Case Against Valve In Germany May Lead To Used Game Sales on Steam

Germany should still be paying war reparations.

Germany should still be paying war reparations.

uninspiredcup

Pretty sure they are.

A used digital game makes no sense. The idea of it being sued is that someone already used it and wore it down passed the brand new original pristine condition.

A Digital game gets no wear and tear

seanmcloughlin

[QUOTE="RR360DD"][QUOTE="faizan_faizan"]

:lol: Americans.

faizan_faizan

racist

SO much ignorance, I love steam but this should happen, it's far form impossible, just sell your serial key for each game, it would work perfectly. 

Eddie-Vedder

The only way this would work is if it worked similarly to the way the trading card system currently works. I doubt they would let people write offtheir games for cheap, as it would create to much competition on their own platform, which would also hurt the devs (which might then turn against the service in general). Steam would have to have control of the pricing, as well as take a huge cut of what you make off of the sale. Why would ANYONE buy a digital copy of a game "new" when you can buy it "used" from someone else?

[QUOTE="Eddie-Vedder"]

SO much ignorance, I love steam but this should happen, it's far form impossible, just sell your serial key for each game, it would work perfectly. 

MajorPain10

Steam has to deactivate the serial and allow it to be reactivated on another account, that's pretty much it.

[QUOTE="heeweesRus"][QUOTE="RR360DD"]lolgermany loleuropeclyde46

[QUOTE="clyde46"][QUOTE="heeweesRus"]lol europoorRoOodriGowW

This is going places. 

It won´t lead to anything. Used sales are imposible in digital format. Period.

Even if they succeed in Germany (very small chance), it won´t be applied worldwide.

Besides, didn´t German court dismiss before other similar cases from the same activist group ? I have heard that this is not their 1st attempt in fabricating a case.

jhonMalcovich

Yes they did, but last year The European Court of Justice ruled that digitally distributed software can be resold as used. The Court ruled that a copyright holder loses all distribution rights the moment it sells a copy of its software to the customer no matter what the license agreement says. 

Source

[QUOTE="RR360DD"]lolgermany loleuropeheeweesRus

That's coming from a Russian. :lol:

[QUOTE="heeweesRus"][QUOTE="RR360DD"]lolgermany loleuropeSchnabbleTab

That's coming from a Russian. :lol:

[QUOTE="percech"]

Germany > Murrica. Smarter people, better technology, and better human rights.

blue_hazy_basic

Anyways this is not a place to discuss politics people.

I've lived in Both Germany and the United States and I know for a fact that Germany has better human rights than the US. A friend of mine hasn't been to a dentist for over 5 years because he can't affordt it, in Germany no matter how poor someone is, they can always see a doctor/dentist/lawyer etc.

[QUOTE="SchnabbleTab"]

[QUOTE="heeweesRus"]lol europoorheeweesRus

That's coming from a Russian. :lol:

Sure, why not.

 

Digital reselling would destroy PC Software industry faster than global worldwide piracy. it would be super great for the consumer, but it would be disastrous for publishers and developers to the point they would completely cease making digital content. Or they would just price it 5 times as expensive.

 

jhonMalcovich

It's this type of thinking that is eroding the games industry.  Having a game available used HELPS the games industry, because it makes the product more appealing.  If you know that you won't be married to a game after you buy it, you are more likely to make the initial purchase.   It's the same thing in principle as the car industry.  Do you honestly think that the car industry would benefit from an outright ban on used car sales?  Are video games immune from this type of thinking?  Why?

[QUOTE="faizan_faizan"]

[QUOTE="RR360DD"]lolgermany loleuropeRR360DD

:lol: Americans.

You forgot lolcanada.

If we could freely trade, and sell our digital games to other people over Steam then I'm pretty certain that would do a drastic amount of damage to the PC gaming industry.

There is absolutely no wear, and tear done to a digital copy when I use it, nor are there any shipping fees, or other obstacles to go through to get my game to someone else as there is with a retail version.

Maybe you could trade a game back in to Valve/developer for a credit towards a future game purchase, or something, but I don't know about outright having a used games market on the PC with the current system.

Ly_the_Fairy

I definitely sympathize with this argument.  A digital used game is technically possible but has a lot of differences with stuff we normally consider to be "used".  

A fair compromise would be to allow publishers to get some percentage of cost of re-sale.  If the games industry is smart they will push for this type of system.

[QUOTE="uninspiredcup"]

Germany should still be paying war reparations.

GD1551

Pretty sure they are.

I think they paid them off a couple years ago.

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

[QUOTE="uninspiredcup"]

Germany should still be paying war reparations.

JangoWuzHere

Pretty sure they are.

I think they paid them off a couple years ago.

Nah it's still going on, it's called operation bailout the EU.

[QUOTE="percech"]

Germany > Murrica. Smarter people, better technology, and better human rights.

ReadingRainbow4

And textbooks that completely glance over world war 2. lol.

You mean America? Because Germanies textbooks are full of WW2 stuff, they're not hiding their past like some other countries here.

Even though I want it there is a problem with this.

Unlike physical goods, trading digital data is so much easier. You can sell your game to someone in China for example in an instant. That means the same game will go in a hundred hands easily.

Plus unlike physical goods they don't wear down and deteriorate the more they're used.

Without any sort of regulations this will hurt developers, more than trading discs. 

I'm sure it's already been said but if they allow people to sell their digital games on Steam then goodbye Steam sales, it just means that anyone could buy a game during the sale for dirt cheap, then sell it off after the sale ends for more.

I'm sure it's already been said but if they allow people to sell their digital games on Steam then goodbye Steam sales, it just means that anyone could buy a game during the sale for dirt cheap, then sell it off after the sale ends for more.

