As a longtime PC and console gamer I have actually read a number of EULAs, no matter if you buy a physical copy or digital copy you never truly own a piece of intellecual property. You are always paying for a license to use said media, again physical or digital, that license may be revoked for any number of reasons at which time continued use of the product is subject to legal ramifications. While it is rare for someones license to be revoked it has always been a possibility, in fact even your console is licensed to you and you agreed to the license terms on initial startup. A large ammount of the paper enclosures that come with a console deal with your license to use it within the terms of that license. The entire physical vs. digital argument is really a moot point. You may own the physical cd/dvd/cartridge/tape/etc. but we have never owned the works of the mind that are stored upon them.
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Re: Talking Point: The Fragility of Buying Download Games
As a longtime PC and console gamer I have actually read a number of EULAs, no matter if you buy a physical copy or digital copy you never truly own a piece of intellecual property. You are always paying for a license to use said media, again physical or digital, that license may be revoked for any number of reasons at which time continued use of the product is subject to legal ramifications. While it is rare for someones license to be revoked it has always been a possibility, in fact even your console is licensed to you and you agreed to the license terms on initial startup. A large ammount of the paper enclosures that come with a console deal with your license to use it within the terms of that license. The entire physical vs. digital argument is really a moot point. You may own the physical cd/dvd/cartridge/tape/etc. but we have never owned the works of the mind that are stored upon them.