EU against “geo-blocking” of PC video games

[DalekFlay]

No. Other federations like Brazil, Germany or Russia are like the US. The EU is comprised of whole different countries, with different languages and cultures. The minimal wage in Portugal is around 4$/hr (converted), and it not even among the poorest EU countries. The Minimal wage in France is around 12$/hr, while in Bulgaria is 1,80$/hr. Scandiavian countries don't have a minimum wage, but they're median wages are even higher than France's.

I'm not saying the EU is the US today, I'm saying it's inching there. At least according to international news I read. Also you realize the minimum wage in a state like Mississippi can be like $7 and in California like $15, right? And also that usually in a state like California even a grocery store cashier likely makes way over that? We have wildly different economies depending on the region, and different states have different minimum wages.

 

[deuxhero]

That's not even comparable. What you're referring to is basically the same country.

Do you think the minimum wage between US states differ that much compared to Romania/Sweden or Slovakia/Germany?

Granted I'm an outsider, but from the international news I read the EU is getting more and more US-like by the day. And people who don't live in the US vastly underestimate how different the States are, and how much autonomy they have. Also "States rights" is a constant discussion here. And yes, California and Alabama wages are very different, though probably not as different as Paris and some Romanian backwater.

The wages differ, but so do the rents. California rent is INSANE. Literally so high you need multiple roommates to afford a tiny apartment that isn't up to code despite the supposedly high salary.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Physical market - sure, but digital market is another thing. Valve doesn't have physical presence in Europe, no stores, etc, so it can be argued that it's not Valve selling digital goods on the European market but the Europeans buying goods on the US digital market, which doesn't have to follow or give a fuck about the EU rules at all.

First, that's wrong: https://web.archive.org/web/2014050...latest-gaming-company-to-set-up-in-luxembourg
Second, that's not how Digital commerce works and they even have specific EU-based EULAs.

Sad. The EU can easily nail them now.

 

[DalekFlay]

The wages differ, but so do the rents. California rent is INSANE. Literally so high you need multiple roommates to afford a tiny apartment that isn't up to code despite the supposedly high salary.

Indeed, which is my point. Different states/regions have wildly different economies sometimes. I've lived in three states and all were very different when it came to apartments, property taxes, insurance, food prices, etc. Yet games and movies cost the same everywhere. I'm just saying that's kind of odd when you think about it. Someone's getting fucked over by that.

 

[GrainWetski]

Earlier today, the European Commission ("EC") sent Statements of Objections ("SO") to Valve and five publishers in an investigation that it started in 2013. The EC alleges that the five publishers entered into agreements with their distributors that included geo-blocking provisions for PC games sold by the distributors, and that separately Valve entered into agreements with the same publishers that prevented consumers in the European Economic Area ("EEA") from purchasing PC games because of their location.

However, the EC's charges do not relate to the sale of PC games on Steam - Valve's PC gaming service. Instead the EC alleges that Valve enabled geo-blocking by providing Steam activation keys and - upon the publishers' request - locking those keys to particular territories ("region locks") within the EEA. Such keys allow a customer to activate and play a game on Steam when the user has purchased it from a third-party reseller. Valve provides Steam activation keys free of charge and does not receive any share of the purchase price when a game is sold by third-party resellers (such as a retailer or other online store).

The region locks only applied to a small number of game titles. Approximately just 3% of all games using Steam (and none of Valve's own games) at the time were subject to the contested region locks in the EEA. Valve believes that the EC's extension of liability to a platform provider in these circumstances is not supported by applicable law. Nonetheless, because of the EC's concerns, Valve actually turned off region locks within the EEA starting in 2015, unless those region locks were necessary for local legal requirements (such as German content laws) or geographic limits on where the Steam partner is licensed to distribute a game. The elimination of region locks will also mean that publishers will likely raise prices in less affluent regions to avoid price arbitrage. There are no costs involved in sending activation keys from one country to another and the activation key is all a user needs to activate and play a PC game.

 

[FritzedProcess]

You know some US states don't even have a sales tax, right?
Sales taxes/VATs are just "I really hate the poor" taxes

Countries across the Eurozone have different VAT rates, so how come the price is the same across the Eurozone?

But I guess it's easier being an obnoxious retard, Rusty.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

You know some US states don't even have a sales tax, right?
Sales taxes/VATs are just "I really hate the poor" taxes

Countries across the Eurozone have different VAT rates, so how come the price is the same across the Eurozone?

But I guess it's easier being an obnoxious retard, Rusty.

because nobody cares about your 400 separate countries full of poor people

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The wages differ, but so do the rents. California rent is INSANE. Literally so high you need multiple roommates to afford a tiny apartment that isn't up to code despite the supposedly high salary.

Indeed, which is my point. Different states/regions have wildly different economies sometimes. I've lived in three states and all were very different when it came to apartments, property taxes, insurance, food prices, etc. Yet games and movies cost the same everywhere. I'm just saying that's kind of odd when you think about it. Someone's getting fucked over by that.

I'd argue it's the people who live in the high cost of living states that are getting fucked despite it seeming to be the opposite at first.
Sure, the high cost of living states generally get paid more but your cost of living is through the roof. High taxes, insane rent, etc., In the end you have less to spend on luxury goods than someone making less in a state with low taxes and low cost of living.

Not to mention that many of the high cost of living states either are or are becoming complete cesspits. If you can't afford to live in one of the walled off affluent areas with private security then you're probably going to end up raped, robbed, and murdered.

