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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Penguin Random House is buying Simon & Schuster. That’s bad for readers.

For book lovers, the announcement may feel like background noise, but the ramifications are huge. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-25 12:57:10 UTC ]
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PRH owner Bertelsmann to buy Simon & Schuster in $2.2bn deal

PRH owner Bertelsmann is to buy Simon & Schuster from ViacomCBS for $2.2bn, it has been announced. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-25 12:40:42 UTC ]
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Future swoops to buy GoCompare

Magazine publisher says acquisition will strengthen its content and ecommerce offer. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2020-11-25 09:46:45 UTC ]
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The Hugo Awards will have a video game category in 2021

For the first time in its storied history, the Hugo Awards will honor a video game. The annual literary award has avoided recognizing the medium for years, but present circumstances being what they are, it will make an exception at the next World Sci... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-11-23 22:04:25 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed is Buying HuffPost

Once they had digital media almost to themselves. Now, in a deal led by the BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti, two giants of the web plan to join forces to better compete in an increasingly crowded field. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-11-19 22:55:35 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed to buy HuffPost from Verizon in latest digital media deal

As part of the deal, Verizon is acquiring a minority stake in BuzzFeed, which will use the telecom giant’s ad platform to reach more customers. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2020-11-19 19:16:51 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed agrees to buy HuffPost in latest online media merger

Acquisition unites two of the largest players in digital mediaNews comes after both companies made deep cutsBuzzFeed has agreed to buy HuffPost the companies said Thursday, uniting two of the largest players in digital media in the latest example of consolidation in the sector.The acquisition is... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-19 18:56:11 UTC ]
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News Corp CEO Sees Antitrust Concerns in PRH Buy of S&S

Robert Thomson, CEO of HarperCollins parent company News Corp, said during the company's annual meeting that a purchase of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House "will clearly be a serious antitrust issue." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier buys majority stake in Norway's Strawberry Publishing

Bonnier Books has acquired a majority stake in Norwegian publishing group Strawberry Publishing AS. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-19 01:57:40 UTC ]
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A Trump Memoir Would Sell. Will Publishers Buy It?

Some publishing executives worry their authors and staff might rebel, but they say their bigger concern would be ensuring the book’s accuracy. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-11-18 10:19:13 UTC ]
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Embrace streaming to stay relevant, Tellander tells publishers

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-18 09:52:56 UTC ]
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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'

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-17 03:40:20 UTC ]
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Booming audiobook market can accommodate new entrants, Bar-Kar tells FutureBook

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-16 19:16:13 UTC ]
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Chronicle Books acquires three game brands from Wild and Wolf

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

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[ 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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10 Manga Like THE GAMER To Read After Catching Up With The Series

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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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