'Bully' banned in Brazil by courts

The video game "Bully" has been ordered to be taken off the shelves in South America's largest nation following a Thursday ruling.

Produced by Rockstar Games, it is distributed by JPF Magazine in Brazil. A local youth support center requested a ban, which Judge Flavio Rabello granted. Retailers in the country have been given 30 days to comply.

JPF has not yet decided whether it will appeal the ruling. For the time being, though, the importation, distribution, and sale of the title in Brazil is prohibited.

It marks the third game in as many years to run into some type of trouble from Rockstar Games. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was briefly taken off shelves in the US over the "Hot Coffee" mod, and Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK.

Bully is rated "T" in the US, deeming it suitable for play by teenagers, and has been in stores for quite a while. The title was released in October 2006 for the PlayStation 2, and in March, Rockstar released versions for the Xbox 360 and Wii.

The game developer had no immediate comment as it had not seen the ban on Friday.