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658

Sony Reminds PS Users They Don't Own Digital Games (games.gg)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

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The relevant section is blunt. "The Software is licensed to you, not sold," the EULA states. "You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and personal license to play or use the Software for your private, non-commercial use on the system or device it was intended for."

The terms also restrict renting, modifying, or obtaining games through unauthorised means. Nothing in there is new, technically. Sony's EULA has always said this. The timing is what makes it land differently right now.

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[–] SnoringEarthworm@piefed.ca 216 points 5 days ago (34 children)

Don't buy PlayStation, got it.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 43 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (32 children)

It's in the EULA for every piece of software, including physical.

If it wasn't, then buying a single copy would legally allow you to sell an infinite amount of copies.

Because that's what actually owning software means.

And video games are software.

PlayStation:

The Software is licensed to you, not sold

Windows 95:

The software product is licensed, not sold

https://www.scribd.com/document/478767349/Windows-95-License-Agreement

I know it's a joke no one ever read them...

But you all really never knew this?

Edit:

Don't make me wheel out the 1980s CRT TV for the class...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up863eQKGUI

There's always been freeware and shareware (yes, they're different) but if you as an individual paid money for software at any point, you've never owned it.

Businesses can't even justify the expense of "owning" basic stuff like Microsoft Office and collectively spend billions. "Owning" software is fucking expensive, and usually means you coded it.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If it wasn't, then buying a single copy would legally allow you to sell an infinite amount of copies.

Because that's what actually owning software means.

This. Is. A. FUCKING. Lie.

If I buy and own a physical copy of a book. I am not then entitled to set up a printing press and sell my own word-for-word copies of said book. Same applies to ownership of digital goods.

If I go to GOG and buy a DRM free game (aka I would then own that copy) I still wouldn't have the legal right to distribute copies to other people.

That's because copyright laws exist, and they apply to both situations I described. Shame on you for mindlessly repeating industry lies.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca -1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Never ever owned software. Even physical disks has something like buying this gives you a license to use this software. Great examples is movies. It gave you a license for private viewing only. Showing a movie you had a copy if to a group of people technically broke that.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

You're an idiot. You didn't address anything I said

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