Website advises Americans on rating systems

The Coalition of Entertainment Retail Trade Associations (CERTA) this week launched a website aimed at American parents designed to provide information about film and videogame rating systems.

Located at www.erlam.org - an acronym for Entertainment Ratings & Labelling Awareness Month - the website "provides information in multimedia formats about the motion picture rating system; the computer and videogame rating system; the music labelling system; and the entertainment ratings and labelling policies of motion picture theatres, video stores, computer and videogame retailers, and music retailers".

The launch of the website will be accompanied by a public service announcement to run on in-store monitors in 5,000 video stores, reminding parents that the rating systems exist to guide them.

CERTA's member trade organisations collectively represent more than 2,000 retailers and exhibitors operating more than 40,000 cinemas, video, videogame and music stores, online music sites and other similar establishments.