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181

Valve Sued By The Performing Rights Society Over Music Rights in Games Valve Doesn’t Make or Own (www.gamesindustry.biz)

submitted 3 hours ago by netweirdo@lemmy.zip to c/technology@lemmy.world

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The Performing Right Society (PRS) has "commenced legal proceedings" against Steam owner Valve over the use of its members' works on Steam "without permission."

The organization claims that while games right across the spectrum use music to "transform play into emotional, immersive experiences," Valve has "never obtained a licence for its use of the rights managed by PRS on behalf of its members, comprising songwriters, composers, and music publishers."

PRS claims "many game titles which incorporate PRS members' musical works are made available on Steam," including "high profile series" such as Forza Horizon, FIFA/EA FC, and GTA.

PRS said that as it had sought to work with Valve about the licensing issues "for many years without appropriate engagement from Valve," it has now issued legal proceedings under the UK's s20 Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988 and requires any game that uses PRS' works to obtain a licence.

"The litigation will progress unless Valve Corporation engages positively with discussions and takes the necessary license to cover the use of PRS repertoire, both retrospectively and moving forwards," the organization said in a press statement.

Dan Gopal, chief commercial officer, PRS for Music said: "Our members create music that enhances experiences and PRS exists to protect the value of their work with integrity, transparency, and fairness. Legal proceedings are not a step we take lightly, but when a business’s actions undermine those principles, we have a duty to act.

"Great video games rely on great soundtracks, and the songwriters and creators behind them deserve to have their contribution recognised and fairly valued."

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[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 11 points 2 hours ago (3 children)

That myth was largely created by McDonald's after they were sued for giving a lady third degree vagina burns and a fused labia. "Haha, Americans are so frivolous with lawsuits, they'd sue a company for serving coffee hot enough to make you need skin grafts".

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 8 points 57 minutes ago (2 children)

Complete and utterly false, USA has that reputation because it's true.

USA has that reputation because it happens all the time, because it's easy to make a lawsuit, even often finding a lawyer that will take the case it without payment, but take the fee as a percentage of the potential winnings. And because USA has insane rules of extremely high compensations.

USA is not known for this because of a single anecdote, but because it's very common, and because of the insane compensations, which is part of why it is so common to also try with what would be a frivolous suit in any other country.

Point in case would also be the Apple lawsuit against Samsung, where part of the case was as simple as a tablet being a fucking tablet! When even Star Trek of the 60's realized that it was a convenient form factor.
Apple won on just about all points of the case, but in following years they were completely dismantled, with decisions that the case didn't have a basis, and the patents were interpreted way to widely.
This was a HUGE case that cost enormous amounts of money for both sides, and the only true winners are the lawyers. The US judicial system in this regard is completely rotten and that is being abused for frivolous cases that would be thrown out in other countries.

[–] Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca 2 points 25 minutes ago

The reply that you are replying to is so off base I wonder if it's Google Gemini trying to pretend to be a real user. So confident, so wrong, includes some real facts, but completely misapplies them.

[–] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 1 points 20 minutes ago

You're right about the effect (lawsuits and the threat of the same are more common in America than Canada or the UK) but not at all about the cause.

The USA has had a decades-long choice to have our industry regulated primarily not through government bureaucracy but instead judicial liability. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_through_litigation

[–] Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca 1 points 27 minutes ago

Omg there is always someone bringing up this McDonald's case every time like they're slam dunking some new information and not just repeating comments over and over that they read in the last thread.

McDonald's McDonalds McDonald's McDonalds McDonald's McDonalds.

There are hundreds of examples of real frivolous lawsuits being filed in the US. This case did not create a myth about frivolous lawsuits. This was at one time an example of a lawsuit that seemed like it could be frivolous, but later there was media coverage that told the real story. There do exist many examples of real frivolous lawsuits.

McDonald's McDonalds McDonald's McDonalds McDonald's McDonalds.

[–] supamanc@lemmy.world 12 points 1 hour ago

making a business decision that selling skin graft hot coffee will save more money than you will have to pay in damages to anyone injured. A decision that ultimately proved correct.