Valve fails to get out of paying its EU geo-blocking fine

Valve has failed to convince a court that it didn't infringe EU law by geo-blocking activation keys, according to a new ruling. The company argued that, based on copyright law, publishers had the right to charge different prices for games in different countries. However, the EU General Court confirmed that its geo-blocking actions "infringed EU competition law"and that copyright law didn't apply."Copyright is intended only to ensure for the right holders concerned protection of the right to exploit commercially the marketing or the making available of the protected subject matter, by the grant of licences in return for payment of remuneration," it wrote in a statement. "However, it does not guarantee them the opportunity to demand the highest possible remuneration or to engage in conduct such as to lead to artificial price differences between the partitioned national markets."The original charges centered around activation keys. The commission said Valve and five publishers (Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax) agreed to use geo-blocking so that activation keys sold in some countries — like Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Latvia — would not work in other member states. That would prevent someone in, say, Germany buying a cheaper key in Latvia, where prices are lower. However, doing so violates the EU's Digital Single Market rules, which enforces an open market across the EU. The five developers were given a reduced fine of €7.8 million (over $9.4... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-09-27 12:20:53 UTC ]
News tagged with: #koch media #zenimax agreed #czech republic #member states #germany buying #cheaper key #open market #reduced fine #full €1 #locking keys #region locks #local laws #original €1 #ten days #copyright law

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Carcanet pays tribute to poet John Ashbery

Independent poetry publisher Carcanet Press has paid tribute to poet John Ashbery who has died aged 90. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China's CPG goes public, reveals failed UK acquisition attempt

Chinese publishing giant the China Publishing Group (CPG) has realised an eight-year ambition and taken its publishing wing public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China’s bid to block my journal’s articles is a new attack on academic freedom | Tim Pringle

Cambridge University Press was asked to suppress articles in China Quarterly. It has now resisted, but it is a worrying developmentThe international furore that followed Cambridge University Press’s compliance with “an instruction from a Chinese import agency to block individual articles from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU Publishers: Clean up your cookies or get burned by GDPR

The ticking clock on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) website is a stark warning for digital publishers behind on preparations for the EU’s massive expansion of data privacy rules. The GDPR is coming, and soon but publishers need to reign in the cookies running on their sites if... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU funds £2.5m literary projects in UK

The European Union's cultural funding programme Creative Europe has helped to finance around €2.6m (£2.3m) worth of writing or publishing projects in the UK since it was established in 2014, The Bookseller can reveal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A fine Ciaran Hinds stars in 'The Sea,' which struggles with its literary roots

From the mannered opening sequence of “The Sea” to its anticlimactic conclusion, the movie’s capital-L literary provenance couldn’t be more evident. Though handsomely photographed and featuring a compelling cast, the Ireland-set memory piece — adapted by John Banville from his Man Booker... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How news publisher Attn is getting Instagram to pay off

Attn created a new revenue stream from Instagram, which now accounts for about 10 percent of its overall revenue. The post How news publisher Attn is getting Instagram to pay off appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-06-26 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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Daily Mail refuses to pay journalist for republishing parts of her work

‘There is no copyright in an idea,’ freelance reporter told after complaining that Australian website rewrote her investigations under the bylines of its staffDaily Mail Australia has refused to pay a journalist for republishing parts of her work under its reporters’ bylines, telling her: “There... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Delay to EU progress on ebook VAT

There has been a delay to progress on the planned measure to allow VAT on ebooks to be reduced, after the members of the EU's Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) failed to reach an agreement on the proposals. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook blocks Pulitzer-winning reporter over Malta government exposé

Temporary censorship of Matthew Caruana Galizia – who worked on the Panama Papers – raises concern over Facebook’s power to shape the newsFacebook has censored a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist for publishing a series of posts alleging corruption by the prime minister of Malta and his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers must comply with new data laws to avoid €20m fines

Publishers are being urged to reassess how they process personal data ahead of new European regulations set to come into force in May next year regardless of Brexit. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson shareholders overwhelmingly reject Fallon's £1.5m pay

Pearson shareholders have rejected chief executive John Fallon's £1.5m pay package at the company's a.g.m. today.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson shareholders reject chief executive's £1.5m pay package

Investors’ revolt against deal for John Fallon comes after educational publisher reports largest annual loss in its historyMore than six out of 10 Pearson shareholders have voted against the £1.5m pay package awarded to the embattled chief executive, John Fallon, after the educational publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson: two-thirds of shareholders reject pay package

Two-thirds of investors in the loss-making education publisher vote against John Fallon's pay rise. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: BookExpo’s ‘First Amendment Resistance’; EU Research Looks at VAT on Ebooks

Publishers' responsibilities with 'controversial authors professing what seem to be unpopular opinion' at BEA, while Brussels gets some perspective on VAT. The post Industry Notes: BookExpo’s ‘First Amendment Resistance’; EU Research Looks at VAT on Ebooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Podcast: Bonnier’s Semande Agosa on the duopoly, ad blocking, fake news

We sit down with with Semande Agosa,Head of Programmatic and Strategic Partnerships at Bonnier Corporation to discuss some major trends in the media space. From the duopoly to fake news we tackled the trends that had mouths moving at the Digiday Publishing Summit. Sponsored content by GumGum The... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LSU: Elsevier Is Blocking Campus IP Addresses, Dodging Lawsuit

LSU has filed a lawsuit against Elsevier, claiming the publisher is wrongly blocking students in its veterinary school from accessing the library’s Elsevier subscriptions. Elsevier officials, meanwhile, are characterizing the contract dispute as a negotiation, and say they hope to settle it... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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United Airlines' policy changes include paying bumped passengers up to $10,000

United Airlines will offer up to $10,000 when a traveler voluntarily gives up a seat on an oversold flight, part of a policy overhaul following the passenger-yanking video seen around the world. The Chicago-based carrier is adopting 10 policy changes in response to the outcry over the April 9... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Brit crime fiction is paying international dividends

After the Scandi noir boom, dark tales from British authors are making waves abroad. Publishers, agents and authors take up the caseWhen ex-paramedic Daniel Cole signed with agent Sue Armstrong, he was “delighted”. When Armstrong bagged him a six-figure, three-book deal from a British publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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