German Organization Sues Steam for Game Resale Policy
The Federation of German Consumer Organization (VZBV), a non-governmental, umbrella organization for 41 German consumer groups, is suing Valve over the Steam EULA, which prevents customers from reselling digital games.
Essentially, VZBV's issue with Valve is the fact that Steam ties keys to users, meaning users only partially own their games. "If I pay the full price for a game, then why am I not allowed to do with it what I want?" stated VZBV project manager Carola Elbright.
The VZBV warned Valve back in September and was asked to change the company's policy. Valve ignored the warning, hence why the VZBV is now taking legal action against the developer.
Valve, which apparently has yet to receive notice of the complaint, seems rather unconcerned. "[W]e understand the complaint is somehow regarding the transferability of Steam accounts, despite the fact that this issue has already been ruled upon favorably to Valve in a prior case between Valve and the VZBV by the German supreme court. For now, we are continuing to extend the Steam services to gamers in Germany and around the world," stated Valve director of marketing Doug Lombardi.
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Catherine Cai was a freelance news writer for Tom's Hardware. She covered a variety of tech industry news, ranging from PC components to PC and console gaming.