This game is not for resale
Apr 17, 2008 | Filed under Games, Movies, Rants
You remember the music industry, don’t you? The guys who are desperately trying to cling to charging you $17 for a new CD, the ones who sued a twelve year-old? Well, they’re at it again. Universal Music Group has sued a man in California for reselling promotional CDs that go out to radio stations and reviewers. If they win the lawsuit, it could seriously affect your rights as a consumer to resell your CDs, DVDs, or even video games.
This has been around the news for a while, but Joystiq has a Law of the Game column up on why this is so important, and how it could have far-reaching consequences outside of the music industry. Quote from the article after the jump.
So, what does this have to do with games? Perusing the used section in GameStop, you may stumble across a game labeled ‘not for resale.’ Under UMG’s theory, these games would be treated exactly as a promo CD would be. While this is a minor point on a small percentage of product in the market, the potential expansion of a ruling for UMG would include the ability to extend this protectionism to all media, given that the proper language appears on the packaging. Imagine a world where you have no right to re-sell a game you purchase without permission from the publisher.
It’s a good read, and if you’re concerned at all about your rights as a consumer, you should head over and read the full article.
Law of the Game on Joystiq: RIP Consumer Rights