EtherealMachine

People do that all the time, instead of selling it on Steam they sell it on Amazon and E-bay.

[QUOTE="parkurtommo"]

That would be dificult to organize.

NationProtector

[QUOTE="XboxStache"]

Europe sucks. 

parkurtommo

[QUOTE="MajorPain10"]

[QUOTE="Eddie-Vedder"]

SO much ignorance, I love steam but this should happen, it's far form impossible, just sell your serial key for each game, it would work perfectly. 

GD1551

Steam has to deactivate the serial and allow it to be reactivated on another account, that's pretty much it.

[QUOTE="AzatiS"]Germany making Europe a mess the last 5 years or so ... Why not mess up with video gaming and digital shopping as well ?!! They are used to do such things.percech

And guess what? These bailouts Germany gave completly broke those countries you mentioned due to borrowing costs.

However I do like the idea of used sales in steam

It won´t lead to anything. Used sales are imposible in digital format. Period.

Even if they succeed in Germany (very small chance), it won´t be applied worldwide.

Besides, didn´t German court dismiss before other similar cases from the same activist group ? I have heard that this is not their 1st attempt in fabricating a case.

jhonMalcovich

That would be dificult to organize.

parkurtommo

It won´t lead to anything. Used sales are imposible in digital format. Period.

Even if they succeed in Germany (very small chance), it won´t be applied worldwide.

Besides, didn´t German court dismiss before other similar cases from the same activist group ? I have heard that this is not their 1st attempt in fabricating a case.

jhonMalcovich

lolgermany loleuropeRR360DD

Yeh , screw them and their consumer rights , who needs mandatory 2 year warranty's or rights to sell what you paid for .

They should be lubed up like you guys !

Not !

if it exists, there's a lawsuit for it

The biggest issue here is companies will lose money which in turn will kill the major steam sales many love. If you can buy a game for the price it cost to rent why would you even want to sell it?wooooode

How would that work for games that use third party applications like GFWL, Uplay, EA, etc.? Would the seller be forced to sell those accounts along with the game? Some games probably won't give you 100% of the entire game unless you purchase the game new (not including multiplayer).

Without regarding consumer rights and whatnot for a second, if this goes through, I feel like that future Steam sales will be indefinitely stricter, even though it shouldn't. Since money is involved, something may change. It's nice that people would have more freedom to do what they want with the games, but I don't want it to affect future sales. I like my "$10 for an entire game franchise" bundles.

[QUOTE="ReadingRainbow4"]

[QUOTE="percech"]

Germany > Murrica. Smarter people, better technology, and better human rights.

SchnabbleTab

And textbooks that completely glance over world war 2. lol.

You mean America? Because Germanies textbooks are full of WW2 stuff, they're not hiding their past like some other countries here.

[QUOTE="LazySloth718"]

Licenses and use-rights are bought and sold on open markets all the time.

You're not buying the game, you're buying a right to play the game.

blue_hazy_basic

If Rome 2 is going for 39.99, but players are selling their copies for an average of say $25, this would put the publisher at a HUGE disadvantage. So the only difference would be who you want you give your money to, the CA/Sega or Bobdeathmachine2000. Digital trade would otherwise need to be extremely regulated as far as pricing goes between both steam and other storefronts as well as publishers to ensure that the abuse of cheap digital copies from users doesn't add an unnecessary layer of stress in sales. There needs to be some stopper, for example that says, "The minimum amount players can charge for a digital copy of their game must be equivalent to the current price of the game on the market".

If Rome 2 is 39.99, then you could not sell your game for anything less than 39.99

But again, highly finicky.

Steam is pretty good about selling big games for like $3-$10, they seem an odd target to go after. 

Valve won a similar suit last year. This will go nowhere.

There will cease to be steam sales if this goes through, whether that's for the best or worse.GhoX

Valve won a similar suit last year. This will go nowhere.

StormyJoe

[QUOTE="percech"]

Germany > Murrica. Smarter people, better technology, and better human rights.

blue_hazy_basic

Anyways this is not a place to discuss politics people.

At least it gives us Breaking Bad.

It won´t lead to anything. Used sales are imposible in digital format. Period.

Even if they succeed in Germany (very small chance), it won´t be applied worldwide.

Besides, didn´t German court dismiss before other similar cases from the same activist group ? I have heard that this is not their 1st attempt in fabricating a case.

jhonMalcovich

People are idiots.

There should be no re-sale for digital content through Steam, period.  If you cannot afford to pay full price then wait until it is cheap, Steam provides content for ALL budgets.  

To feel you should, by law, be able to re-sell something you don't actually own when you have taken value from the service YOU AGREED TO in the first place is entitlement at it's worst.

Steam provides an advertising platform for developers, it provides a digital locker for you to download your game as many times as you wish and 'store' it on the Steam servers when you don't.  They allow you to install it on as many devices as you wish, play offline and provide a host of features to discuss the game or seek technical support for the game and all in an easy to use platform.  This platform provides integrated chat, friends lists, achievements, cloud synching (save games and settings), integration for modding and so on.

This adds value to your digital purchase, it is why people choose Steam over other services.  To then ask to re-sell the content you probably bought for peanuts anyway is ridiculous.  If you can't afford a few bucks for a game or can't wait a couple of months for it to become a few bucks then you have bigger issues than used game sales/value.

/rant off.

*Edit* Game sharing is different, a very cool idea and would lead to more sales in the long run i'm sure.  

Good. What Valve did was disgraceful and they made it clear they're not any different from all those "big evil corporations"..ie they are willing to screw you ower completely whenever it suits them.