In a court case that can basically alter how Steam works, EU users have won the right to resell their Steam games via digital marketplace from Valve. Media reports that the Paris Court of First Instance judged this week that EU law enables Steam consumers to resell their digital titles, just like they can any physical goods.
The lawyers from Valve made an effort to argue Steam was a subscription platform, as per Numerama (the French publication). The court, on the other hand, refused Valve’s claims, stating Steam does not sell games as fraction of a subscription service. The court went on to state that Valve’s policy on title reselling is in opposition to EU rules that manage the free-flow of digital products. In an interview to the media, Doug Lombardi (co-founder at Valve) claimed that the firm aims to appeal the verdict. “The move will have no impact on Steam while the decision lawsuit is on appeal,” Lombardi claimed. If the verdict is upheld, Valve will be obliged to alter its store rule or encounter stiff penalties.
Valve is embroiled in one more similar current case with the EU. In April, the European Commission blamed Valve with breaching the EU’s Digital Single Market laws. Similar to the Paris case, Valve aims to oppose the charges. While neither case is near to a decision, it is secure to state that the EU is deadset on altering how Valve operates Steam.
On a related note, Steam earlier claimed that it has jumped back to the drawing board with its game suggestion algorithm. The gaming platform earlier upgraded its suggestion feed to be more diverse and precise in the games it recommends. The discovery system of Steam Store has taken some pressure over the past years, often suggestion games that do not actually fit consumer preferences.