Bright Law

## RP Hooks

It is the information age and people, like anything else, are quantified in a thousand ways on an incredible web of computing devices. Their health records, birth certificates, money, all the myriad pieces of data that are the product of a lifetime in a computerized society end up being attached to them.

More accurately, attached to their SSN. Once a number used to match people to their government benefits, the SSN has become the key to a person's life. All the residents of the 'Bright' world that surrounds the corporations use their SSNs constantly. Many actually have it tattooed on their wrists to simplify identification and as a sign of status.

Of the remaining populace, about 75% have an SSN and use it when they are dealing with the system. Hospital stays, licenses of various kinds, taxes and business dealings often require an SSN.

After the Fall, the Consortium became the major protector of the human citizens within the LATMA walled urban area. While such Brights (the word is often thought to describe the fact that electricity was available only within the cities and thus the Bright City Lights) ranged in skills they all shared one thing, they were employees in one form or another of the corporations that ruled LATMA. If they did not work for the Consortium they served employees of the Consortium. Brights tend to be born into a Corporation in the same way that families once were born into Clans. A lower class Bright often is born in a Corp hospital, educated in a Corp school, recruited for a Corp job, buys from a Corp store often on credit and dies in the same job. Middle and Upper class Brights have a greater degree of social mobility.

### Law

The legal code in bright sectors depends upon the sector and the sector's controlling corporation. As a general rule:

* Bright-on-Bright violence: Illegal. Usual response: Fine, possible night in jail.
* Weapons: Illegal unless you have a permit. Each weapon carried requires permit. Usual response: Confiscation, fine, possible jail time.
* Bright-on-Dark violence: Disturbing the peace. Usual response: Fine, possible night in jail.
* Dark-on-Dark violence: Disturbing the peace. Usual response: Depends on temperament of officer.
* Dark-on-Bright violence: Illegal. Grounds for termination.

--

* Anaheim: Practically everything except the above is legal.
* LATMA Corporate Center: Almost nothing is legal.
* Downtown: See: Corporate Center.
* Forest Lawn: See: Anaheim.
* LA Harbor: See: Anaheim.
* Palos Verdes: If it disturbs anyone, or falls into the above points, it's illegal. Otherwise, whatever.
* Pasadena: See: Anaheim.
* Villa Park: See: Corporate Center

In bright areas there is a complex system of bureaucracy that centers on contract law. Since there are no civil governmental courts, the consortium has set up a bureau of contracts. In order to have their contracts honored with each other, they must also honor contracts between non-consortium parties. This has also enabled the Consortium to exact a fee from corporate members to fund this entity. Compulsory fees have taken the place of taxes, a pile of shit by any other name.. Litigants make their case to this panel of lawyers and a decision is handed down.

Copyrights and patents are also handled by a similar bureau. In order to prevent other members of the Consortium from stealing their ideas and resulting in open and nasty conflict that might destroy the society, a bureau of patents and copyrights was established. Part of the membership contract of companies is to abide by these copyright and patent regulations. There is one stipulation, patents and copyrights can only be owned by member corps. No individuals may own copyrights or patents.

There is also no freedom of expression, no freedom of religion, no freedom to assemble. Citizens of the bright world give up their civil rights for security and economic advantage. Citizens do not have a right to life, liberty, etc... but they do have a right to property - as they may be considered property themselves. Slavery is illegal; however you can contractually enter into indentured servitude. Slavery is defined by the unwilling entrance into servitude, without a willing signer of a contract. Slavery is only legal in dark areas.

Those individuals who are bright and are associated with a corporation, have far more considerations made toward them than non-corporate affiliated Brights. Murder, assault, etc, are all treated as property right violations which holds a much higher priority than disturbance of the peace, in which a non-corporate affiliated individual would come under.

On the surface, bright society is a complex and ordered system. Underneath there is covert warfare, corporate kidnappings, secret blackmails, and a general paranoia by the greater society of losing their employment status. When corps are found out doing naughty things, they usually pay a fee to indemnify the affected party. (MetSec does indemnify collateral damage caused by any operations.) This fee and outcome is not usually published in the press, except through dark mediums and rumor.