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Mad Mouse · 08-01-2012, 04:52 PM

Valve Blocks Class Action Lawsuits - News - www.GameInformer.com

Quote:

Valve recently updated its Steam Subscriber Agreement that blocks users from bringing class action lawsuits against the company. Valve joins Sony, Microsoft and other companies where customers can now only bring individual claims against them.
"We considered this change very carefully," Valve explains. "It’s clear to us that in some situations, class actions have real benefits to customers. In far too many cases however, class actions don’t provide any real benefit to users and instead impose unnecessary expense and delay, and are often designed to benefit the class action lawyers who craft and litigate these claims.
"Class actions like these do not benefit us or our communities."

Lucifer Baphomet · 08-01-2012, 04:56 PM

But it doesn't apply outside the US

Chalice Yao · 08-01-2012, 04:58 PM

Yes. No matter what a company writes into their terms and conditions and agreements, it still needs to respect local law as soon as they are registered elsewhere.

Even more amusing is that around here, EULAs are null and void if they don't get presented to you -before- purchase. heh.

Chip Midnight · 08-01-2012, 04:59 PM

I like Valve as a company but the spin they're putting on this decision is just insulting.

Jahar Aabye · 08-01-2012, 10:39 PM

Might have something to do with the Netflix suit.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

Ramen Jedburgh · 08-01-2012, 11:30 PM

My prediction is that this preemptive action against the inevitable fallout of people suddenly not being able to play their games on Windows 8 or 9 in the future as MS moves to a closed appstore environment and Linux port support is slow.

This is my overly complex conspiracy version.

**Joshua Nightshade** · 08-01-2012, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramen Jedburgh

My prediction is that this preemptive action against the inevitable fallout of people suddenly not being able to play their games on Windows 8 or 9 in the future as MS moves to a closed appstore environment and Linux port support is slow.

This is my overly complex conspiracy version.

I don't understand why people just make things up out of thin air. You can still run Windows 3.11 applications under Windows 7, part of Windows' problem is the amount of legacy cruft stuff attached to its operating system twenty years later. No games are going to stop working.

Valve doing this, on the other hand, probably has to do with the same reason behind why all other big companies including Nintendo and Sony have put that clause in their ToSes following recent court decisions on class action lawsuits.

Maggie · 08-01-2012, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chalice Yao

Yes. No matter what a company writes into their terms and conditions and agreements, it still needs to respect local law as soon as they are registered elsewhere.

Even more amusing is that around here, EULAs are null and void if they don't get presented to you -before- purchase. heh.

As far as I know there is no way words in a TOS can block a class action lawsuit. If a judge says that a lawsuit can proceed as class action there is nothing a company can do to prevent it.

**Joshua Nightshade** · 08-01-2012, 11:46 PM

Supreme Court backs AT&T, limits class-action suits - USATODAY.com

Supreme Court Imposes Limits On Class Actions : NPR

Quote:

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed corporations a major victory. By a 5-4 vote, the court ruled Wednesday that companies can enforce contracts that bar consumers and employees from banding together to bring class action suits.

Ever read that long cell phone contract you signed when you enrolled for service? Well, look again. It likely has a provision requiring all disputes to be resolved by arbitration and barring consumers from banding together in a class action. Your credit card agreement, your cable agreement and maybe even your employment agreement have similar clauses.

Many states have ruled such contracts illegal and unenforceable, among them California. In Wednesday's case, a California couple sued on behalf of themselves and others who were charged $30.22 in sales tax for the supposedly free phone they got when signed up for service with AT&T Mobility. If they won, the class could potentially win millions of dollars versus the small amount — possibly only $30.22 — that each person would win in an individual arbitration.

But on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal arbitration law enacted to encourage arbitration trumps the state law, effectively blocking consumers from bringing their claims as a group.

Maggie · 08-01-2012, 11:55 PM

Well that fucking blows.

Tess Whitcroft · 08-02-2012, 12:07 AM

I have several games I bought before this was put in their ToS. Had I known this was going to be forced on me I would not have bought these games. I haven't agreed to this yet nor will I. Does this mean I can no longer play the games I already bought?

Tess

**Void** · 08-02-2012, 01:33 AM

but even that SCOTUS ruling is spotty... it still only applies to laws which categorically preempt arbitration, and laws that govern procedure aren't effected....

it does kill a lot of consumer protection laws that are based on the assumption of being unconscionable without actually demonstrating it though, or only weakly doing so. it would still be possible to get a class action lawsuit through, but it would take a whole hell of a lot more effort, as to be nigh impossible except in the most egregious of circumstances.

