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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[ Digiday | 2021-12-10 10:02:00 UTC ]
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What on Earth Books launches digital collection

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-06 09:06:53 UTC ]
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Investment Group Led by David Steinberger Buys Open Road

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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You can now buy Mary Shelley’s old address—though you’ll have to bring your own goth.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-01 18:01:36 UTC ]
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Hachette UK buys education publisher John Catt

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-30 16:03:02 UTC ]
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Clock Tower lands YA sci-fi gaming series by Sullivan

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Sode and Antrobus among 17 Black British poets in new digital collection

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-04 18:59:42 UTC ]
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Amy Hennig's new studio is making a game with Marvel

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