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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From using your local library and supporting independent bookshops, to borrowing virtuallyMany websites offer ebooks and audiobooks at no cost. Project Gutenberg lists more than 67,000 out-of-copyright titles which can be read online or downloaded in a wide range of formats. Similarly, Librivox... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-31 07:00:45 UTC ]
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Fast-growing digital media company Sinuate Media is pivoting its business model with pre-packaged marketing platforms to help small companies compete with bigger fish. Sinuate CEO and founder Leah Messina told Business First that the knowledge needed to use digital marketing tools has increased... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2022-01-27 23:14:12 UTC ]
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The final 2021 report from the Association of American Publishers shows December up 2.8 percent over December 2020, at US$1.1 billion. The post AAP StatShot: The United States’ Publishing Industry Gained 12.2 Percent in 2021 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-26 16:01:07 UTC ]
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United States Artists, a Chicago-based arts funding organization, announced that six writers are included in this year's slate of 63 USA Fellows, each of whom is receiving an unrestricted $50,000 award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In an overcrowded market with the proliferation of streaming platforms alongside the traditional broadcaster, creating content based on previous IP is an ever-growing trend (see today’s news piece on Netflix). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-26 02:33:21 UTC ]
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Hachette UK has bought Paperblanks, described as the world’s second largest publisher of premium notebooks, journals and diaries, as part of its strategy to expand its portfolio of adjunct businesses. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-18 09:38:10 UTC ]
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The publishing industry is booming. According to Publishers Weekly, sales of print books rose 8.9% in 2021, selling 825.7 million units, up from 757.9 million in 2020. This is the second year in a row to see a similar sales jump; in 2020, sales were up 8.2% from 2019, in which 693.7 million... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-12 19:07:42 UTC ]
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Catholic publisher Loyola moves its Chicago offices closer to O’Hare International Airport as it beefs up its audio, video, and other multimedia product offerings. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Leading library service provider OverDrive this week reported that a total of 121 public libraries and consortia across seven countries and from 37 U.S. states surpassed one million digital lends in 2021, a significant jump from 2020, when 102 libraries hit the mark. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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PC gaming Giant Take-Two has announced that it's making a big move into mobile gaming with the acquisition of Zynga for a total price of approximately $12.7 billion. Take-Two already owns Rockstar Games, Codemasters and 2K, producing games like Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Bioshock and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-10 13:17:58 UTC ]
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Acquisition of 2016 startup and its 1.2 million subscribers puts newspaper on target for 10 million paid subscriptions The New York Times has agreed to buy subscription-based sports site the Athletic for $550m (£400m) in cash, as the 170-year-old newspaper adds more digital content to grab... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-06 23:27:19 UTC ]
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The Athletic, which quickly came to prominence for publishing exclusive reporting and high-quality sports journalism, is getting a new owner. As first reported by The Information, The New York Times has agreed to buy the subscription-based digital media company for $550 million. The deal is... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-06 17:05:15 UTC ]
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Audiobook giant RBmedia has acquired leading German publisher ABOD and is making it's first foray into the German-language market under the new brand RBmedia Verlag. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 13:45:12 UTC ]
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In exceeding more than 500 million annual lends for the first time, OverDrive's 2021 figures suggest the pandemic has, as librarians have suggested, raised demand for digital content in public libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Redu, Belgium, was for decades a destination for book lovers. But now more than half of its bookstores have closed. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-26 14:43:23 UTC ]
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With modern consoles offering gamers graphics so photorealistic that they blur the line between CGI and reality, it's easy forget just how cartoonishly blocky they were in the 8-bit era. In his new book, Creating Q*Bert and Other Classic Arcade Games, legendary game designer and programmer... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-12-25 16:30:11 UTC ]
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Have you ever looked at your mouse and thought "it's fine, but kind of a big fat waste of space?" Gaming accessory company XPG apparently did, because it's just unveiled a concept mouse for CES 2022 with a built-in high-speed SSD drive stuffed inside, Digital Trends has reported. The XPG Vault... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-12-24 21:00:55 UTC ]
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The owners of Welsh independent bookshop Book-ish are celebrating after completing the purchase of their premises with help from a crowdfunder backed by the trade. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-23 07:20:40 UTC ]
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U.K-based Bloomsbury Publishing has expanded its presence in the U.S. with the acquisition of the academic and reference publisher ABC-CLIO for a purchase price of $22.3 million. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO had sales of $14.7 million in 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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