California will soon require storefronts to make clear that purchasing digital content, including games, movies and music, does not mean you actually own it.
As of next year, Californian customers will be informed that buying a game on Steam, for example, means they are simply acquiring a license for the content. Terms such as “buy” and “purchase” will be banned from the sale process unless sufficient caveats are added.
The new legislation, AB 2426 – signed into law by Californian governer Gavin Newsom and first reported by The Verge – is designed to make consumers more aware of the sometimes-temporary nature of digital ownership.
Not every digital game will fall under the AB 2426, however. As Game File points out, if a game has the option to be downloaded and played permanently offline, the above caveats will not be needed. So too for games offered as part of a subscription service (to which access is presumed temporary anyway), as well as games “sold” or given away for free.