 

[Anomander]

Sure, the price in US dollars might have been a good deal, but I was talking about credit cards' foreign currency conversion rates. For example, if I buy something for 10 US dollars, I won't pay 10 US dollars. I'll pay 10*[bullshit exchange rate], which magically turns 10 dollars into 11 or 12 (i.e. 10 or 20% increase).

Try Revolut or something like that. It's free and doesn't have any fees (it's 0,5% after about 5000$ monthly - 20000 PLN). When I checked, it had exchange rates like what google showed me.

 

[taxalot]

And to think some retards want to leave the EU.

 

[Spectacle]

Physical market - sure, but digital market is another thing. Valve doesn't have physical presence in Europe, no stores, etc, so it can be argued that it's not Valve selling digital goods on the European market but the Europeans buying goods on the US digital market, which doesn't have to follow or give a fuck about the EU rules at all.

First, that's wrong: https://web.archive.org/web/2014050...latest-gaming-company-to-set-up-in-luxembourg
Second, that's not how Digital commerce works and they even have specific EU-based EULAs.

Sad. The EU can easily nail them now.

If Valve didn't have a business presence in Europe it would have caused all kinds of trouble for European developers selling games on steam, publishers selling physical copies of games that need steam activation etc. If you're a global business then governments across the world have ways to make sure you follow their rules if you do business in their country.

 

[Tweed]

Steam will probably follow the EU rules and make everything cost the same everywhere. The EU then rejoices because another evil was defeated.

I thought GoG already tired that and it was costing them too much money.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Steam will probably follow the EU rules and make everything cost the same everywhere. The EU then rejoices because another evil was defeated.

I thought GoG already tired that and it was costing them too much money.

Only a tiny portion of Steam's revenue comes from Eastern Europe. Charging everyone a flat rate is probably the easiest way to solve this.
The EU has successfully defended you, Eastern Europe! Rejoice!

 

[abija]

Can't wait for them to fix the next big issues: gigabit internet at less than 10 euro or unlimited* mobile plans at 5. Fucking disgrace to the free EU market right there...

 

[Tweed]

It's no skin off my back either way, I don't buy games direct from Steam anymore unless I can't avoid it because they want to tax me and taxation for video games is theft.

 

[DeepOcean]

Pretty sure EU's beef with Steam is not the different pricing, but that you'd be unable to buy in, say, Romania, and then play in, say, France, like you currently can't do with games bought in Russia or Ukraine.

Well, Romania will be royaly fucked when steam makes a calculus, there are a few romenians and alot of europeans and europeans are buying for cheap on Romenia, so, maybe sacrificing romenians to guarantee more profit with Europeans under those new rules are the best thing to do, the prices will skyrocket on Romania to keep up with the prices of the rest of the union.

 

[Drakron]

Steam re-directs to regional stores based on IP Addresses, sure you can use a Proxy to pretend to be in Russia and get Russian prices but thats another conversation.

The point being Steam did that to prevent people re-selling legit Steam keys at a profit using regional price differences, the EU says thats illegal because its a violation of the common market because that is it, they are not saying they cannot have regional stores but EU region CANNOT have geoblocks of individual state-members, also most people will not go over the trouble of using a proxy to buy from Steam Romenian Storefront ... all the EU is saying that geo-blocks cannot be applied to countries within the EU.

 

[Delterius]

something tells me frenchies aren't gonna pay polish prices

 

[Gerrard]

In the case of those publishers there is no difference between Polish and Euro prices (most of the time), they are never going to see a fucking penny from me unless it's 75% off.

 

[Chippy]

I don't get it: does this mean that Vee in Romania will be paying the same as me in Britain? So whatever the Romanian equivalent is of 25-35 sterling pounds? Or are games cheaper in Raomania and they want to split the difference? Anything the EU does is gonna fuck someone over...

 

[Optimist]

Hey, the bright side is that if Steam prices in middle- and eastern Europe get increased to match their western counterparts, physical distribution might become profitable for local distributors again.

I miss them big bawxes.

 

[DalekFlay]

Anything t̶h̶e̶ ̶E̶U̶ government does is gonna fuck someone over...

Yes.

 

[Chippy]

Anything the EU and the places it governs over is gonna fuck someone over...

Yes.

 

[Kaethar]

Pretty sure EU's beef with Steam is not the different pricing, but that you'd be unable to buy in, say, Romania, and then play in, say, France, like you currently can't do with games bought in Russia or Ukraine.

Well, Romania will be royaly fucked when steam makes a calculus, there are a few romenians and alot of europeans and europeans are buying for cheap on Romenia, so, maybe sacrificing romenians to guarantee more profit with Europeans under those new rules are the best thing to do, the prices will skyrocket on Romania to keep up with the prices of the rest of the union.

Steam re-directs to regional stores based on IP Addresses, sure you can use a Proxy to pretend to be in Russia and get Russian prices but thats another conversation.
The point being Steam did that to prevent people re-selling legit Steam keys at a profit using regional price differences, the EU says thats illegal because its a violation of the common market because that is it, they are not saying they cannot have regional stores but EU region CANNOT have geoblocks of individual state-members, also most people will not go over the trouble of using a proxy to buy from Steam Romenian Storefront ... all the EU is saying that geo-blocks cannot be applied to countries within the EU.

Prices for us Romanians (...not Romenians) are the same as other EU countries I'm pretty sure, our currency isn't even on Steam, meaning we pay with euro's on it, what games are cheaper for us? It says Capcom and Bandai Namco on there but all their new releases are 60 euros for me which is what they should be.

 

[Average Manatee]

EU bureaucrats get to wave their dick around and force Valve to raise prices
Europoors get poorer
US companies get richer
Russia gets a monopoly on cheap game keys

Everyone gets what they want out of this, I see no issues.