Sort-of Steam related but still very important

[Hell Scream]

Just wanted to give other gamers a heads up on the new EA store, Origin, that is designed to go head to head with STEAM.
Read BUYER BE WARE @ games.on.net

And I agree with everything that the writer says to be honest.

An over-exaggerated Analogy:
I bought original monkey island like 15 years ago or whatever, I haven't played it for at least 10. So publisher walks into my house and takes it off my shelf and i cant get it back, be reimbursed for it in any way.
Imagine if that was 15 or so of my ancient circa windows 95'esque collection.....
WTF?

[Drac]

Yikes, that's weird, I don't see why that clause is there, I mean, I can't see any potential benefit to them (EA) by enforcing clauses like that.

Has to be some weird ass reason or collection of potential circumstances to prompt language like that ending up in their TOS.

I'd really like to know what those deciding factors were though.

[Thermal Ions]

I did see comment in or following one such article on this issue which speculated that it may be to do with privacy laws in certain countries actually containing requirements for personal information to be deleted after x years. As such it was possible that EA had drawn a line between the date a user last logged in and the start of the period following which they were required by law to delete personal information.

Of course others don't do this, so who knows.

They couldn't be worried about their user database getting too big over time - that'd require people to want to use the service wouldn't it.

[Reoh]

Originally Posted by Thermal Ions

I did see comment in or following one such article on this issue which speculated that it may be to do with privacy laws in certain countries actually containing requirements for personal information to be deleted after x years. As such it was possible that EA had drawn a line between the date a user last logged in and the start of the period following which they were required by law to delete personal information.

Of course others don't do this, so who knows.

They couldn't be worried about their user database getting too big over time - that'd require people to want to use the service wouldn't it.

LMAO <3

Also it would make sense.

I thought they were just covering their butts incase they take the service down sometime in the future.

[Thermal Ions]

... and EA have responded to the concerns.

EA’s Reply On Origin “Entitlement” Deletion | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

We’ve had word back from EA regarding their peculiarly-worded terms of service for Origin. Senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg explains: “The Origin terms of service are designed to protect against misuse of the Origin system. No Origin user who has paid entitlements and/or downloaded games will have their account cancelled or games expired due to extended non-use. The term regarding account cancellation for non-use is designed to guard against creation of non-active accounts for inappropriate reasons.”So that’s good. As long as you weren’t intending to create non-active accounts for inappropriate reasons, anyway.

[Reoh]

I dunno, that explanation just made it all even weirder for me.

[Hell Scream]

Originally Posted by Reoh

I dunno, that explanation just made it all even weirder for me.

no kidding..... wtf....

[Jigoku]

For example, I have a Steam account that has no purchased games on it and I log into it very rarely. I originally set it up in order to host a dedicated server or some such naive garbage.

Under Origin's ToS, that account could be deleted if it is inactive for two years.


Seems reasonable.

[Hell Scream]

Originally Posted by Jigoku

For example, I have a Steam account that has no purchased games on it and I log into it very rarely. I originally set it up in order to host a dedicated server or some such naive garbage.
Under Origin's ToS, that account could be deleted if it is inactive for two years.
Seems reasonable.

I spose.... i just cant get my head around how you wouldn't have any games on an account and use it for unruly purposes....and then not use it for 2 years, which then means that they can finally do away with you like they have wanted to do for 2 years for all your mischief?

[Thermal Ions]

Probably something around games that may have a free weekend or demo version that can join games of full paying customers.

As someone pointed out on the thread I linked above, there are other clauses in the T&C that mean any inappropriate use enables then to cancel the account anyway.

As I posted over at RPS:

It’s probably a moot point whether it’s in there now or not. There’s likely a clause that lets them change the T&C either at their leisure or with 30 days notice – thus at any point they could in reality decide to nuke people’s inactive free or paid account, and you’d have no recourse regardless of what John Reseburg says today.

Basically if you’re still concerned enough for it to stop you using Origin*, then you’d have to be questioning quite a lot of other licence terms for games you “own”.


*Not to infer there aren’t a host of other reasons good enough to stop you using Origin.