Steam is informing its users that they don’t fully own the games they purchase, as a new California law on digital content ownership looms. The law, taking effect next year, aims to bring transparency to digital marketplaces by clarifying that users are buying licenses, not permanent ownership of games on such platforms.
Steam, the largest digital gaming distribution platform, has begun notifying users that their digital purchases are licenses to access content, not the content itself. This move comes ahead of a California law requiring companies to clearly communicate the nature of digital purchases after several incidents where users lost access to content.
Under the law, terms like “buy” or “purchase” can only be used if consumers are granted permanent access to the product. Otherwise, companies must clarify that the purchase is for a license that can be revoked.
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The law follows high-profile cases involving Ubisoft and Sony, where users lost access to purchased games and TV shows due to server shutdowns or content removal from platforms. Critics argue that this raises questions about the ethics of pirating digital content, considering users don’t actually own the material they pay for.
Steam’s compliance with the new law signals a broader industry shift in how digital content is sold and marketed, sparking debate about consumer rights and potential pushback.
Tags: California, Digital Media, Digital Ownership, Digital trade, Gavin Newsom, Physical Media, Steam, Valve
[Jack Aylmer]
A MAJOR SHIFT IS IN PLACE FOR HOW YOU OWN… OR DON’T OWN… YOUR DIGITAL PURCHASES. A NEW CALIFORNIA LAW IS MAKING WAVES IN THE GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES, CLARIFYING WHAT YOU’RE REALLY PAYING FOR WHEN YOU BUY A VIDEO GAME OR TV SHOW ONLINE. IT TURNS OUT, YOU MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY OWN THAT CONTENT AT ALL.
STEAM, THE WORLD’S LARGEST GAMING MARKETPLACE, STARTED ALERTING USERS THAT WHEN THEY BUY A DIGITAL PRODUCT, THEY’RE REALLY PURCHASING A LICENSE… NOT THE GAME ITSELF. THIS WARNING IS POPPING UP JUST AHEAD OF A CALIFORNIA LAW SET TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT YEAR, AIMED AT DIGITAL MARKETPLACES. THE LAW REQUIRES COMPANIES TO CLEARLY EXPLAIN THAT USERS ARE BUYING ACCESS, NOT FULL OWNERSHIP.
THE LAW CAME AFTER MULTIPLE INCIDENTS WHERE USERS LOST ACCESS TO THEIR PURCHASED CONTENT. FOR EXAMPLE, PUBLISHER UBISOFT RECENTLY REMOVED GAMES FROM PLAYERS’ LIBRARIES AFTER SERVERS SHUT DOWN. AND SONY MADE HEADLINES WHEN THEY PULLED DISCOVERY TELEVISION CONTENT FROM PLAYSTATION PLATFORMS, LEAVING BUYERS UNABLE TO WATCH SHOWS THEY HAD PAID FOR.
UNDER THE NEW LAW, COMPANIES CAN NO LONGER USE TERMS LIKE ‘BUY’ OR ‘PURCHASE’ UNLESS CONSUMERS ARE GETTING PERMANENT ACCESS. INSTEAD, THEY MUST INFORM YOU THAT YOU’RE BUYING A LICENSE, WHICH CAN BE REVOKED AT ANY TIME.
BUT THIS NEW CLARITY IS STIRRING UP A FAMILIAR DEBATE: IF BUYING DIGITAL CONTENT ISN’T THE SAME AS OWNING IT, THEN IS PIRATING REALLY STEALING? SOME CRITICS ARE POINTING OUT THE IRONY: IF COMPANIES CAN TAKE AWAY ACCESS TO CONTENT YOU THOUGHT YOU OWNED, HOW CAN THEY CLAIM THAT PIRATING IS A FORM OF THEFT?
THIS LAW IS ALREADY RESHAPING HOW DIGITAL CONTENT IS BOUGHT AND SOLD. STEAM’S EARLY COMPLIANCE SHOWS THE INDUSTRY IS BRACING FOR MORE SCRUTINY, AND POSSIBLY… MORE CONSUMER PUSHBACK.
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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M JACK AYLMER.
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