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 ]

Other news stories related to: "Steam now tells gamers up front that they're buying a license, not a game"

Brooklyn Library Offers Access to Banned eBooks to Teens Across the U.S.

The UnBanned Books initiative will give anyone in the U.S. between 13-21 a free eCard, giving them access to frequently challenged ebooks. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-04-13 16:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Authors and Booksellers Mobilize for Midterm Voters

Writers for Democratic Action, an organization of some 2,600 authors, is mobilizing its membership in a campaign called Book the Vote. WDA will facilitate nonpartisan voter registration for the 2022 midterm election, working with authors, bookstores, and libraries to educate voters about their... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Blackstone Ends Library Embargo

Nearly three years after it first announced a 90-day embargo to libraries on its newly published audio titles, Blackstone Publishing this week announced that it is changing course. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

In California, you can borrow state park passes from your local library.

Because we can never resist adding another line item to the eternal ledger of what we owe libraries: Californians can now use their library cards to get free entry into state parks! The three-year pilot program will give libraries (including mobile libraries) at least three passes to California... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-08 15:54:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Congress to Hold Hearing on Book Bannings in Schools and Libraries

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, plans to hold a hearing April 7 to examine the wave of attempted book bannings in schools and libraries across the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

ALA Releases Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021

ALA kicked off National Library Week with the release of its annual State of America's Libraries report, and its "Top 10 Most Challenged Books" list. The 729 challenges tracked by ALA in 2021 represent the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling its list 20 years ago,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Lonely Planet Blends Print, QR Codes in New Experience Guidebooks

Lonely Planet has launched a set of travel guides featuring “pull-out city maps, gatefold maps, and QR codes to unlock additional digital content from the Lonely Planet website.” Guides to Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, and Scotland roll out this spring. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Mixed Results for Libraries in Biden Administration’s 2023 Budget Proposal

A rite of spring, the White House budget proposal officially kicks off the congressional appropriations cycle each fiscal year. And this year, library advocates have their work cut out for them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

New York City Libraries End Late Fees, and the Treasures Roll In

The decision in New York City set off a wave of returns, accompanied by bashful notes of apology and gratitude. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-03-31 14:46:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Maia Kobabe on Fighting to Reach Marginalized Readers

At Slate, Maia Kobabe discusses writing Gender Queer, a memoir about self-acceptance and understanding, which has been challenged in schools and libraries across the country in recent months. “What I’m learning is that a book challenge is like a community attacking itself,” Kobabe says. “The... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2022-03-30 20:30:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Timbuktu manuscripts placed online are only a sliver of West Africa's ancient archive

Opening these libraries up promises to re-balance the continent’s place in world history when it comes to its intellectual life. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-03-29 16:12:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Play in the Elementary School Library

Libraries can provide joy and relief by offering a chance to play. Here are some of my favorite ways to include play in the school library. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-03-28 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Do libraries need social workers on staff? Some librarians say yes

As London Public Library in southwestern Ontario commits to adding a full-time addiction and mental health specialist to its staff, experts say more social work training and support is exactly what urban libraries need. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-03-16 19:33:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Ukrainian libraries, serving as bomb shelters, continue to prove that libraries are our best hope.

In March 2020, I happened to be working at a library for the first time (shoutout to my friends at BPL), and got to witness up-close how quickly the staff pivoted their services to respond to the pandemic: shifting programming online and expanding their virtual presence; starting a delivery... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-03-09 19:43:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Brisbane floods: pondering the wisdom of placing our major galleries, libraries and theatres on the banks of a flood-prone river

Prone to flooding, by the 1970s Brisbane’s South Bank was largely undeveloped open space. It is now home to Queensland’s major cultural institutions. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-03-02 05:39:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Q&A with Andrew Pettegree, author of ‘The Library: A Fragile History’

Andrew Pettegree, co-author of “The Library: A Fragile History,” discusses the centuries-long development of libraries as a civic necessity. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-02-24 18:26:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Will your games work on the Steam Deck? This official tool tells you

Valve’s portable PC gaming machine, the Steam Deck, is gaining a lot of attention as its official release date draws near. But between its Linux-based Steam OS operating system and its power-efficient AMD parts, players could be forgiven for wondering which high-powered games can actually run... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-02-23 17:14:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Hidden Knowledge: Secret and Mysterious Libraries Around the World

A look at secretive libraries and hidden repositories of books around the world, and how people came to discover them. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-02-21 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Charlie Brooker: ‘Mr Dystopia? That makes me sound like a wrestler’

As he releases the latest fruits of his new megabucks deal with Netflix – an interactive cartoon about a cat – the Black Mirror creator discusses gaming, nuclear war, and why his generation has wrecked the UKCharlie Brooker is sitting at a desk, a big cardboard box in the background, miscellany... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-02-21 06:00:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this