Steam Now Tells Gamers Up Front That They're Buying a License, Not a Game
The company appears to be getting ahead of a California law going into force next year.
Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart. This notice informs users that purchases on its storefront are 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. This law forces companies to admit that buyers do not 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 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. This law forces 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 do not explain in clear language the limitations of a given digital purchase. The law followed situations like Ubisoft deleting The Crew from players' libraries after the game's servers shut down.
Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart. This notice informs users that purchases on its storefront are 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. This law forces companies to admit that buyers do not 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 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. This law forces 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 do not explain in clear language the limitations of a given digital purchase. The law followed situations like Ubisoft deleting The Crew from players' libraries after the game's servers shut down.