Why is it legal to buy and sell used books/discs but illegal to buy and sell used digital files?

_number8_@lemmy.world to Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ@lemmy.dbzer0.com – 484 points –

this contradiction always confused me. either way the official company is "losing a sale" and not getting the money, right?

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Not if you already activated it.

It used to be possible to buy games as gifts and and them to your inventory to give to somebody ( or activate it yourself ) later.

Now, when you want to gift a game. You have to immediately select the person you want to send it to.

That's too bad... I guess I can't think of a digital example that's an analogue of the physical one after all

Maybe this should be enforced by law. At least for digital purchases which are basically a license.

The only things you can easily give to others are DRM free things, like the games you can buy from GOG. But in that case it’s also easy to copy.

You USED to be able to stock up on games on Steam as gift games… I bought eight copies of Fallout: New Vegas for 2.5USD at one point.

They stopped that. I understand why but fuck, I miss it. Most of those copies were traded for one buds hahaha