@OP
Valve are being disingenuous, they know damn well that any "lack of benefit" is largely on their shoulders and not the community that might bring such an action.

Ramen Jedburgh · 08-02-2012, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tess Whitcroft

I have several games I bought before this was put in their ToS. Had I known this was going to be forced on me I would not have bought these games. I haven't agreed to this yet nor will I. Does this mean I can no longer play the games I already bought?

Tess

Pretty much. I think the old TOS already more or less said you don't really own anything, you just lease/rent it.

Though the core of that is.basically, in the legal world, "own" is a much stronger word than most people mean. If you own something you can modify, resell, copy, whatever you want an item. Owning the game would make piracy legal since you could do whatever you wanted with it.

Mad Mouse · 08-05-2012, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramen Jedburgh

Pretty much. I think the old TOS already more or less said you don't really own anything, you just lease/rent it.

Though the core of that is.basically, in the legal world, "own" is a much stronger word than most people mean. If you own something you can modify, resell, copy, whatever you want an item. Owning the game would make piracy legal since you could do whatever you wanted with it.

Yes, as shown here on Reddit.

Adeon Writer · 08-05-2012, 07:24 AM

Ramen Jedburgh · 08-05-2012, 07:56 AM

Wierd, when I reply to Mad Mous I get a quoted post from Christiano about moderation....

Mad Mouse · 08-05-2012, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramen Jedburgh

Wierd, when I reply to Mad Mous I get a quoted post from Christiano about moderation....

Maybe it's because I accidentally double posted and deleted one?

08-01-2012, 04:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
Lucifer Baphomet Nobel Peace Prize Winner *SLU Supporter* Zenophile Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Darkmere Posts: 20,948 My Mood: Business: Radio Free Darkmere Awards: 1	But it doesn't apply outside the US __________________

08-01-2012, 04:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
Chalice Yao The Purple HEYOO! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Somewhere purple, Germany Posts: 7,658 My Mood: SL Join Date: 20. January 2007 Client: NaCl	Yes. No matter what a company writes into their terms and conditions and agreements, it still needs to respect local law as soon as they are registered elsewhere. Even more amusing is that around here, EULAs are null and void if they don't get presented to you -before- purchase. heh. __________________ "Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" - George Carlin

08-01-2012, 10:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jahar Aabye Script Kitty Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Between our dreams and actions, lies this world Posts: 8,017 SL Join Date: 2/16/2007 Business: Black Operations Client: Singularity	Might have something to do with the Netflix suit. Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2 __________________ He pulled a Captain Ahab and Jaharpwn'ed her. - Trout

08-01-2012, 11:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ramen Jedburgh Ginger Supremacist Heya ^_^ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 1,850 My Mood: SL Join Date: 3/9/2006	My prediction is that this preemptive action against the inevitable fallout of people suddenly not being able to play their games on Windows 8 or 9 in the future as MS moves to a closed appstore environment and Linux port support is slow. This is my overly complex conspiracy version. __________________ -- Ramen Jedburgh Abusively Cute ^_^

08-02-2012, 12:07 AM	#11 (permalink)
Tess Whitcroft Senior Member On Pandora Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 7,846 Awards: 1	I have several games I bought before this was put in their ToS. Had I known this was going to be forced on me I would not have bought these games. I haven't agreed to this yet nor will I. Does this mean I can no longer play the games I already bought? Tess __________________ Studies have shown that people who have more birthdays live longer

08-01-2012, 04:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
Chip Midnight That template guy Meshing Around Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 9,244 My Mood: Business: CMFF	I like Valve as a company but the spin they're putting on this decision is just insulting.

08-01-2012, 11:55 PM	#10 (permalink)
Maggie Senior Member penguins rule! Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1,374 My Mood: SL Join Date: 5/30/2011 Client: Firestorm	Well that fucking blows.

08-05-2012, 07:24 AM	#15 (permalink)
Adeon Writer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 6,108

08-05-2012, 07:56 AM	#16 (permalink)
Ramen Jedburgh Ginger Supremacist Heya ^_^ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 1,850 My Mood: SL Join Date: 3/9/2006	Wierd, when I reply to Mad Mous I get a quoted post from Christiano about moderation....

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