Steam now tells gamers up front that they're buying a license, not a game

Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart that purchases on its storefront are only for a license and not a game, according to a notice spotted by Engadget. It looks like an attempt by the company to get ahead of a new California law coming next year that forces companies to admit that buyers don't actually own digital content.  When you open your shopping cart with items inside and before going to payment, a notice at the bottom right states: "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam." This is the first time our editors have seen of a notice like this (and we use Steam a lot), so it appears to be relatively new.  Engadget Last month California governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2426 into law, forcing digital marketplaces to make it clear to customers when they only purchase a license to access media. It will not apply to permanent offline downloads, only digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows or ebooks from an online storefront. Companies that fail to comply could face fines for false advertising if they don't explain in clear language the limitations of a given digital purchase. The law followed situations like Ubisoft deleting The Crew from player's libraries after the game's servers shuttered. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/steam-now-tells-gamers-up-front-that-theyre-buying-a-license-not-a-game-085106522.html?src=rss Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-10-11 08:51:06 UTC ]
News tagged with: #clear language #tells gamers #started posting #shopping cart #digital content #items inside #access media #digital copies #video games #tv shows #face fines #false advertising #ubisoft deleting #servers shuttered #libraries #ebooks

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Bantam buys Geek Manifesto

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 08:31 Bantam Press has acquired a title about how it's hip to be square, The Geek Manifesto by the science editor for the Times. Susanna Wadeson bought UK and Commonwealth rights to the title by Mark Henderson through Georgina... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebury buys Sue Johnston memoir

Publication Date: Fri, 25/03/2011 - 12:00 Ebury Press is to publish the memoir of "The Royle Family" and "Brookside" actress Sue Johnston. Editorial director Charlotte Cole acquired world rights to Things I Couldn't Tell My Mother from Jan Thornton at Ken McReddie. The title will be published... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Winning Game: 2010 Hardcovers: Facts & Figures 2011

What's new in the hardcover fiction bestsellers of 2010? Very little. Almost every author in the fiction top 30 has been on these charts in previous years—most several times. The sole exception is the #1 fiction bestseller, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, with sales of 1.9 million. Stieg... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder buys dystopian trilogy

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Mon, 21/03/2011 - 08:52 Hodder has acquired a crossover dystopian trilogy from Gemma Malley, whose The Declaration trilogy was published by Bloomsbury. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HC buys Shan's digital backlist rights

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Mon, 21/03/2011 - 08:53 HarperCollins is to publish Darren Shan's backlist as ebooks, having concluded a deal with the Christopher Little Agency for the digital rights. Shan has been published in print by HarperCollins Children's Books for a decade... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dennis Buys Bimonthly Trivia Magazine Mental Floss

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstone's parent buys stake in 'social bookselling' website

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins buys more Meerkat Madness

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yale latest to buy Wikileaks title

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W&N buys Joanna Lumley memoir

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Usborne buys Gym Stars series

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HC buys children's trilogy

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atwood takes stage at TOC and tells publishers to keep feeding their authors

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pitfalls of E-Book Buying: What to Look Out for Before You Purchase

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[ PC World | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus buys feisty cake cookbook

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins buys Paul Merson memoir

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Children's Books creates new licensing wing

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House buys book on BP oil crisis

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two buys for Allfrey at Granta

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst To Buy Lagardere Magazine, Digital Units for $889 Million

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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