Valve has updated the store Steamwhich now clearly warns you at the time of payment that the one you are purchasing is the granting of a license for a game and a service and not the product itself. A clear concept already for many users, but not all.
More specifically, when you add games to your cart and proceed to checkout, you will see a box on the right (find an example in the image below), which reads: “The purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam“, with an attached link to the Steam subscription agreement, where it is explained that the “Contents and Services are licensed, not sold. The license does not convey to the Subscriber any title or ownership of the Contents and Services”.
Soon the other stores will also have to adapt
The reason for this update is a law recently passed by the state of California aimed at protecting consumers and against misleading advertising which requires digital stores to clearly indicate when the contents purchased on a digital store are only a license to use. It doesn’t just apply to video games, but also music, films, TV series and ebooks.
Valve moved forward a few months, given that the law will come into force on January 1, 2025. As a result, soon also other digital stores such as PlayStation Store, eShop, Xbox Store and Epic Games Store will have to present similar notices specifying the impermanence of what you are purchasing and the limited rights you obtain with the license granted.
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