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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Scholastic buys book fair business Troubadour

Scholastic has acquired Troubadour, also known as The Travelling Book Company, for an undisclosed sum. Steve Thompson, co-group m.d. of Scholastic UK, said the publisher had been tracking Troubadour’s progress for some time. “We know that by having a flexible approach to providing schools with... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dashner promotes The Fever Code with Twitter game

James Dashner, author of the Maze Runner series, is offering his fans the chance to see their name in his next book The Fever Code via a new twitter competition, launched today (7th September). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Television giant Media General to buy Meredith in $2.4bn merger

Combined company to be called Meredith Media GeneralMerger to create ‘powerful multiplatform and diversified media company’Broadcaster Media General announced on Tuesday that it is buying TV and publishing company Meredith Corp in an approximately $2.4bn cash-and-stock deal.The combined company,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media General to Buy Magazine Publisher, TV Broadcaster Meredith

Media General Inc said it would buy diversified media company Meredith Corp for about $2.34 billion to create the third-largest local TV station owner in the United States.   The deal marks Media General's return to the print business, after ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A manifesto for the digital writer

In his article, Those magnificent manifestos, The Bookseller editor Philip Jones reviews his call for the FutureBook audience to reflect on five years of digital "to challenge the customs we have begun to adopt." The response is so robust that I've extended our deadline for submissions of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Combines Mobile Gaming, Fantasy Fiction to Lure Readers

Alane Adams worked for years as an accountant at her family’s business, but she always believed that one day she’d get back to her first two loves: reading and writing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2015 Folio: Eddie Digital Award Finalists

Folio's cornerstone awards program is returning to the Folio: Show! Join our team and hundreds of your magazine media peers to celebrate gorgeous design and uncompromising journalism. The post 2015 Folio: Eddie Digital Award Finalists appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Naxos Audiobooks buys rights to Larkin novels

Naxos Audiobooks has acquired audiobook rights to five Larkin novels by H E Bates, including The Darling Buds of May. The company acquired an exclusive licence to the unabridged audiobook rights to the novels in a deal with Peters, Fraser and Dunlop in association with Pollinger Limited,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fitness Magazine Launches Digital Video Channel SweatTV

Leverages 'engagement player' tech from Selectable Media deal. The post Fitness Magazine Launches Digital Video Channel SweatTV appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RH Children's Buys Self-Pubbed Phenom 'Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep'

The self-published picture book 'The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep,' which shot to the top of Amazon's U.K. print list a few weeks ago, has officially been acquired in by Penguin Random House. The publisher took world English rights to the book in a joint deal between Random House U.S. and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC digital news operation must be curbed, say newspaper publishers

News Media Association calls on government to implement 10 changes to corporation’s objectives and governance in submission to green paperUK national and regional newspaper publishers have called for the BBC’s digital news operation to be curbed to allow commercial players to flourish at home... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Susie Nicklin buys Dulwich Books

Dulwich Books has been bought by Susie Nicklin, executive chair and co-founder of The Marsh Agency, for an undisclosed sum. The deal came about Dulwich Books’ former owner Sheila O’Reilly told The Bookseller that she was looking for a business partner to help expand the company in multiple... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On ad pricing, Condé Nast bows to the reality of digital

Like all traditional publishers, Condé Nast has had to adapt its brands as readers and advertisers shift their habits and spending to digital platforms. The changes haven’t gone unnoticed by ad buyers. They applauded Condé Nast’s greater flexibility, manifest in its native ad platform 23 Stories... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Globe Business sells books division in management buy-out

B2B content company Globe Business Media Group has sold its portfolio of law books to a management-led team for an undisclosed sum. The buyers of the division, Globe Law and Business, are a consortium led by Jim Smith, a publisher who spent a number of years on the board of Lexus Nexus. Sian... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thoughts on the Digital Market for US Illustrated Books (Part 4)

The continuation of our series on illustrated book publishing in the US looks at the digital market, where sales pale compared to print counterparts. The post Thoughts on the Digital Market for US Illustrated Books (Part 4) appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Resources Beyond the E-book

E-books are not the only game in town when it comes to digital content used by students in the classroom and school library. Here’s a sampling of new products lauded by educators. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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School and Library Spotlight: How Schools Buy and Use E-Books

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Allen buys 'new ideas' book with Sandberg foreword

WH Allen has acquired a book about championing new ideas, with a foreword written by Sheryl Sandberg. Jamie Joseph, WH Allen senior commissioning editor, bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Originals by Adam Grant from David Miller at Rogers, Coleridge and White. In Originals Grant shows how... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is now working on its own digital assistant called M

Sounding like a character from a James Bond movie, M is Facebook's personal digital assistant. Ready to compete with the likes of Cortana, M will live inside Facebook Messenger and take artificial intelligence a step further. Rather than just helping you to find information or create calendar... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2015-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library app lets you check out 'The Walking Dead' and other digital comics

Before it was a TV show and video game, The Walking Dead was a comic book from publisher Image Comics. It's a great series and if you're interested in catching up on the source material for the TV show, you might be in luck. The public library app,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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