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 ]
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What Axel Springer’s loss in ad-blocking suit means for UK publishers

Axel Springer and ad blocking company Eyeo have clashed in several court battles. Most recently, the German publisher was handed a slight victory; the ad block company cannot accept a fee from the publisher to be on its acceptable ads initiative. This is encouraging for U.K. publishers; however,... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU referendum: trade reacts

Trade figures, including J K Rowling, Malorie Blackman and Jamie Byng, took to Twitter to react to the decision to leave the EU. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Pays Publishers Over $50 Million to Start Using Live Video

Company signs over $50 million in deals with 140 companies and celebrities for Facebook Live content. The post Facebook Pays Publishers Over $50 Million to Start Using Live Video appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ian McEwan urges UK to 'remain and reform' EU

Atonement author Ian McEwan has warned a vote to leave the European Union would set into motion "a dangerous unravelling" and urged the UK to "remain and reform". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU referendum 2016: where does publishing stand?

Britain will vote this week on whether to remain in or leave the European Union, but what does the book trade think? Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple to begin paying Arizonans $8.6M for ebook settlement

Arizonans who purchased ebooks from Apple Inc., will receive their cut from a price-fixing settlement over the price of ebooks, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Arizonans will see a total of $8.6 million out of a $400 million settlement. Customers who bought ebooks from... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Owen Jones to discuss publishing pay and conditions at Unite event

Author, Guardian columnist and political activist Owen Jones is speaking at "United, We Publish", an evening debate hosted by Unite and BookMachine focused on pay and conditions in the UK publishing industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crime Pays in the UK: Could It Have to do With the Setting?

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From paying the bills, to £2,000 a day: making a killing from self-publishing

Her Last Tomorrow, Adam Croft’s latest DIY thriller, lifted his bedroom business into the sales stratosphere. He talks about paying off his mortgage in weeks and why he’s fine with publishers being ‘sniffy’“Could you murder your wife to save your daughter?” That’s the hook for a novel that has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Making Information Pay: Is Privacy Becoming a Commodity?

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Content Next reports recommendations for reaching the ad-blocking audience

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[ Digiday | 2016-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Turkey’s President Erdogan Fails to Silence German Publisher

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday in Ankara. The Turkish president has tried to silence his critics at home and abroad. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How The Independent plans to pay for its journalism as a digital-only player

The Independent spends £250,000 a day to fund its journalism, and is bullish about maintaining those standards in its future as a digital-only publisher. While print ad revenues have hardly been a safety net for any newspaper publisher for some time, carving out commercial differentiation in the... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Louisiana Judge Blocks Online Age-Verification Law

In issuing a preliminary injunction, judge Brian Jackson ruled that the law “creates a chilling effect on free speech.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2016: Hachette CEO Presses Chinese Publishers, Blasts EU Copyright Proposals

Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry said defeating the European Commission's copyright proposals should be the IPA's "number one" goal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Live video service sees company paying news publishers

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[ The Guardian | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Will Pay Publishers to Livestream Video in New Hub

Facebook has created a video hub that will roll out in the coming weeks for its flagship mobile app. According to a TechCrunch story, a button for the hub will receive prominent placement in the Facebook app and often highlight live video—though it will offer recorded clips as well.   ... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nat Geo Appoints Six: People on the Move | 3.30.16

National Geographic Partners expands digital team, Marie Claire names an associate publisher, and more... The post Nat Geo Appoints Six: People on the Move | 3.30.16 appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Festivals: Paying Authors, Selling Books, Building Readership

Many Canadian literary festivals match or exceed the Canada Council rate of CAD$250 for an author appearance. Fests are flourishing, coast to coast. The post Canadian Festivals: Paying Authors, Selling Books, Building Readership appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NFL rule changes include the elimination of chop blocks, longer extra points

Chop blocks are history, longer extra-point kicks are permanent, and the definition of a horse-collar tackle has been expanded. Those were among the changes to NFL rules adopted by teams Tuesday on the second full day of the league’s three-day annual meetings. See more of our top stories on... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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