<
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/05/28/stop-killing-games-gets-its-first-american-legislative-effort-out-of-committee-in-california/>
"I’ve written quite a bit about the Stop Killing Games movement, in no small
part because I think it’s way more important than most people think. Preserving
cultural output is both important and, frankly, a key part of the bargain that
is supposed to be copyright law. The fact that we offer video game publishers
copyright protections, which are supposed to come with an eventual appearance
in the public domain, only to watch as game servers are shut down and gaming
source codes are not preserved such that it all just goes away breaks that
bargain completely. The Stop Killing Games movement is designed to get
government to enforce that bargain with some basic rules around what publishers
can and can’t do, and primarily to eliminate this disappearance of culture.
But it’s largely been a European effort thus far. That’s why I think it’s worth
noting that the movement is now starting to gain traction in America as well.
In California, where the
Protect Our Games Act is seeking to add some of the
same protections for consumers, and was constructed under the advice of Stop
Killing Games.
California’s Protect Our Games Act, as currently written, would require
digital game publishers who cut off support for an online game to either
provide a full refund to players or offer an updated version of the game
“that enables its continued use independent of services controlled by the
operator.” The act would also require publishers to notify players 60 days
before the cessation of “services necessary for the ordinary use of the
digital game.”
As currently amended, the act would not apply to completely free games and
games offered “solely for the duration of [a] subscription.” Any other game
offered for sale in California on or after January 1, 2027, would be subject
to the law if it passes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
