Half-Life 2 EULA Legal Issues? [Feb 07, 2005, 10:43 am ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Is the Half-Life 2 EULA
illegal? on the Inquirer (thanks Ant) describes possible legal issues
surrounding the End-User License Agreement for Half-Life 2 and the
Steam service. Here are a couple of hefty
excerpts:
...The German Consumer Association has recently found that the packaging on Half-Life 2 is misleading. In a report made following complaints from the public, they said that the mere listing of an internet connection under the 'other' category in system requirements did not accurately describe the true extent of the internet tie-in with the game, and ordered Vivendi to amend the packaging and untie Steam from HL2 or face a hefty fine. See this page. How far other consumer associations will agree with the Germans is yet to be seen, but it seems a no-brainer that Steam should be mentioned on the retail pack.
The return of software has traditionally been a bugbear for gamers. Most shops, at least in the UK, have a policy not to allow the return of opened software because of piracy risks. However, most consumers are not aware that, in some cases at least, this is in breach of their statutory legal rights, which cannot be infringed. This page at the UK's Office of Fair Trading conveniently notes an example of when goods can be returned as faulty:...
It is quite conceivable that any gamer not being able to connect to Half-Life 2 is entitled to a legal refund in the UK. The case would hinge around whether or not the inability to play the game without persistent net connection, or the previous hacking of the CD Key rendering it unplayable, makes the game unfit for the purpose described on the box. This could well be a winner.
The last issue is the most interesting and relates to a number of other cases that have come up over the last couple of years. According to US and UK law, under the principle known in the US as 'First Sale', a consumer buying a game takes absolute title to it; that is, they own it. ...
But, arguably, you can't transfer the CD Key without paying the $10 Steam charge, because otherwise it's still registered to you at Valve, meaning you haven't truly transferred ownership to the buyer.
However, here's something else. No mention of the Steam software is made in the EULA for Half-Life 2. This means that the terms of the Steam EULA that you agree to when installing that software are almost certainly not incorporated into the contract you agree to when installing Half-Life 2. Consequently, the $10 transfer fee would not be enforceable because it isn't in the HL2 contract, and Valve would be acting illegally in blocking any sale of the game from one person to another.
Where do I get to choose what files, maps and models I have? -dante_uk- Tigger
You don't. And that's the point.
If I wanted to make all my models bright pink so they would easier for me to see everyone else while I'm playing or make all the textures see-through so I would know where everyone was, it wouldn't be very fair for everyone else playing online, now would it?
You missed my point. If I download CUSTOM maps or models or even valve bonus stuff. I should be able to remove those items and clean up stuff I don't want anymore when I run low on disk space. Steam's private filesystem doesn't give me ( the end used ) any control over where or how big or what is stored in those massive files.
If I download a custom map for CoD and deside it's crap I just delete the .pk3 file, simple.
Yes I'm running using Windows, and no I'm not using IE ( I use Firefox and Thunderbird ) I'm also behind a hardware firewall. As far as I'm concerned steam is a back door to my machine and security risk. When all is said and done HL2 is a computer game, it's suppose to be fun, install, play, enjoy, uninstall(or not). Steam sucked all the enjoyment out of installing and playing HL2.
One part of me just wants to forget about steam and get on with my life. The other part of me wants to make sure that every game publisher out there knows that steam seriously pisses people off, because otherwise we could end up with more steam like programs being used. Wasting bandwidth, memory, processor time and just as importantly wasting my time.
If I want to spend an hour or so playing a computer game then I don't want to spend 15-20 mins beating steam into submission first(offline mode or waiting on the latest fixes to download).
If valve release HL3 and it requires steam I won't buy it.
If valve release HL3 with no steam requirement I'll buy it.
If anyone releases any game with a steam (or steam clone) requirement I will not buy it.
If steam ( and steam clones ) become the norm, then I'll give up on PC gaming and buy a console.
Date
Subject
Author
Copyright © 1996-2025 Stephen Heaslip. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy. Manage Cookie Settings.
News CGI copyright © 1999-2025 James "furn" Furness & Blue's News. All rights reserved.
Chatbear v1.5.0/blue++: Page generated 6 December 2025, 11:19.