Policy on Prioritizing Physical Media Accessibility and Fair Pricing in Digital Media Licensing
Purpose:
To ensure that physical media, including games, movies, music, and books, remains accessible and prioritized for consumers, and to establish fair and transparent policies regarding digital media purchases, licensing, and future accessibility.
Policy on Prioritizing Physical Media Accessibility and Fair Pricing in Digital Media Licensing
Purpose:
To ensure that physical media, including games, movies, music, and books, remains accessible and prioritized for consumers, and to establish fair and transparent policies regarding digital media purchases, licensing, and future accessibility.
- Prioritization of Physical Media
Availability: All physical media (games, movies, CDs, books, etc.) should be regularly and widely available to everyday consumers. Physical formats are to be treated as the primary form of media distribution rather than an afterthought to digital merchandising.
Consumer Choice: Physical copies provide consumers with a permanent, tangible version of the product they purchase, which is not subject to licensing changes, storage issues, or potential future digital unavailability.
- Digital Licensing Transparency and Pricing Adjustments
Digital Ownership Disclosure: When consumers purchase a digital game, movie, album, or book, they are purchasing only a license to access that media, not ownership of the media itself. This license may be subject to restrictions, including potential future unavailability due to licensing or service changes.
Pricing Requirement: Digital versions of media must be offered at a price 40% below the physical media’s listed starting price to account for this licensing structure. This price reduction reflects the non-ownership nature of digital purchases and encourages fair consumer investment in digital media.
Price Adjustments Over Time: As digital media ages, its pricing should reflect fair market value as assessed by third-party value trackers, such as eBay, PriceCharting, StockX, and GameEye. This ongoing adjustment ensures digital media aligns with current market demands.
Notification Requirement for Digital Media Delisting
Advance Notification: In the event that digital media will be permanently delisted due to licensing expiration or any other reason, a minimum of two years’ notice must be provided to consumers. This announcement allows consumers time to download and store their purchased content on personal storage devices (e.g., hard drives, external drives, flash drives).
Consumer Refunds for Failure to Notify: If the company fails to provide the required two-year notice for delisting, all affected consumers will receive a 100% refund of the original purchase price, regardless of the product’s current market value.
End-of-Service Policy for Online-Only Games
Post-Service Playability Assurance: For online-only games facing eventual server shutdown, developers are required to release final downloadable content (DLC), patches, or updates that enable the game to be playable in an offline or limited-capacity mode.
Continued Consumer Access: These updates must allow consumers to continue enjoying their purchased games even if servers are no longer available, preserving the investment consumers made in these digital products and ensuring enduring access to purchased content.
This policy advocates for physical media as an enduring and consumer-friendly choice while addressing the limitations and responsibilities involved in digital media sales and long-term access.