§ 6-43-1 - Regulation of rentals to minors. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 6-43-1

   § 6-43-1  Regulation of rentals to minors.– (a) No person, firm, or corporation, engaged in the business of the rental ofvideo cassette recordings shall rent a recording which has been labeled,advertised, or otherwise held out to be "X", "XX", or "XXX" to any person whois under the age of eighteen (18). The use of the designation "X", "XX", or"XXX" on a video cassette recording or its packaging shall constitute thelabeling and advertisement for purposes of this chapter.

   (b) If the person, firm, or corporation renting a videocassette recording is in doubt as to the age of any person seeking to rent arecording which has been labeled, advertised, or otherwise held out to be "X","XX", or "XXX", demand may be made that the person produce any of the followingdocuments: (1) a birth certificate; (2) a baptismal certificate; (3) an armedservices identification card; (4) a Rhode Island motor vehicle operator'slicense; or (5) a Rhode Island identification card; and may require that anyperson who has shown a document as set forth in this section substantiating hisor her age, to sign his or her name in a book kept for this purpose indicatingwhich document was presented. If a person whose age is questioned shall signthe book before he or she rents a video cassette recording, and it is laterdetermined that the person was not over eighteen (18) years of age, it shall beconsidered prima facie evidence that the person, firm, or corporation rentingthe recording acted in good faith in renting to the person.

   (c) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed asadopting, incorporating, or referring to the motion picture rating system ofthe motion picture association of America or of any other private or publicorganization.