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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The Divided States of Hysteria's cover should never have been printed | Kieran Shiach

Image Comics is only the latest publisher to withdraw tasteless material. All publishers must sharpen their editorial oversight to pre-empt such scandalsA cartoon of a lynched Pakistani man hanging with mutilated genitals and a racial slur on his name tag might seem obviously incendiary, and to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Curtis Brown buys Ed Victor Ltd

Curtis Brown has bought Ed Victor Ltd, following the passing of agent Ed Victor. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingram buys Book Network International

US-based Ingram Content Group has acquired UK distributor Book Network International Limited from the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Suspects leap from the board as classic game Cluedo turned into a comic book

When Paul Allor began writing Clue, a new comic book miniseries based on the popular board game from Hasbro, he had many versions of the game to look to for inspiration. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2017

Welcome to the 12th annual report on the India-based digital publishing solutions industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2017: A Time to Embrace Uncertainties and Inconsistencies

The digital solutions industry is very much a product of its time. Its end consumers—especially those who tote mobile devices and demand information on the go—are the ones whose changing preferences have created such disruptive companies as Airbnb, GoFundMe, Snapchat, and Uber. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2017: Tracking the Shifts in the Newspaper and Magazine Industry

In developed nations, print newspapers are under siege with fairly steep decline in circulation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2017: AuthorCafe, a Single-URL Authoring Platform

An online and collaborative authoring and publishing services platform, AuthorCafe, a TNQ start-up, has been in public beta since January 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2017: Complex Projects Uncovered

Pressing deadlines, tight budgets, and complex requirements are just some of the usual issues digital solutions providers have to face as they move from sketchy project briefs to error-free deliverables. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingram Buys NBN's International Divsion

Ingram Publisher Services has acquired NBNi, the U.K.-based arm of the U.S. distributor National Book Network. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2017: Math Production Made Easy

In the rapidly growing book and journal industry, STM publishing plays a key role in helping scientists and authors communicate their research results and innovations to the society. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Audience Network Added a Rewarded Video Option for Game Publishers

Facebook Wednesday introduced an ad format for its Facebook Audience Network mobile ad network designed specifically for game publishers. The social network said in a blog post that McKinsey projects ad spending by the gaming sector to reach $6.9 billion by 2019, adding that research from game... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘There’s nothing to be ashamed about’: How publishers approach buying traffic through Facebook

Publishers said they buy traffic through Facebook to fill insertion orders, promote new products and make money through arbitrage. The post ‘There’s nothing to be ashamed about’: How publishers approach buying traffic through Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ainley buys two novels with 'international focus' for Borough Press

The Borough Press has acquired two novels with an "international focus": The Nine-Chambered Heart by Indian author Janice Pariat and Stephen Florida by Publishers Weekly fiction reviews editor Gabe Habash. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Microsoft will pay you $5 to buy an ebook -- even if your selection costs less than that

As the owner of a Kindle, I normally get all my ebooks from Amazon. It is a great experience, as not only can I read the book on my e-reader, but thanks to the Kindle app, my smartphone and tablet too. Quite frankly, I never considered getting an electronic book anywhere else. If you are a... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edtech: Russian Publisher Prosveshcheniye Announces a Digital Educational Platform

In a bid to build a comprehensive digital educational content platform for Russia, the publisher Prosveshcheniye creates a partnership with Yandex. The post Edtech: Russian Publisher Prosveshcheniye Announces a Digital Educational Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Frankfurt’s CONTEC Mexico: Digital Under Discussion

Those in digital publishing in Mexico say things are looking up somewhat, despite slow growth and a marketplace still discovering the opportunities. The post At Frankfurt’s CONTEC Mexico: Digital Under Discussion appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Publishers Have Been Slow to Adopt Vertical Video Ads. Is That About to Change?

MediaRadar is a cloud-based intelligence platform which uses data science to give ad sales advice on millions of brands. The company published a trend report on Tuesday, Vertical Video Market Snapshot: Q1 2017, which analyzed the use of vertical video advertising by media properties in the first... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Allen & Unwin buys 'vivid' Crowhurst debut

Allen & Unwin has signed the first book by journalist Anna-Marie Crowhurst in a "major acquisition" which signals a "strong move towards upmarket historical fiction" for the Atlantic Books imprint. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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