Steam now tells gamers up front that they're buying a license, not a game

[John Elden Ring]

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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.

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.

Source

 

[TrishaCat]

Again, a step in the right direction, but we really should be codifying into law everywhere that digital purchases result in you owning a copy of the software. The European Union has already done this.

I'm glad Valve is being proactive about this, at least. Usually you have to drag a company by their feet

 

[Savagefrogdemon]

I mean if you have any old music cd lying around go read the small print on the box it says something very similar you have purchased a license to play an artists music.

 

[TrishaCat]

I mean if you have any old music cd lying around go read the small print on the box it says something very similar you have purchased a license to play an artists music.

yeah but no one's going to come by and physically stop you from ripping the discs or playing the music on it
no one can take it away

 

[ethomaz]

Again, a step in the right direction, but we really should be codifying into law everywhere that digital purchases result in you owning a copy of the software. The European Union has already done this.

I'm glad Valve is being proactive about this, at least. Usually you have to drag a company by their feet

Actually you don't own a copy of the software... you own a license to use the software.
Seems like semantics.

But when you download a free software you can use it because the license allow it (the license allow you to use it without pay anything).
Same for cloud enterprise software... in that case the license is brought per user... so you have 10 user licenses that allow 10 user accounts to use that software.

Unless you are the creator/owner of the software no software in the world allow you to own a copy of software... after all it is the license you own that says if you can copy and distribute the software yourself... not the software.

Edit- Reading Union European site they use the term licence instead copy of software too... they words are like "the license allow you download and use a copy of the software".
What they ruled in 2012 is "An author of software cannot oppose the resale of his ‘used’ licences allowing the use of his programs downloaded from the internet. The exclusive right of distribution of a copy of a computer program covered by such a licence is exhausted on its first sale."

https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2012-07/cp120094en.pdf

So you can resale the license you own from a software to another party.

I understand the terms"own a copy of software" but that doesn't mean you can use it... it just mean you have a copy of the binaries in your computer that not actually allow you to use it... the license is what allow you to use it.
That is why when you download a copy of game pirated... you indeed own that copy of the software but not the license to use it... it is illegal in Europe.
If you don't own a license to use that copy of the software you can't use it.

 

[TrishaCat]

Actually you don't own a copy of the software... you own a license to use the software.
Seems like semantics.

But when you download a free software you can use it because the license allow it (the license allow you to use it without pay anything).
Same for cloud enterprise software... in that case the license is brought per user... so you have 10 user licenses that allow 10 user accounts to use that software.

Unless you are the creator/owner of the software no software in the world allow you to own a copy of software... after all it is the license you own that says if you can copy and distribute the software yourself... not the software.

Edit- Reading Union European site they use the term licence instead copy of software too... they words are like "the license allow you download and use a copy of the software".
What they ruled in 2012 is "An author of software cannot oppose the resale of his ‘used’ licences allowing the use of his programs downloaded from the internet. The exclusive right of distribution of a copy of a computer program covered by such a licence is exhausted on its first sale."

https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2012-07/cp120094en.pdf

So you can resale the license you own from a software to another party.

I feel the wording in this article is very important, because while the main issue of the law was resale of a license, they use some very interesting wording

By its judgment delivered today, the Court explains that the principle of exhaustion of the
distribution right applies not only where the copyright holder markets copies of his
software on a material medium (CD-ROM or DVD) but also where he distributes them by
means of downloads from his website.
Where the copyright holder makes available to his customer a copy – tangible or intangible
– and at the same time concludes, in return form payment of a fee, a licence agreement
granting the customer the right to use that copy for an unlimited period, that rightholder
sells the copy to the customer and thus exhausts his exclusive distribution right. Such a
transaction involves a transfer of the right of ownership of the copy. Therefore, even if the licence
agreement prohibits a further transfer, the rightholder can no longer oppose the resale of
that copy.

Such a transaction involves a transfer of the right of ownership of the copy.

 

[Bryank75]

I would like PlayStation to be able to tell us that we are buying a copy of a game and nobody can take it away... At least when it is physical.

I think the disc drive sales have shown the appetite for physical media on PlayStation.

