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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See What Percentage of People in Your State Were Affected by Cambridge Analytica

On May 1, Facebook released a state-by-state breakdown of how many people’s profiles were affected by the Cambridge Analytica data spill. Not many people noticed, because it was appended to a post originally published back in April. But on Wednesday, Business Insider pointed out its existence,... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W&N buys Malik on dangerous myths behind status quo

Weidenfeld & Nicolson is to publish We Need New Stories, a "vital" book about dangerous myths that are maintaining the status quo. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blink's 535 buys book on hangovers

Blink Publishing's non-fiction imprint 535 has acquired an exploration of what happens to our bodies when we drink too much by Canadian journalist Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Game of Thrones: HBO orders spinoff prequel pilot

Book author George RR Martin co-created the as-yet-untitled show, one of five potential spinoffs. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2018-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid Financial and Digital Disruption, Print Remains a Powerful Medium for Human Emotion

Far from a nostalgia tour, speakers at the ModMag NY summit celebrate the enduring power of magazines past, present, and future. The post Amid Financial and Digital Disruption, Print Remains a Powerful Medium for Human Emotion appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Salt saved from debt after supporters rally to buy 'just one book'

Independent publisher Salt has raised more than £7,500 after appealing to its supporters to purchase "just one book" to help save the struggling business. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Association Issues Statement on UK VAT for Digital Content

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HQ buys two thrillers from Avon editor Morgan

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Omeda’s Aaron Oberman On Data, the State of Publishing and His Company’s Outlook

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[ Folio Magazine | 2018-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital publishers with Hollywood ambitions adapt to new economics

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[ Digiday | 2018-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Q&A: WSJ’s Membership GM on Why We’re Seeing More Paywalls for Digital Content

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[ AdWeek | 2018-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Magazines Digital Media is launching a 20-person data studio

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[ Digiday | 2018-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Japan gets golden NES Classic dedicated to old anime games

When Nintendo promised to revive the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Editions, we didn't expect the company to do it this way. In celebration of Japanese manga magazine Weekly Jump, Nintendo will release a special gold and red Famicom Mini (NES... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Prima Title Celebrates Women in Gaming

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quartz' about-face on programmatic ads has big implications for digital publishing

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[ Advertising Age | 2018-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US Publishers’ StatShot 2017 Report: Fifth Year of Double-Digit Audiobooks Growth

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Michael Lynton, David Steinberger Buy Arcadia Publishing

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Buys IB Tauris

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cassell buys Cregan-Reid on 'primate change'

Cassell has acquired Primate Change, a "polemical look at how and why the human body has changed since humankind first got up on two feet", by author and academic Vybarr Cregan-Reid. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH buys YA psychosis tale by WriteNow alumna

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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