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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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 08:55 Random House c.e.o. Gail Rebuck has said she expects digital to become a "significant" part of its business in 2011 and hailed a "show-stopping" Christmas, as parent company Bertelsmann announced its full-year results to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 08:31 Bantam Press has acquired a title about how it's hip to be square, The Geek Manifesto by the science editor for the Times. Susanna Wadeson bought UK and Commonwealth rights to the title by Mark Henderson through Georgina... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Fri, 25/03/2011 - 12:00 Ebury Press is to publish the memoir of "The Royle Family" and "Brookside" actress Sue Johnston. Editorial director Charlotte Cole acquired world rights to Things I Couldn't Tell My Mother from Jan Thornton at Ken McReddie. The title will be published... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recognizing the fluid state of digital magazine publishing, the ABC board of directors has just modified a key requirement for qualifying a "replica" digital edition. Advertising in the print and digital editions no longer needs to be identical. The board's vote at their mid-March meeting was... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Mon, 21/03/2011 - 08:52 Hodder has acquired a crossover dystopian trilogy from Gemma Malley, whose The Declaration trilogy was published by Bloomsbury. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What's new in the hardcover fiction bestsellers of 2010? Very little. Almost every author in the fiction top 30 has been on these charts in previous yearsmost several times. The sole exception is the #1 fiction bestseller, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, with sales of 1.9 million. Stieg... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Society of Magazine editors today unveiled the winners of its second-ever Digital Ellies awards. Conde Nast's Epicurious took the award in the General Excellence category as well as top honors in the category of Interactive Tool. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Felix Dennis has bought Mental Floss magazine. Dennis, founder of Maxim and owner and operator of The Week, is the chairman of Dennis Publishing. Mental Floss is a bimonthly trivia-based magazine founded by Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudurin, former students of Duke University, in 2000. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Business Insider's Henry Blodget tells (almost) all. But can online revenue cover the costs of original content? Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Engage! Expo 2011, a conference and trade show focusing on tools and strategies for reaching consumers through mobile apps, social networks, online gaming, and other digital content, offered some glimpses into how companies are monetizing their digital initiatives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 07/03/2011 - 09:03 Penguin is to treble its investment in digital content in 2011 compared to 2010, as both Pearson and Bloomsbury cited a leap in digital sales as a key reason for growth in their interim full-year results, released last... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 10:08 Book Marketing Limited has began new research among publishers to predict what comes next in digital. The provider of market research is working on behalf of Publishing Technology to assess what impact e-publishing is having... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Thu, 03/03/2011 - 08:45 Half of all book buyers expect to pay less for ebooks, according to new research by Mintel, but those book readers who already own ebook devices have marginally more realistic expectations over price, suggesting that the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Unions competition regulators carried out unannounced inspections into various eBook companies on Tuesday. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 02/03/2011 - 08:44 HMV Group has "substantially" backed a social networking site called aNobii, which aims to help readers find buy and share books. The website, www.anobii.com, has existed since 2006 but was bought recently by internet... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Laura Richards Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 15:40 HarperCollins Childrens Books has acquired two further installments of Ian Whybrows childrens series Meerkat Madness. Harriet Wilson, HC Childrens Books editorial director, bought world rights including TV, film and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble's third-quarter results for the period ended January 29 shows the dilemma faced by companies making the transition from print to digital. In the case of B&N, while its fastest growth is tied to the sale of ebooks and Nook digital readers, its most profitable business... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 15:41 Yale University Press has bought UK rights to a title exploring the WikiLeaks controversy and its repercussions, and will be pushing to publish in March. Politics, economics and current affairs editor Phoebe Clapham... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 25/02/2011 - 08:40 Gordon Willoughby, Amazon's director of the Kindle in Europe, is to address London Book Fair's digital conference to be held on the eve of this year's fair. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 24/02/2011 - 09:39 Weidenfeld & Nicolson has bought rights to an illustrated memoir by actress Joanna Lumley, which will be published this autumn. Michael Dover, Orion's outgoing non-fiction editorial in chief bought world rights from Anthony... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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