 

[Savagefrogdemon]

most ps5 disc based games are just unlock codes to download and install the digital files and even if the full game is on the disc it still needs patch updates to play the latest builds.

 

[Bryank75]

most ps5 disc based games are just unlock codes to download and install the digital files and even if the full game is on the disc it still needs patch updates to play the latest builds.

Most games? I wouldn't say so...

Some games are... COD for instance would be a big example but most games are playable off the disc.

 

[Savagefrogdemon]

Most games? I wouldn't say so...

Some games are... COD for instance would be a big example but most games are playable off the disc.

The file sizes are getting to large for physical storage simple as that 100 gig plus games with 20 gig patches it's not going to be viable for much longer to release games on disc. gta6 is supposedly a 300 gig game that's not getting a physical release no chance.

 

[Bryank75]

The file sizes are getting to large for physical storage simple as that 100 gig plus games with 20 gig patches it's not going to be viable for much longer to release games on disc. gta6 is supposedly a 300 gig game that's not getting a physical release no chance.

They have multiplayer and multiple discs with only one being needed to actually play the game and others just being for loading.

It's less of an issue than the physical gaming haters make it out to be.

I don't know why some want to kill physical so much. It's an amazing option that only offers more choice and competition.

 

[Savagefrogdemon]

Lots of reasons why it's expensive to manufacture and print discs and then you have all these government regulations that are putting top down pressure on companies to reduce plastic and oil usage.

 

[Old Gamer]

most ps5 disc based games are just unlock codes to download and install the digital files and even if the full game is on the disc it still needs patch updates to play the latest builds.

This is a lie. You can keep a PS5 offline and install and play single player offline games from disc.

This isn't like xbox where a network outage can block you from playing single player games you installed ages ago.

 

[Old Gamer]

Lots of reasons why it's expensive to manufacture and print discs and then you have all these government regulations that are putting top down pressure on companies to reduce plastic and oil usage.

Rubbish. Blu-rays are very low cost to produce in bulk nowadays.

But you know, the upkeep of servers that your digital only costumers depend on to access the content they do not own and can lose access to at any given moment probably is cheaper than that.

 

[Johnic]

most ps5 disc based games are just unlock codes to download and install the digital files and even if the full game is on the disc it still needs patch updates to play the latest builds.

Not true at all.

Does It Play has a great list of all games playable on PS5 without a day one patch. Spoiler: it's the vast majority of them.

 

[ethomaz]

most ps5 disc based games are just unlock codes to download and install the digital files and even if the full game is on the disc it still needs patch updates to play the latest builds.

Some 3rd-party devs... yes... most games not.
You can play most games without any download at all on PS5... of course you will lose updates and/or added post launch content.

Plus... you can remove a PS5 directly from the box without ever plugigng internet and these physical games will run normally (except multiplayer/online games of course).

 

[R4tion4l Sk3pt1c]

They have multiplayer and multiple discs with only one being needed to actually play the game and others just being for loading.

It's less of an issue than the physical gaming haters make it out to be.

I don't know why some want to kill physical so much. It's an amazing option that only offers more choice and competition.

Here in the U.S stores like BestBuy are slowly getting rid of their Physical media from their shelves won't b to long until other stores like Walmart and Target follow suit and GameStop is slowly going bankrupt so the only place to be able to buy Physical copies of games would be Amazon Limited Run Games or PlayAsia but at the point I don't think most AAA game publishers would even bother releasing physical. Also a decent amount of games require a day 1 update/patch so if you have no internet the disc is basically a paper weight

 

[Bryank75]

Here in the U.S stores like BestBuy are slowly getting rid of their Physical media from their shelves won't b to long until other stores like Walmart and Target follow suit and GameStop is slowly going bankrupt so the only place to be able to buy Physical copies of games would be Amazon Limited Run Games or PlayAsia but at the point I don't think most AAA game publishers would even bother releasing physical. Also a decent amount of games require a day 1 update/patch so if you have no internet the disc is basically a paper weight

Well I hope it doesn't go that way completely because it's a huge part of gaming culture, especially for many core gamers.