Because there’s nothing more that people like to hear about their monetary donations than that it’s going towards funding unnecessary lawsuits, the Canadian Red Cross has announced that they may take video game makers to court.

The Canadian Red Cross is warning the video game industry that use of the humanitarian organization’s famous emblem in simulated combat is illegal and may be eroding the “protective value'’ of the symbol in real-life war zones.

The emblem appears on first-aid stations, medical kits or ambulances depicted in numerous computer battlefield scenarios and in some sports games. These Red Cross-emblazoned game features add realism to the action and provide renewed strength to weakened characters.

But David Pratt, the former federal defence minister who now works as director of international issues with the Ottawa-based disaster-relief agency, is urging software developers and video game distributors to voluntarily respect the Red Cross trademark in future products or face possible legal action.

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