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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[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-09 03:04:25 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Europa Buys ‘Shadowplay’ US rights; S&S UK Hires Back Clare Hey

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-08-09 01:30:08 UTC ]
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HQ buys 'inspiring' breast cancer novel from Lloyd in four-way auction

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-07 16:11:51 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph to publish Game of Thrones Guide with HBO

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-06 21:50:07 UTC ]
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Cisco names Dentsu's Isobar its digital marketing innovation agency of record

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[ Advertising Age | 2019-08-06 18:07:06 UTC ]
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PRH Grupo Editorial buys La Campana to boost Catalan presence

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-05 16:55:41 UTC ]
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Amazon Kindle Oasis Review: Now Is the Perfect Time to Buy an E-Reader

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[ The New York Times | 2019-08-01 09:03:32 UTC ]
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Spain’s Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Buys Catalan La Campana Llibres

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-07-31 01:20:33 UTC ]
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Penguin Press buys Italian designer's 'colour bible'

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-29 13:33:53 UTC ]
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HarperCollins' new digital imprint nets first adult title from Reekles

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-25 16:36:10 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-25 00:17:13 UTC ]
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[ AdWeek | 2019-07-23 17:51:26 UTC ]
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Should your Digital Content be ADA Accessible?

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San Diego Comic-Con 2019: Comixology Originals, IDW Buys Sunday Press

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Pearson breaks from print with 'digital first' policy for US titles

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State will allow Charter Communications to stay in New York

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[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-07-12 11:59:24 UTC ]
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New York state will allow Charter Communications to stay

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