Valve Flagrantly Violates Sherman Antitrust Act
 

http://alienbabeltech.com/abt/viewto...p?f=60&t=33165
I discuss the violation here.

I read that somewhere, too.

What Steam/Valve practically demands is that other companies/services providing the given game, shall be barred from offering the same content and product at a lower price, which therefore prevents competing with Steam by more competitive pricing.

Since Steam only serves as kind of a reseller, but is not the manufacturer or rpeucer of the games, that indeed is unacceptable. They want to forbid their competitors to outbid them. It also aims at establishing kind of an non-allowed price fixing, probably violating anti-cartell laws.

That simply is a total and complete No-Go.

Fully agreed. For those in the USA who want to report Valve for antitrust violations, here are the guidelines: http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html

This thread is a bit stupid. :hmmm:

Yeah, my cohorts at ABT can't understand kindergarten math.

Sounds exactly as TTIP eh ? :03:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transat...nt_Partnership

"Partnership", yeah right [/cyn]

STEAM may demand it, but to what extent can they enforce it?

For example, I was shopping for "Brave New World", the last expansion pack to Civilization 5. STEAM is charging $30, but it is easy to find online resellers selling STEAM keys for as little as $10.

Brave New World isn't Early Access title. What Valve is doing here is making sure no one can ask higher price for an Early Access key than what it is listed on Steam.

As for enforcing, Early Access is their service, they can enforce it anyway they like. But if the same title is sold on some other type of service other than Early Access, the price can be set to anything the devs/publishers want.

PS. Did I use bold enough to make everyone realize this is about EARLY ACCESS titles ONLY. So, no, Valve is still not the evil overlord and Gabe Newell still doesnt eat newborn babies for breakfast.

PPS. Coldfront, good luck with the DoJ. :haha:

No, they are not. Way to misread what Valve said.And lose access to ~80% of PC gaming? I don't think they can.You've never heard of Order of War: Challenge, have you? That's because the tech press suppressed Valve's rape of a multiplayer community.

Your argument is a good one. There is no need to use insults to support it.

Thanks. I'll remove the insult.

What do you think is a better alternative to Steam service?

As of now, none. No one can match Steam's library.:down: Heard nothing but bad about Uplay. I've heard Origin has far better customer support than Steam, but everyone has such a ingrained anti-EA bias for no legitimate reason that it's only just hanging on due to compelling exclusives. GOG only has old games and is struggling to catch up.

I think that Origin behaving like a malware may be one of the reasons why people hate it.

Sorry, that was my mistake. Brain said one thing, fingers did something else. :)

So, Valve is asking for Early Access developers to not price their Steam price higher than available on other places.

Yet when Steam is accused of the same thing, all Gaben has to do is say "we don't care what porn you watch", and everyone forgets all about allegations of Steam spying on users.Good to see you understand. You've got it.

I understand what Valve is saying, but I don't understand why you have such a big problem with it.

The problem is that if another site is selling the early access game for less than Steam, then that means Steam is selling it for higher, which Valve is prohibiting in its new Early Access policy. So this new policy bans other websites from competing with Steam on price.

Woot! the Steam thanksgiving sale is here. Brave New World is 75% off!

Let the shopping begin.

Hmmm.. No it doesn't. It means the policy is designed to insure that Steam can MATCH the price - which brings value (through the reduced price) to the larger customer base.

Lowered prices (matching sale prices elsewhere) with a larger market portion equates to greater sales, which helps the developer pay his/her bills and keep working on the "next big thing".

Quite honestly - having done the "early access" bit a few times I am more against the whole "early access" movement than I am with Steam wanting to stay competitive for its users.