Why your digital games could vanish in a heartbeat

News that GOG.com has delisted 29 games this month is a sobering reminder that at any moment the games you own could vanish from your PC game libraries at any time and there’s not much you can do about it. Admittedly, GOG’s games include titles that many gamers may not have heard about. But history has shown that this happens to well-known titles too and on platforms with millions of users like Steam and Origin. So how is it that something you’ve legitimately bought can be whipped away in a heartbeat? Don’t we have consumer protection laws against that? Personally, I’d like to see protections in place to keep games from disappearing for purely licensing reasons if they still have legions of fans and are being played by many… How is it that my games can just vanish? The laws around your digital assets will differ depending on where in the world you live, but in most jurisdictions there are no clear laws stating that you unequivocally own and have the right to your digital games in perpetuity. In the U.S. the Federal Trade Commission outlines some of the reasons why this is the case. By far the main reason has to do with the terms of the agreement you make when you create an account on a gaming platform or when you click purchase. When you buy a game on a digital platform, you’re essentially just paying to access the content — in other words, you own a license but not the actual game. Accessing content is not the same as owning it. It means that... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2024-09-26 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Pan Mac launches Compass for digital backlist

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 27/06/2011 - 08:48 Pan Macmillan has launched a new imprint to bring backlist titles to readers as digital editions or print on demand titles. Macmillan Compass will be managed by fiction publisher Jeremy Trevathan and digital director Sara... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House revives romance imprint as digital exclusive

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zinio Partners with Recorded Books for Digital Mags in Libraries

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Makinson confident as publishers face digital "flux"

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 16:00 Territorial rights are "obsolete", and contribute to the erosion of publishers' margins, but publishing remains an "intimate" business that would not be improved if local nuances are not respected, delegates at Publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J K Rowling prepares to take Harry Potter digital with Pottermore

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital surge fails to affect B&N bottom line

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editors "need digital vision" for their books

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Media Week | 2011-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Mac digital sales worth 8% in first quarter

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pluto "deeply worried" over vanished author

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cornerstone releases Slaughter digital first

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury launches new digital imprint for out of print titles

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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