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Just make sure you download them and back them up yourself because they certainly can revoke your ability to download them from their servers, is what they are implying here.
Yeah, like when you buy a physical copy of a gane, it's up to you to make sure you keep that copy somewhere you can find it again, assuming it hasn't started decomposing.
Well yes, of course. They sell you an installer and it's on you to download it. That the servers could be turned off at one point in the future because the company doesn't have money any more should be clear. It's on you to save the installer on your own hard drive, not the companies!
The missing context here (I think) is that California passed a law saying that digital storefronts (like steam and gog) can't say things like "buy game" because you aren't actually gaining ownership of the game, but instead just buying a license to access it. Some people were questioning if this law should apply to gog since their games are drm free and can be freely installed on any compatible devices once you download the installer.
It should because their use agreement makes it clear that you don't own the games but are licensing them. That's pretty much why they had to clarify what they said I'd imagine. IMO, proving the point of the law, really.
This is equally true for almost any game ever sold, including physical ones. You only ever own a license that specifies what you can and cannot do with the game. The difference is in what this license is tied to, for example either a physical copy of a given game or an account that can be remotely deactivated taking away all your games. In GOG's case once you grab the installer, the game license cannot be easily forcibly revoked, just as with the physical copy.
Thanks for saying this.
With recent campaigns and rants against digital media, people often claim that "you own the game if you buy a physical copy". That always makes me sigh, because it's false.
Not saying there are some advantages for some use cases, but I dislike hyperbole and untruths.
That's just semantics.
When you buy a CD, you don't own the songs.
But you do have some item that belongs to you.
With Steam, you have a ticket that will let you into Steam to download the game for as long as your account is in good standing and as long as Steam exists.
With GOG, you have a file you can use to install the game on any machine INDEFINITELY. GOG can't revoke your access for any reason, and if GOG shuts down, you can still install the games.
It doesn't really matter because it doesn't change the point that people think they own digital goods when they don't. GOG may have a more consumer friendly system in place but it doesn't change what has happened with people's music, movies, shows, games and music in games at these digital storefronts, where people have clicked "Buy X" and later on, it's no longer in their libraries anymore. This has happened even when the business still exists and is still providing digital goods.
With GOG, you can buy any game, and you'll have files to keep. Once you have the installer, you can keep that forever.
Even if your GOG account is hacked, banned, and GOG goes out of business, you can forever install your game onto any compatible machine, even offline, and play the game.
That's what GOG does differently.
It's like buying a physical game, except there's no disc. They can't revoke your access or deactivate your ability to play the game.
I know that. That still misses the point. The point of the law is to clarify that on digital storefronts that you make purchases for licensed digital goods, that you can't imply to the consumer that they actually own those goods. It doesn't matter if there is an offline installer. It doesn't matter if you can 'keep your installers forever'.
licensing issues
I understand that the buyer doesn't lose the de facto ability to install the game from a local copy of the installer, but is it possible to lose the de jure right to install the game in that way due to licensing issues on GOG's end? I'm not saying it is, I'm just curious.
is it possible to lose the de jure right to install the game in that way due to licensing issues on GOG’s end
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that no, you can't. When you buy the game, you've obtained a perpetual license to install and play that game, similar to what you'd have if you bought the game on a disk. You can lose your ability to download the game, that isn't guaranteed to be unlimited or perpetual, but installing it via the installer you downloaded, and playing it once you do, are forever. (This is in contrast to something like Steam, where you rely on their servers granting you permission to install the game, and that permission can be revoked.)
Right, if you download the offline installers, then they can't stop you from doing whatever you're going to do with it but you don't own them. Legally, you can't sell them, transfer them to someone else, etc.
There are other sections that make the lack of ownership by you clear and that you still have to abide by the publisher's/developer's licensing agreements but Section 10 states the situation outright:
Section 10 of the GOG user agreement says:
GOG content is owned by its developers/publishers and licensed by us.
Did people think they meant something else? Or was it more that they didn't really elaborate and folks didn't know quite what they meant?
I think they are clarifying due to what has happened with Ubisoft. They're also using it as an opportunity to spread the word farther that they won't do the same thing.
It's too clarify that in their case the games you buy on their platform don't require anything in particular to install (just the install file that you can download from their website directly and back up for later use), contrary to all other major stores.
this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2024
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