14 days ago
- PlayStation's move away from physical game discs threatens digital ownership rights, mirroring trends in film, TV, and music.
- Eliminating physical discs burdens gamers with high data usage and slow internet issues, disproportionately affecting those with limited access.
- Digital-only purchases strip away "right of first sale" protections, preventing game sharing, resale, or modification, and kill the second-hand market.
- Digital games push users towards subscription models, locking access to corporate-controlled libraries without true ownership.
- DRM software and restrictive user agreements impose performance, privacy, and security issues, with legal risks under DMCA Section 1201 for modification.
- Ownership of digital games is revocable due to account issues, licensing changes, or developer decisions, undermining purchase security.
- Policy reforms are needed to extend physical media rights to digital purchases, amend DMCA Section 1201, and strengthen state consumer protections like California's AB 1921.