If I buy a digital game , don't I have the right to own it

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Jayg2015, Feb 1, 2016.

  1. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
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    What I mean by this is if I buy a digital game , let's say an App Store game, shouldn't I have the right to my copy of the game?
    Let's say I buy a game for $3.99 then I should own a digital copy and when I'm through playing this game I should able to sell some sort of code that corresponds with my copy I bought and resell to someone else for let's say $2.99 and have that money back in my account and it deletes from my account.
    I know that would take away from the developer which is the worst thing but I spent my money on it I should be untitled to having my copy and do so with how I want.
    I mean I can buy a physical copy and resell.

    This could set up an entirely new way of gaming and revolutionize the way we game altogether.
     
  2. drelbs

    drelbs Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2009
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    Whelp, I'm sure that's covered in your agreements with Apple.

    But:

    1) You have an IPA file you can sell
    2) You have an iTunes account you could sell

    IMHO, this is something you get to live with by using the digital only / App Store model. Same thing would go for those movies and albums and books you downloaded, this is not unique to apps.
     
  3. Nekku

    Nekku Well-Known Member

    May 31, 2013
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    Well, 1) wont work, cuz it will ask you for the password of the account it was bought with.
     
  4. drelbs

    drelbs Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2009
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    Indeed.

    It still answers, "shouldn't I have the right to my copy of the game?"
     
  5. pluto6

    pluto6 Well-Known Member

    Jun 21, 2009
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    Digital rights have become their own set of laws that have huge presence in litigation. Stay tuned over years and this might get answered. Right now the answer is "No, you don't". Because you didnt actually purchase it, more like you are renting it. so, you dont any have rights to the digital copy except to use it in accordance with the EULA.
     
  6. dancj

    dancj Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2011
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    It doesn't bother me too much. iOS games are massively cheaper than just about any other platform and I'm sure that at least part of that is the lack of a second hand market.

    Digital comics on the other hand are not much cheaper than physical ones - and even on sale they aren't as cheap as I typically spend for second hand ones so for them the lack of resalability is a big deal breaker for me.
     
  7. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
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    I agree and understand why we don't have it already guys.
    I'm just saying it would be nice to see it one day.
    I mean you can gift someone a code for a game so why not be able to buy an AppStore game and once your done then the game generates only one gift code to send to someone and it deletes from your account and that gift code can only be redeemed once .
    I don't know just a thought
     
  8. kmacleod

    kmacleod Well-Known Member
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    Jul 1, 2009
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    Not according to the agreement you signed when you created an iTunes account. What did you think was in that contract you pretended to read? :p

    That agreement stipulates that you're purchasing a license to use the piece of software you're paying for. You aren't purchasing an object, you have zero rights to the content inside the piece of media you've purchased a license to.

    Similarly, if you purchase a movie on iTunes, you don't have the right to burn a bunch of DVDs of that movie and sell them on a street corner.

    You also don't have the right to transfer or sell your iTunes account. All of this was in the contract you agreed to, and continue to agree to every time you update iTunes.
     
  9. madreviewer

    madreviewer Well-Known Member

    Sep 22, 2013
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    Digital is not equal to a hard copy- what you are selling is not your copy , but a copy of your game-- digital games can't be resold and should not
    Why?
    Well there is no need to recycle a game which has a 0$ cost of being reproduce
     
  10. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
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    In not sure your argument. We buy digital games and in your words costs nothing to produce yet we buy them so why couldn't I resell "my copy" I purchased if someone is willing to buy for a price .
     
  11. squarezero

    squarezero Moderator
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    Dec 10, 2008
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    This has been stated many times, but I guess it bears repeating. In the US and many other countries, when you buy a physical copy of a copyrighted work, you are purchasing two different things.

    1) the physical media that holds the work (a CD, a book, DVD, a cartridge, etc).

    2) a license to consume the creative work.

    US law defines these two things as separate and distinct. The physical media you own: you can trade it, sell it, etc. The creative work itself, however, you don't own: you are allowed to use it based on a licensing agreement that you sign off on before you get access to it. You are usually not allowed to copy it (except as a back up), trade, it or sell it.

    For example, if you buy a book, you are allowed to sell it to a used bookstore. You can give it or trade it to a friend. You can't, however, copy the content and give it to someone. You cannot scan it and put it on the Internet. The work itself doesn't belong to you.

    In the App Store, you are just buying #2 (sometimes literally;)). Without physical media, all you get is a license to use the software. The work itself still belongs to the copyright holder. And they have every right fo limit how you transfer it.

    To be fair, in some countries, you do get the right to transfer digital content, but that's pretty rare.
     
  12. bigrand1

    bigrand1 Well-Known Member

    Apr 23, 2010
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    LOL! In a perfect world, maybe! In actuality, you gotta come to grips with the fact that you are only really 'renting' them. A few things come into play here, but that's the bottom line, man, regardless. #
     
  13. madreviewer

    madreviewer Well-Known Member

    Sep 22, 2013
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    I think you misunderstood what I said.
    I did not mean that the original work does not require hard work, I met making a copy which is equal to the original . But making a copy of it require less work than a hard copy.
    No need to buy another cd
    No need to ink
    No need to print a new cover
    For digital copy all those factor are non existent
    Therefore the need for recycling is irrelevant.
    Trust me I am not against if you making actual money, but your approach just seem impossible.
    And that's my last answer- please think about it before you answer.

    Keep thinking about how you can make money- that's the way to go in this life.
     
  14. madreviewer

    madreviewer Well-Known Member

    Sep 22, 2013
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    My boy- you dam.right
     
  15. fabell

    fabell Well-Known Member

    Feb 3, 2016
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    Nope.

    Well, anyways, not until the technology figures out how to profit off the files.

    It would be awesome if I could purchase these in hard copy, but it's also interesting to note that many laptops today don't even come with DVD drives - just an Internet connection.

    It's more a cultural transformation we are currently going through. The entire field has shifted, and it's probably not going back. Just like how vinyls made live music on radio a thing of the past, so today we are going through a cyclical swing where service has taken back the industry from material goods.

    The upside to this is that content is easier to deliver, can be produced and consumed faster, and can be improve immeasurably thereby increasing the quality of he product over time. The downside is that because the product is never really finished, you never really have ownership over it. You are basically paying a service access fee for a period of time until the company decides they are not going to charge those access fees anymore.

    My view of the matter is probably fallacial in some aspect (my business sense is downright faulty) but that's how I see it.
     
  16. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
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    Maybe one day.
     
  17. ackmondual

    ackmondual Well-Known Member

    Dec 25, 2009
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    Well, games actually DO cost money, even if they're bits and bytes. Much effort goes into designing software, implementing them, testing them, marketing them, maintaining them. Heck, many games require servers, so if you want to tie cost to something tangible, the maintanence and setup of servers would be just that.

    It's the contract we agreed to when buying iOS apps on the AppStore. Just like how even though I can physically get into a car and drive it around, the law says I need a drivers license to operate the vehicle.

    Say what you will of physical media... being able to resell them, or loan them to a friend to use IS one of the advantages that some folks still enjoy, despite the same hassles same involve.
     

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