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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B&N to buy back Pearson's Nook shares

Barnes & Noble is to buy back the stake Pearson acquired in its Nook Media business for $27.7m in cash and stock, ahead of a split of the business in 2015, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The split follows that of B&N and Microsoft earlier this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury buys Osprey

Bloomsbury has acquired Osprey Publishing Ltd from private equity company Alcuin Capital Partners for £4.6m. Bloomsbury paid £3.2m in cash, and issued shares to the value of £1.4m to make the purchase, and will situate the business within Bloomsbury’s Special Interest Publishing, a part of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Licensing Hotline: December 23

Downtown Bookworks has secured the rights to Secret Millionaires Club, a financial literacy-themed online and TV series starring an animated Warren Buffett. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Buys Out Pearson's Nook Stake

Barnes & Noble has reached an agreement with Pearson to buy out the publisher’s stake in Nook Media for $13.7 million in cash plus 602,927 shares of B&N common stock. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA tells Treasury 'scrap business rates altogether'

The Booksellers Association has called for the scrapping of business rates altogether for small businesses in a meeting in the House of Commons. Tim Godfray, c.e.o of The Booksellers Association, said in a speech to the all-party parliamentary small shops group that The BA and the British... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ALM Buys Kennedy Consulting, Branches Out From Legal Market

 ALM, formerly known as American Lawyer Media, is the largest B2B publisher in the legal market, but it's branching out with its latest acquisition. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2014-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Top 10 Articles on Rights and Licensing of 2014

In 2014, Publishing Perspectives covered rights and licensing around globe from Beijing to Serbia, from digital to self-publishing. Here are our top 10 rights articles of the year. The post Top 10 Articles on Rights and Licensing of 2014 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google 'experimenting with buy button'

Google is looking to experiment with a "buy now" button that would allow browsers to shop directly through the search engine, without having to visit a retailer's own website. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the search giant is seeking to compete directly with Amazon, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trinity University Press Buys Maverick Publishing

Trinity University Press has acquired the assets of Maverick Publishing. The purchase includes over 40 titles which will form the basis of a new Trinity imprint, Maverick Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Telling people how to remove DRM isn't illegal

We all know that it's against the law to sell copyrighted material, but is it also illegal to tell people about software that can strip DRM off ebooks without the intention to distribute? New York Judge Denise Cote has recently ruled that it's not. .. Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can Proper Licensing Help Solve Piracy Problems?

Two UK rights experts argue that physical book piracy is often due to lack of availability — so, the more content that can be licensed the better. The post Can Proper Licensing Help Solve Piracy Problems? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sphere buys Little Coffee Shop sequel

Sphere has acquired two more novels from Deborah Rodriguez, including a sequel to her debut, The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. Catherine Burke, publisher at Sphere fiction, bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Australia New Zealand and Canada, to the novels from Lizzy Kremer of David... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Parragon signs Matt Hatter licensing deal

Parragon is publishing a series of books based on the "Matt Hatter Chronicles" brand, after signing a licensing deal with Platinum Films. Under the terms of the deal, Parragon will publish colouring, sticker, activity and story books in the UK, Australia and South Africa in 2015. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ecco Buys Debut Novel 'The Nest' for Seven Figures

In a seven figure deal, Ecco has acquired world English rights to Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's debut novel, 'The Nest' about, as HC put it, a "wonderfully dysfunctional" family. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dealing with Debt: Christian Books Tell How to Avoid It, Eliminate It

The latest statistics show an increase in U.S. consumer borrowing. While more spending can indicate increased confidence in the economy, new books from Christian publishers address the risks of too much debt, which can cause both emotional and spiritual stress. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Panelists Tell Religion Scholars How to Get Published

At the recent annual meeting of religion scholars in San Diego, publishing professionals gave aspiring academic authors cold-eyed advice on how to--and how not to--get published. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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H&S buys Celtic Britain tale

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired a “captivating, full-blooded" debut set in Celtic Britain. Editor Emily Kitchin bought British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada and Australia New Zealand, to Skin and its sequel by Ilka Tampke from Sarah Lutyens at Lutyens and Rubinstein on behalf of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mexican Kids Bookseller Tells of Struggle for Survival

The owner of the award-winning Catarina Marina bookstore discusses the day-to-day struggle of selling books to children in Mexico. The post Mexican Kids Bookseller Tells of Struggle for Survival appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus buys Ilex

Hachette's Octopus Publishing Group has bought Lewes-based illustrated reference publisher Ilex. Ilex will become an imprint of Octopus, with its titles distributed from the LBS warehouse at Littlehampton. Ilex founder and publisher Alastair Campbell is retiring, but there will be no other... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blake Society urges support for 'Jerusalem' cottage buy

The Blake Society is asking people to donate funds via text to help buy the cottage William Blake lived in, as it races to meet a deadline later this week. Blake’s cottage in Felpham, on the Sussex coast, is the location where he wrote the words for the hymn "Jerusalem". The charity has been... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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