the sale of violent video games should be restricted.