Digital Ownership?
- Thread starter Larrs888
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Associate
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I'd certainly welcome that. I've got a lot of games as parts of bundles that i have no interest in playing so would be great if i could pass them on.
Completed the survey for you 
I agree Mav above though, it doesn't consider those that don't want to (or haven't ever) buy digital and assumes they have done/do.
Also it seems a little biased on the side of ownership imo.
Still it's a very interesting idea, good luck with your project! Perhaps come back afterward with a little conclusion and some of the results?
I agree Mav above though, it doesn't consider those that don't want to (or haven't ever) buy digital and assumes they have done/do.
Also it seems a little biased on the side of ownership imo.
Still it's a very interesting idea, good luck with your project! Perhaps come back afterward with a little conclusion and some of the results?
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Highly interesting and incredibly relevant topic.
Done.
Done.
no. in theory you could move the installed game files out of the steam directory and replace the exe file with a cracked one. then uninstall steam. but aside from that
I think Oracle VS UsedSoft was the European test case. Its the judgement of that case that lead to the German Consumer Group to take Valve/Steam to the EU courts.
Oracle lost the case and the judgement was:
Basically in the case of Steam, it says that you own that piece of digital software and you have the rights to resell. The purchaser then has the right to download and own that software. European law also doesn't recognise EULAs, even if you have to click "I agree to the terms". They're not worth the paper they're written on.
I'm looking forward to this German Valve/Steam case.
Soldato
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Done.
The EU is right that we should own what we purchase.
At first, without any knowledge going into it, I happily assumed that any Steam, IPhone, Kindle etc purchases were my own. To find out that I am apparently forking out the same (or thereabouts) for a physical copy and one day have to give it back was quite a shock
I don't understand under what idea they think their stance was acceptable other than "we'll chance it and hopefully no one will catch on." When it is all overturned and we own what we purchase as we should do that will be a good step forward.
in your survey have you even considered that ppl might not even want to download digital content ??
I hate the idea of what I pay for I don't own, and can disappear from online ?
Just a view
Yeah I was considering putting that in but if you said I don't buy digital products then the survey would end by the third question. It is mainly designed to provoke a response from those that do use digital products. Your opinion is no doubt shared by many and in some ways I personally prefer something tangible depending on the price I pay. It is sure something I'll be discussing at the interview stage.
I'm conscious some people may be wondering about the other side of the coin, the publishers and developers. This survey is designed with consumers in mind, after all they are the ones purchasing the products and how they are treated is always important. If you treat them badly enough then perhaps they will take their business elsewhere if possible. I do like some of the initiatives Steam and other distributers are doing, added value in addition to the core content, more ownership might eliminate summer sales and cloud backups etc, these are all interesting areas.
Companies need to protect their intellectual property rights, combat piracy and stay in business. This research will hopefully enable me to devise a solution that might appease both parties, consumers and publishers. I do feel that the piracy card is over played somewhat and publishers could look at other ways to protect their brand and offer value to legally paying customers without the need for DRM and other anti-consumer practices.
Thanks again to all that are participating. The topic is starting to really kick off and companies like ReDigi and Green Man Gaming are already starting to offer a used digital marketplace of sorts. I'll continue to bump this thread and maintain discussion for the duration that my survey is open (2 weeks) and then ask the mods to close the thread.
The EU is right that we should own what we purchase.
At first, without any knowledge going into it, I happily assumed that any Steam, IPhone, Kindle etc purchases were my own. To find out that I am apparently forking out the same (or thereabouts) for a physical copy and one day have to give it back was quite a shock
I don't understand under what idea they think their stance was acceptable other than "we'll chance it and hopefully no one will catch on." When it is all overturned and we own what we purchase as we should do that will be a good step forward.
At the moment there is a huge grey area. You are allowed to re-sell your license to something but there is also no law to state that digital distributers need to facilitate this transfer some how. Consumer law needs to catch up with current practices of selling goods to consumers. (EU)
ReDigi has lost their law suits in the USA due to copyright infringement. When reselling a digital purchase you can not transfer it as you would a physical item. If I give you a book then I no longer have it, if I give you an e-book then the digital data is actual being duplicated, even if I delete my original copy. If this copying is not sanctioned by the copyright holder then technically it is breaching copyright law.
Interesting stuff!
Completed the survey for you
I agree Mav above though, it doesn't consider those that don't want to (or haven't ever) buy digital and assumes they have done/do.
Also it seems a little biased on the side of ownership imo.
Still it's a very interesting idea, good luck with your project! Perhaps come back afterward with a little conclusion and some of the results?
Yeah I'm aware it is a little biased, this is only one part of my research aimed with the consumer in mind. People may not actually be aware of their position with their digital purchases. I will have a large part of this project looking at copyright law, digital rights management and business models of digital distributors. More ownership might increase prices, impact developers, open up more piracy and so fourth.
I'd be happy to share some more thought when I complete this project.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/07/22/ps4-dev-thrashes-gamestops-business-model
i know its about PS4 but also deals with used games. Whilst i'm a fully paid up member of the "right to resell" club i appreciate what devs and the content creators are saying....
You have places like gamestop/game/cex who have no part in the creation process of a product (which can take years and cost a lot of money) but like vultures they basically get free money (i'm exaggerrating a tad
) buy buying your used copy then selling it for a higher price..usually a few quid less than the AS NEW price....but heres the kicker...with games there isnt any difference between NEW and USED (apart from included dlc, or online code etc but the actual game doesnt deteriorate) But i guess if the business model was working then places like GAME wouldnt go bust right?
i know its about PS4 but also deals with used games. Whilst i'm a fully paid up member of the "right to resell" club i appreciate what devs and the content creators are saying....
You have places like gamestop/game/cex who have no part in the creation process of a product (which can take years and cost a lot of money) but like vultures they basically get free money (i'm exaggerrating a tad
) buy buying your used copy then selling it for a higher price..usually a few quid less than the AS NEW price....but heres the kicker...with games there isnt any difference between NEW and USED (apart from included dlc, or online code etc but the actual game doesnt deteriorate) But i guess if the business model was working then places like GAME wouldnt go bust right?