-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Half-Life 2: Test bed for Internet licensing techniques Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 11:04:34 -0600 From: Rick Russell <rickr@private> Organization: Rice University Information Technology To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> This might be fodder for Politech. Long time reader, first time contributor :-) Half-Life 2 is a new computer game for Windows PCs. Unlike most games, HL2 uses a network-based licensing and update client that is tightly integrated into the game itself. This client is called "Steam". Valve, the maker of Half-Life 2, can disable or "ban" users who sign in with falsified or pirated authentication keys by refusing to serve out a valid license for the game. When that happens, all Steam-enabled games on the user's computer become inaccessible, even for standalone single-player use. An example of Valve's policies in action can be found here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4041289.stm This is nothing new, and it's much the same as the Windows Activation method that Microsoft has employed for two years. It may also remind you of the banning issues in other multiplayer games like Ultima Online or Everquest. The new twist is that Valve has quietly threatened to use Steam to enforce other license policies, not just for anti-piracy measures. There are many reports on the Steam user forums that legitimate game owners are being banned for using cheats or hacks that modify the behavior of the game (even the single-player game!), and a Valve staffer says explicitly that the Steam system will be used to enforce violations of the Steam/HL2 license: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=212674 How do politics and technology come in? I think for the first time we have a major consumer product which can dynamically enforce the precise letter of the shrinkwrap license agreement, including the more obscure prohibitions such as "don't modify the locally stored program code". We've all debated the validity of shrinkwrap license agreements in the past, and you may remember the debate about the Uniform Commercial Code revisions a couple of years ago that included specific provisions to allow remote enforcement of licensing. Well, Valve is doing it. Now. And with gusto, it seems. Personally, I have mixed feelings. I've tried multiplayer games in the past with mixed success, and in many cases my experience was absolutely ruined by cheaters. So part of me is happy to see cheaters get the righteous come-uppance they deserve. But another part of me is a little worried by this turn of events. Will all software on my PC eventually follow this model, with a dozen or more license clients running all the time, conflicting with each other, and instantly disabling my legitimately purchased software when something goes wrong? Who has time to review complicated license agreements? What if the "agreement" changes after I purchase the products? What are my options for redress of abuse by the company? It's a minefield for consumer rights, that's for sure. Rick R. -- => Rick Russell => Rice University Information Technology, Helpdesk Supervisor => For computer help, call xHELP (x4357 or 713-348-4357) => OpenPGP/GnuPG Public Key at ldap://certificate.rice.edu _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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