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It's been over a year since I first covered the EU legal ruling that companies were required to allow their customers to resell digital software purchases and here in mid-2013, we're not really much closer to making that a reality. However, now Valve, one of the biggest opponents of the ruling, is set for a day in court after a German consumer advocacy group announced it had filed a claim against the Steam platform owner.
The group is called Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (VZBV) and it tackles everything from food labelling issues, to adverts aimed at children, but in this instance it's going after Vavle, for its outright refusal to recognise the European ruling.
I think we've all got alot of games we don't play any more
As of yet, there is no trial date set, but the group hopes it will take place some time this year. Even with the threat of a court day looming though, it isn't expecting Valve to make any brash changes to its policies.
“But our chance to win the process is very good and that will be really an improvement for consumers: then they can sell their games to others,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
KitGuru Says: It would certainly change the digital gaming environment if Valve was forced to allow Steam users to sell on their digital games. It would probably make a lot of money from it too, if it took a cut alongside the original developers. [Thanks GameOn]
I have to disagree here, personally i think that’s its awesome that Valve won’t let us resell our games, yes even i have games that I’ve bought and don’t like or have completed and won’t play again but that’s what you get when you buy games from Steam. I see Steam as a application where you buy a game and it’s there for you to keep, you won’t ever lose them (unless you lose you’re account details and or steam account completely) and if you ever want to go back to them you can.
If steam starts losing money from game resales, (theres only so much you can tax to make a system feasible) the sales disappear. simple as.
I don’t mind not buying peoples licenses to games, because if I really want the game, I’ll buy it from the store or wait for a sale.
@Rappellz … As much as I agree its handy ‘having the game for keeps’ (unless Valve unfairly bans you therefore losing multiplayer access to said game if its multiplayer) I have to disagree that its ‘awesome’ Valve is ignoring the ruling. If you want to keep games thats fine you have perfectly every right to do so. But what about people that would like to trade off / sell their games they don’t play anymore? Chances are they will spend that money again on steam probably even the exact same day they sell the game. Overall if Valve can incorporate a good reliable system for it it could be hugely beneficial for them money wise. For example you sell off a game for £5 and end up buying even a £20 game same day or within a day or two. Whats wrong with that for Valves wallet? Times that buy several hundred even and it all adds up.
Valve could care less about EU (or any country that isn’t America) quite honestly as far as I’ve always been able to see. What I don’t get though and in honesty I haven’t read about this ‘ruling’ before is how they can blatantly ignore it (for EU customers specifically)?