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 ]
News tagged with: #game outright #digital services #digital download #explicitly states #digital games #digital storefront #suddenly disappear #gavin newsom #recently signed #digital goods #online storefronts #video games #tv shows #made unavailable #ebooks

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Halls hails Bookshop site as 'game-changer' for indies

New retail website Bookshop.org has been hailed as a “game-changer” by Booksellers Association m.d. Meryl Halls while its founder has said more features are on the way. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-17 09:40:54 UTC ]
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'NYT' Says HC, PRH Top Contenders to Buy S&S

Saying that private equity firms had dropped out of the bidding, the 'New York Times' reported this morning that the country's first and second largest trade publishers—Penguin Random House and HarperCollins, respectively—were now the favorites to acquire Simon & Schuster, the country's... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Transworld buys doctor's memoir of 'unwavering resilience'

Transworld has bought a memoir by Dr Waheed Arian, billed as "the powerful story of a boy who dreamed about helping others, a tale of courage, ambition and unwavering resilience against all odds". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-17 03:40:20 UTC ]
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Chronicle Books acquires three game brands from Wild and Wolf

Chronicle Books, which is distributed in the UK by Abrams & Chronicle Books, has acquired three "signature" Wild and Wolf game and toy brands.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-16 00:22:57 UTC ]
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Chirp Audiobooks Review: Does Chirp Change the Audiobook Game?

What is Chirp? How does it differ from other services like Audible? And, is it worth getting? Learn more in our Chirp audiobooks review! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-11-13 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Presidential Memoirs Are Big Business. Will Anyone Buy Trump's?

Insiders say a book by President Donald Trump could be a tempting proposition for major publishers—but it may not be worth the cost. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Indian move to regulate digital media raises censorship fears

Government will oversee online news, social media and video streaming platformsIndia’s government has ordered that all online news, social media and video streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are to be subject to state regulation, raising fears of increased censorship of digital... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-11 18:02:04 UTC ]
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COVID-19 has hurt physical book sales and helped audio and digital

You would expect the recent coronavirus crisis to have helped digital entertainment, but with reading it is still led by the traditional hardback and softback formats. However, the pandemic is helping to dethrone physical books, as people are more cautious about going out. While paper books... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2020-11-11 10:35:53 UTC ]
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21 new books to buy from your local indie today.

You know what they say: November is the new December! When’s the best time to support your local bookstore and get holiday gifts? Well, there’s no time like the present. (Get it?) (I’m sorry.) (But seriously, support your favorite indie and check out these new books!) * Jonathan Lethem, The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-10 19:44:02 UTC ]
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Why I Went Into Debt to Buy Back the Rights for Two of My Books

Yesterday, I attended a virtual book club where Heavy: An American Memoir was being read. When I clicked the link to join the Zoom, I saw the faces, necks, and shoulders of seven beautiful pixelated Black women from as far west as Las Vegas and as far east as Long Island. I assumed from their... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-10 09:49:30 UTC ]
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‘Help us solve goals that we can’t solve in person’: How Industry Dive soared revenue as B2B budgets migrated to digital

The B2B digital publisher generated $60 million in revenue in 2020, ahead of expectations going into the year. The post ‘Help us solve goals that we can’t solve in person’: How Industry Dive soared revenue as B2B budgets migrated to digital appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-11-10 05:01:23 UTC ]
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The new COVID trend? Apparently, it’s buying rare books.

Ah, tradition! Just as Shakespeare wrote King Lear in quarantine, in this quarantine, rich people are buying copies of King Lear for $10,000,000. While independent bookstores are struggling during COVID—according to the American Booksellers Association, more than one independent bookstore has... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-09 17:44:18 UTC ]
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The 19 best books ‘Fast Company’ staffers read during quarantine—and the indie bookstores where you can buy them

Independent bookstores are hurting as shoppers stay online. Pick up one of our staff picks to support bookstores throughout the U.S. Whether you’re diving into an engrossing period drama, reading up on the history of protests or pandemics, or escaping into a fantastical world, chances are you’ve... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-11-06 16:00:54 UTC ]
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As Covid-19 Cases Surge, PRH Again Extends Temporary E-book, Digital Audio Terms for Libraries, Schools

Penguin Random House executives this week confirmed that the publisher is extending its "temporary" digital license terms for e-books and digital audio in libraries and schools through March 31, 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital publishers hunt for home on connected TV

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[ Digiday | 2020-11-04 05:01:32 UTC ]
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Irish digital children's book festival launches

A digital Irish children's book festival is launching later this month, in association with Dublin's Pavilion Theatre.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-04 03:24:57 UTC ]
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Bertelsmann Buys Quad's Book Printing Plants

In a deal that closed on October 31, Bertelsmann Printing Group USA’s Berryville Graphics division acquired Quad’s book printing plants in Fairfield, Pa., and Martinsburg, W.Va. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt looks to click and collect as lockdown 'game-changer'

Click and collect could be a game-changer for high street booksellers during the second national lockdown, Waterstones m.d. James Daunt has told The Bookseller.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-02 04:27:51 UTC ]
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Can a Video Game Express Modernist Values?

AS AN EXPRESSIVE MEDIUM, video games have a strange way of reducing central concepts of modernist art and theory to basic operational elements. The technical specifications of “point of view” that have preoccupied novelists since the turn of the 20th century are crudely literalized within game... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-31 17:00:02 UTC ]
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HCG buys 'funny, feminist' YA tale from Tuffs

Hachette Children's Group is to publish two books in a "funny, feminist, witchy" YA series from debut author Julia Tuffs. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-30 01:58:02 UTC ]
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