The UK government responded to the stopkillinggames.com petition - Lemmy Today
> The Government recognises recent concerns raised by video games users
regarding the long-term operability of purchased products. > > > Consumers
should be aware that there is no requirement in UK law compelling software
companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems,
software or connected products. There may be occasions where companies make
commercial decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older
servers for video games that have declining user bases. However, video games
sellers must comply with existing consumer law, including the Consumer Rights
Act 2015 (CRA) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
(CPRs). > > > The CPRs require information to consumers to be clear and correct,
and prohibit commercial practices which through false information or misleading
omissions cause the average consumer to make a different choice, for example, to
purchase goods or services they would not otherwise have purchased. The
regulations prohibit commercial practices which omit or hide information which
the average consumer needs to make an informed choice, and prohibits traders
from providing material information in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or
untimely manner. If consumers are led to believe that a game will remain
playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support,
the CPRs may require that the game remains technically feasible (for example,
available offline) to play under those circumstances. > > The CPRs are enforced
by Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority. If consumers
believe that there has been a breach of these regulations, they should report
the matter in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on
0808 223 1133 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk [http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk]).
People living in Scotland should contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000
(www.consumeradvice.scot). Both helplines offer a free service advising
consumers on their rights and how best to take their case forward. The helplines
will refer complaints to Trading Standards services where appropriate. Consumers
can also pursue private redress through the courts where a trader has provided
misleading information on a product. > > The CRA gives consumers important
rights when they make a contract with a trader for the supply of digital
content. This includes requiring digital content to be of satisfactory quality,
fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller. It can be difficult
and expensive for businesses to maintain dedicated support for old software,
particularly if it needs to interact with modern hardware, apps and websites,
but if software is being offered for sale that is not supported by the provider,
then this should be made clear. > > If the digital content does not meet these
quality rights, the consumer has the right to a repair or replacement of the
digital content. If a repair or replacement is not possible, or does not fix the
problem, then the consumer will be entitled to some money back or a price
reduction which can be up to 100% of the cost of the digital content. These
rights apply to intangible digital content like computer software or a PC game,
as well as digital content in a tangible form like a physical copy of a video
game. The CRA has a time limit of up to six years after a breach of contract
during which a consumer can take legal action. > > The standards outlined above
apply to digital content where there is a contractual right of the trader or a
third party to modify or update the digital content. In practice, this means
that a trader or third party can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features
of digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the
trader and continues to conform with any pre-contract information including main
characteristics, functionality and compatibility provided by the trader, unless
varied by express agreement. > > > Consumers should also be aware that while
there is a statutory right for goods (including intangible digital content) to
be of a satisfactory quality, that will only be breached if they are not of the
standard which a reasonable person would consider to be satisfactory, taking
into account circumstances including the price and any description given. For
example, a manufacturer’s support for a mobile phone is likely to be withdrawn
as they launch new models. It will remain usable but without, for example,
security updates, and over time some app developers may decide to withdraw
support. > > Department Culture, Media & Sport