Steam now explicitly states you don’t own the digital games you’re buying

Have you ever bought an app or game from a digital storefront, only for it to suddenly disappear and become inaccessible without warning? It’s both confusing and frustrating, which is why some governments are stepping in and hoping to make things clearer for consumers. Gavin Newsom, governor of California, recently signed a new law (AB 2426) that involves the purchasing of digital goods and services. Under the new law, online storefronts that sell digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows, and ebooks must be explicit as to whether customers actually own what they’re purchasing. Some digital services are already adapting to the new regulations, which aren’t set to be enforced until next year. Steam is one such company, having already implemented a change in the Steam storefront that explicitly notifies customers that they’re purchasing “a license for the product on Steam” and don’t actually own the game outright. What does that mean for you? Well, a license is just permission for you to access content that’s provided by the service (i.e., the game). If the content is made unavailable for whatever reason, you aren’t entitled to access in perpetuity. (As opposed to buying a digital download, in which case you’re buying permission to download and keep said files.) According to Engadget, this new wording in Steam is used in all countries and territories, not just the United States. Further reading: Why digital games can vanish in a heartbeat Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2024-10-11 19:19:30 UTC ]

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Netflix announces its first TV shows and movies from Millarworld

Today, Netflix announced the first TV shows and movies based on comic book writer Mark Millar's properties. Netflix will add two television series and three movies to its original programming. Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Business Journals is launching services to diversify its revenue

Starting with SelecTalent, the business news publisher will begin rolling out digital services for small businesses. The post The Business Journals is launching services to diversify its revenue appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dare YOU face the orcs? 80s game books Fighting Fantasy return

The role-playing adventure books sold 20m copies in the 80s, before being eclipsed by video games. Now they’re back with a new story by Charlie Higson, can they captivate the web generation?Ian Livingstone calls it the “five-fingered bookmark”: that grip known to children of the 80s and 90s.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple’s App of the Year Makes Sense If You've Been Paying Attention to the News

For a picture of what life was like in 2017, look no further than the apps, movies, books, and music that topped the App Store and iTunes charts. This week, Apple revealed the most popular titles that iOS users downloaded over the course of the year. In terms of media, the top choices weren’t... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Upstart 50 Creative: Matt Oehrlein and Gui Cavalcanti, Co-founders at Megabots

For decades, the creators of movies, comic books and video games have dreamed up a future where giant robots engage in combat. Inspired by their childhood fandom and aided by extensive expertise in robotics, Matt Oehrlein and Gui Cavalcanti decided to make that fantasy a reality. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2017-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exploring Lonely Planet’s World

Lonely Planet, the world's number one guidebook publisher, has not only printed over 145 million guidebooks covering 95% of the world’s destinations, Lonely Planet has created content in over fourteen languages, including everything from magazines and TV shows to children’s books, cookbooks,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Uncharted, Ubisoft Lead Gamescom Chatter on Facebook

Facebook revealed the most talked about video games and consoles on its platform during Gamescom, the German trade fair taking place Aug. 22 through 26. During the week of Gamescom, Facebook said more than 14 million users were behind 29 million interactions (posts, comments, Reactions and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Netflix acquires Mark Millar's comics publishing house (updated)

Mark Millar is a well-known name in the world of comics, which is why today's announcement is such a big deal. Netflix has revealed that it's acquired Millarworld, Millar's comic book empire, and will be creating original movies and TV shows from the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon boosts kids' reading app with Signature Stories

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook: Before E3, 2K, Bethesda Are Among the Top Trending Publishers

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[ AdWeek | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google case raises doubts about German news copyright law

German news publishers suing Google for copyright dues under a 2013 law may get more than they bargained for, with implications for readers and newspapers throughout the EU.Rather than rule in their favor, the Berlin court hearing their case has raised doubts about the validity of the very law... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paperback fighter: sales of physical books now outperform digital titles

It can be cheaper to buy the physical copy of a book than a digital download thanks to changes in Amazon’s deal with publishersAt the start of this decade publishers feared the death of the paperback. Britons abandoned bookshops at an alarming rate, seduced by e-readers and cheap digital... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Discounts its Fire Tablet Bundle an Additional $27.98 With This Code - Deal Alert

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[ PC World | 2017-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Flashy monster battles in 'Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions' will delight fans

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leaked Windows 10 build shows Microsoft filling a major content hole: Ebooks

For years, Microsoft has sold movies, TV shows, and music, in addition to apps—but not ebooks. A leaked Windows 10 build, however, shows Microsoft plans to shore up that gap in an upcoming release. The leaked build obtained by MSPowerUser reveals a dedicated section of the Windows Store where... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News publishers contributed £5.3bn to the UK economy in 2015

Report finds that newsbrands generated £4.8bn revenue, supported 87,500 jobs and invested £97m in digital services while holding power to accountThe news publishing industry contributed £5.3bn to the UK economy in 2015, according to a Deloitte report commissioned by the News Media Association... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Takes $80 off Fire Tablet and Tap When Bought Together, Today Only - Deal Alert

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[ PC World | 2016-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sainsbury's to close its digital entertainment business

First it was Tesco, now it's Sainsbury's. The British supermarket will soon be closing its streaming and digital storefront services, called Entertainment on Demand collectively. These covered eBooks, music, movies and TV shows, and digital magazines... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTubers hit mainstream as digital media become top choice for new talent

They’ve become the voice of the millennials and now films, TV shows, book deals and live tours are followingYou may not have heard of Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee, but these British YouTube stars have more than 11 million subscribers and more than one billion views on Google’s online video service.... Continue reading at The Guardian

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