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Ubisoft's new DRM

well, I'm guessing that if the software is not legally yours, it follows that you are not permitted to sell it.
you merely purchase the right to use the software, and i think that's non-transferable.
well that's the impression i get from the eula anyway - i'm not a legal expert and there might be consumer rights that supersede this and allow the sale of the license.

I'd argue that the physical disc is my "license" to play the game :rolleyes:
Also, EULA's mean ****.
 
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I think in Germany EULAs don't count. You have to have already bought and opened the game before you even get to see it and at that point you can't return it anymore so the little I Agree checkbox is worthless. You'd have to agree at the checkout in the shop when you buy the game, not at home when the disc is already in your drive.

Online activation might be different because they sometimes print that on the back of the box so you had a chance to decide whether you want that before you buy the game. If it restricts your ability to sell on the game there could be other forces in play though.

I remember a good while ago Windows was only sold with PCs and it was illegal to sell your copy to someone else. Consumers complained in court and MS had to change this because selling stuff second hand is apparently a consumer right that also applies to software and that corporations can't just step on. At least that's what I remember from this and it might only apply in Germany. Not sure. As I said, it's been a while.
Maybe that's also when software companies started the whole "we're only selling you a license" crap so they could circumvent complaints like that. I'm not a legal expert. I wouldn't know.
 
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I remember a good while ago Windows was only sold with PCs and it was illegal to sell your copy to someone else. Consumers complained in court and MS had to change this because selling stuff second hand is apparently a consumer right that also applies to software and that corporations can't just step on. At least that's what I remember from this and it might only apply in Germany. Not sure. As I said, it's been a while.
Maybe that's also when software companies started the whole "we're only selling you a license" crap so they could circumvent complaints like that. I'm not a legal expert. I wouldn't know.

Well that explains Project $10 and all that crap. I was always curious why they didn't just add some more BS to the EULA about not reselling. Nows I know.....
 
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well, I'm guessing that if the software is not legally yours, it follows that you are not permitted to sell it.
you merely purchase the right to use the software, and i think that's non-transferable.
well that's the impression i get from the eula anyway - i'm not a legal expert and there might be consumer rights that supersede this and allow the sale of the license.

anyways, it does seem like this system of online actiation where the cd-key is checked and then perminantly associated with an account (a bit like steam on a game by game basis) is designed more to combat the 2nd hand market than the pirates.
there's a lot of games where this applies now i think- mass effect , far cry 2, spore - a lot of Ubi and EA stuff basically.
Unless you also recieve the account information a second hand copy is useless.
however some games are less harsh with only the mp componant affected.

I was wondering if this was the case with Ubi's World in conflict?
I'm pretty sure that, like supreme commander, online mp will be unavailable if the copy has already been regestered to an account (and you don't have the details)


Depends entirely on your country. Principle of First Sale is pretty well enshrined in Common Law, although countries that practice Code Law might have issues with it.
 
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Depends entirely on your country. Principle of First Sale is pretty well enshrined in Common Law, although countries that practice Code Law might have issues with it.

well if the law does dictate that a company loses control over something once it's been sold, and this applies to software, then really i should be able to transfer any individual game on my steam account to another account, be it by sale or gift whatever - am i right?

because of course now, unless you can arrange this with steam which i doubt, this cannot be done.
 
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well if the law does dictate that a company loses control over something once it's been sold, and this applies to software, then really i should be able to transfer any individual game on my steam account to another account, be it by sale or gift whatever - am i right?

because of course now, unless you can arrange this with steam which i doubt, this cannot be done.




I don't know that anyone's tested the issue yet, legally, with Steam. But the law is pretty thoroughly settled in the US.

Some examples:


Microsoft v Zamos

Vernor v. Autodesk


Softman v Adobe
 
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this is a good a place as any to say ubisoft are pea-brained morons.

why can't these dicks settle on 1 account login to play their games online?
Ubi.com accounts, gamespy accounts, massgate ( admittedly inhereted form sierra for WiC).
often your gamespy id won't log on with password errors, accounts not found- even though you have just proved it's fine by logging in to gamespy directly on another pc.
Or it won't recognise your UBi account of all things, that works fine on another UBI game.

Some games even wont let you log on until the game's patched, cos it shipped without this working. I mean, holes in maps, sound glitches, mp exploits, save game errors - these are the kinda thing you expect to be fixed in patches. Little things that were missed before the deadline.
Not the whole f*ckin multiplayer.
 
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well phaps get ready for Valve v Dogbadger because i want to transfer my copy of team fortress 2 to my son's steam account so he can use it without preventing me playing RO/KF/whatever.


That would be interesting to be able to sell your games or gift them on steam. With some added saftey measures to ensure a hacked account cant dump all of the games to another account. ( ie a wait time before transfer goes through ).

Imagine how many people would dump their second hand copy of a ****ty game underselling the steam value... hehe :D
 
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It's yet another step forward in the direction of killing the already dying PC community.

A game that is "purchased" should be a tangible product you can use without having to connect to the internet to use.

Quite simply this is growing absolutely ridiculous.

It seems that in the next five years or so, the PC gaming community will likely be gone.

Definitely a plus for Indie PC game developers. *Cough* Minecraft *Cough*
 
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