EU fines Valve and 5 other gaming companies for geo-blocking PC games
Click here to post a comment for EU fines Valve and 5 other gaming companies for geo-blocking PC games on our message forum
mackintosh
This is a slap on the wrist, but make no mistake, the EC will go after them again if need be and the next fine isn't going to be this lenient. It's going to be billions. They've already done it before with other repeat offenders.
EspHack
so the argument goes that this is nonsense because geoblocking allows lower prices in poorer markets, so its "justified", because otherwise "they would be forced to apply luxemburg prices everywhere"
of course they will try and do just that, and fail;
instead if they had a brain it would be romania prices everywhere, because brute-forcing every market to swallow luxemburg prices just means getting luxemburg profits from luxemburg alone, and 0 profits from almost everywhere else due to piracy
so I hope the EU keeps fining their asses
rl66
Piracy is not a so big problem if editor/distributor do it right...
Compulsive pirate user would never buy a software anyway even at 1 euro, so you should consider them as "bothering" and not as a "lost of gain".
If they do it wrong then some marginal % of consumer will go to piracy of course, but most will abandon the editor or talk bad about it (more bad for them. exemple: EA or UBI).
Steam still do that if it was the only one and above any law... On the distance i think it's wrong.
rl66
I don't think USA is an exemple or maybe a counter-exemple at this moment, also EU is not socialist or communist at all, it's just an heavy useless technocracy...
On other hand it remind me also when i was east side too.
Raserian
In US region if game costs $50, it costs like that in every state, and poorer states have to earn harder that $50 than richer states. The US has income inequality too.
Mineria
Thing is, Valve hasn't been geo blocking since 2015 or so.
According to Valve, the few games that make use of geo blocking don't even use Valve to enforce it, seems most of them are just doing it cause of country content restriction, Germany as example.
Not sure if the case even comes down to price differences, more like some people just seem fast to jump the gun.
Asgardi
From trade and sales perspective, EU is one "country".
barbacot
This is EU: when they decide new taxes for the people these are immediately enforced with much enthusiasm but when they decide a fine for a very big company it is too little too late.
The income differences between countries is not the main problem: even in one country you have regions with more prosperity, development and income than others - so these inequalities are extended at the global level - but the centralized decision IS: it should be a federation of states like USA - it is a proven working model while the EU model struggles every time when there are some problems because of the lefty - tree hugger - idealists from Bruxelles.
Anyway the fine amount is "huge" - pocket money for these companies.
somemadcaaant
Good
Mineria
Vestager, lefty?
Valve has responded to this btw.
Agonist
You need to get outside more socialist.
rl66
Maybe in your country... not here or in our neighbourg, socialist and communist do less than anarchist or independentist in vote since a decade.
rl66
It should be like that, but in reality it is not.
The tax are different from one country to other some even have no taxes, the incoming aren't the same (if i were working in france i would gain around 1600 Euro, 1200 in spain, around 1000 in newcomer country).
Actual EU have just made trade and sale easier inside EU...
It's already a good point, but it is not enough for future as the economic fight is global (China is very very hard, they have money, ressources and can do anything from crap to highest luxury).
Venix
My my i guess they needed to fund peanut snacks ! :P
