New Proposed Law Would Give Gamers Total Ownership of Digital Games They Buy (& Make Delisted Games Playable Offline)
As companies keep trying to make physical media formats go away, many have brought up the idea of boosting digital ownership rights to counteract that sea change. As it stands now, buying something digitally just means people are essentially purchasing the license for it, which could be pulled at any time. However, a new piece of legislation is being introduced in the United States House of Representatives to help expand digital rights in this digital age.
As broken by Kotaku, Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democratic congressman for the Bronx, has introduced the Power To The Players Act, fittingly echoing a GameStop slogan. This legislation, according to Torres’ website, would “direct the Federal Trade Commission to establish regulations protecting consumers’ ability to own and play the video games they purchase.” This would, if successful, give customers ownership over the actual game instead of the license to play it. Additionally, games would have to contain some sort of offline mode if the servers are shut down, a component that seemingly takes notes from the Stop Killing Games movement that has been bubbling up over the last few years.
Torres brought up NBA 2K25 as a specific example demonstrating why this law needs to pass. Even though it only launched in September 2024, servers for the sports title are already being turned off on December 31st. The press release noted “no consumer should have a game they paid for pulled out from under them on a company’s arbitrary timeline.” The statement also tied in the current cost of living crisis engulfing the United States.
“When you pay for a game, you should own it,” said Torres. “Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy. A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase. It is a rental disguised as a sale. Families in the Bronx and across the country save up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that can vanish at any time. The Power To The Players Act ensures consumers own what they buy and can keep playing long after a company moves on.”
The Digital Rights Ownership Bill Is Unlikely to Pass, but It Is a Start
Introducing legislation like this is great for the movement to expand digital rights, but actually getting it passed is a lengthy and difficult process that can get jammed up in a number of ways. It would have to be formally introduced in the House of Representatives and have to go through a committee process. If it passes a committee and a vote, it would then have to be looked over by the Senate where it can be filibustered. If that miraculously passes another committee and gets a majority vote, it would need to be looked at again by both House and Senate members before a final vote. If that bill passes yet another vote, it would then need to be signed by President Donald Trump. It’s a tough road, especially given how this bill’s inherent pro-consumer features would also undoubtedly attract corporate lobbyists who would strive to kill it at all costs.
The bill also currently has no cosponsors on either side of the aisle. And while Democrats look poised to take the House and possibly the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, Republicans are currently in charge of all three branches of government and are unlikely to prioritize a bill introduced by a Democratic lawmaker. The gerontocratic Congress is also an impediment for a tech-focused bill like this; the median age of a representative is around 57.5 years, while the median age for a senator is about 64.7 years. And, to make matters worse, 87% of bills are never even put to a vote. According to Pew, this current Congress is also among the least productive in decades.
Even with many obstacles, movements like this have to start somewhere. And perhaps there’s a possibility for change once the political winds shift. And they will need to if companies like Sony (and presumably Microsoft) are determined to eliminate physical media.
Is having greater digital rights a decent alternative to seeing physical media wither away? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.