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French Ruling On Copyright Flies In Face Of Established EU Law
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A French court ruling on 17 September in a case brought by the French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir against Valve found that purchasers of video games on Valve’s digital platform, Steam, are permitted to resell them. This ruling contradicts established EU law and should be overturned on appeal.
Simon Little, CEO of ISFE, said: “This French ruling flies in the face of established EU law which recognises the need to protect digital downloads from the ease of reproduction allowed by the Internet. Far from supporting gamers, this ruling, if it stands, would dramatically and negatively impact investment in the creation, production and publication of, not just video games, but of the entire output of the digital entertainment sector in Europe. If Europe’s creators cannot protect their investments and their intellectual property, the impact on both industry and consumers will be disastrous.”
According to EU copyright law, when it comes to digital and streaming services, every use must be subject to the authorisation of the rightholder and copyright does not expire with their first sale, as it does with physical goods. Physical goods are subject to the “distribution right” and to the “exhaustion doctrine” which means that the purchaser has the right to resell the goods if they were first put on the market with the authorisation of the copyright owner. This is not the case with digital downloads which are subject to the “communication to the public right”, meaning that the purchaser does not have a right to sell them on, without the copyright owner’s permission.”
Gamers are at the heart of what we do.
ISFE ensures that the voice of a responsible video games ecosystem is heard and understood, that its creative and economic potential is supported and celebrated, and that gamers around the world continue to enjoy great gaming experiences.
Video games are creative works with an interactive element. Video games have been recognised as complex works by the Court of Justice of the European Union and are protected by copyright for both their non-software elements (music, audiovisual, graphics) and their software elements).
The 2001/29/EC Directive on Copyright and Neighboring Rights provides that:
“(29) The question of exhaustion does not arise in the case of services and on-line services in particular. This also applies with regard to a material copy of a work or other subject-matter made by a user of such a service with the consent of the rightholder. Therefore, the same applies to rental and lending of the original and copies of works or other subject-matter which are services by nature. Unlike CD-ROM or CD-I, where the intellectual property is incorporated in a material medium, namely an item of goods, every on-line service is in fact an act which should be subject to authorisation where the copyright or related right so provides”.
Current case before the CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union) – judgement expected end of 2019
The recent Opinion of the Advocate General in the Tom Kabinet case (concerning the resale of e-books) that is currently before the CJEU confirms that the exhaustion doctrine is limited only to tangible, physical supports and has no application whatsoever to digital downloads (which are covered by the communication to the public right and not by the distribution right).
The Opinion concludes that:
“Article 3(1) and Article 4 of Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society must be interpreted as meaning that the supply of e-books by downloading online for permanent use is not covered by the distribution right within the meaning of Article 4 of that directive but is covered by the right of communication to the public within the meaning of Article 3(1) of that directive.”
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: French Ruling On Copyright Flies In Face Of Established EU Law
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Hit studios’ latest scorching hot slot sensation sees players turn up the heat with the help of fiery respins and a unique prize collection feature
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Prepare to join a plucky penguin with a penchant for spicy food in Pablo El Diablo – the new Mexican-themed addition to the Elysium Studios slot line-up where devilish respins and a fiery symbol collection feature can lead to red hot rewards of up to 4,070x!
Played across a 4×5 reel set that can expand to 5×5 whenever Pablo turns up the temperature, action takes place in front of a sleepy Mexican town square where our heat-seeking hero is busy cooking up a storm. Unique symbols include dia de los Muertos-style skulls, sombreros and chili peppers, but the biggest prizes come courtesy of substitute wilds and feature-triggering scatters.
During any base game spin, Pablo can appear above one or more of the reels – and when he does, he’ll collect any instant-win prize symbols that appear in those columns. Should Pablo be lucky enough to gather up a wild symbol, however, players will activate a Diablo Respin, where an extra row is added to the gameboard and any prizes present will automatically be included in their win.
After each Diablo Respin, the wild symbol will move one column to the left – with the bonus only ending when it leaves the screen entirely – and Pablo can also appear at any point to create burning reels filled with prizes or toss fish into random spaces that upgrade all low value symbols.
The main feature, meanwhile, is triggered by landing three scatter symbols during the base game or by using the buy bonus button and combines all these fiery extras and more. Once activated, the flames will rise and the sound of scorching guitars will start up as a counter showing three respins is displayed, with this number only dropping when there are no wilds present on the reels.
As is the case during Diablo Respins, all prize symbols will be automatically collected for each wild present and Pablo will frequently pop up to create burning reels and low-value symbol upgrades. Not only that, but whenever a new wild symbol appears, the respins counter will be reset to prolong the feature and increase the potential of landing Pablo El Diablo’s hottest prizes.
Anthony Dalla Giacoma,Chief Commercial Officer said: “It may be getting cold outside, but this month our Elysium Studios line-up is turning up the heat with a fiery new addition in Pablo El Diablo. Featuring a thrilling prize collection mechanic and a respins feature that pays out red hot rewards, we’re sure the game will be the perfect winter warmer for slot fans and operators alike.”
The post Hit studios’ latest scorching hot slot sensation sees players turn up the heat with the help of fiery respins and a unique prize collection feature appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Gaming Corps sets sail with 3 Pigs of the Caribbean – a swashbuckling new chapter in its hit Pigs series
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Hams Ahoy! The iconic trio return for a pirate-themed Hold & Win adventure
Gaming Corps – a publicly-listed game development company based in Sweden, has unveiled 3 Pigs of the Caribbean, the latest and most ambitious instalment in its hit Pigs series. Following the runaway success of 3 Pigs of Olympus, the notorious trio return for a high-seas escapade packed with charm, humour, and treasure-filled potential.
Set against sun-drenched islands and creaking pirate ships, 3 Pigs of the Caribbean invites players to join the three swashbuckling pigs on their hunt for fortune. Every spin feels like a roll of the waves, as the pigs dig, hoard, and plunder their way across the reels in search of glittering rewards. Played across a 5×3 grid with 243 ways to win, this high-volatility Hold & Win slot captures the thrill of adventure with its dynamic mix of prize collection, grid expansion, and feature upgrades.
At the heart of the game is the Bonus Hold & Win Game, triggered by landing six or more Prize Coin symbols or a combination of Prize and Pig Coins. Once activated, players set sail on a bonus round that can expand to a 5×5 grid, where every spin offers new treasures to uncover. Each of the three Pig Coins brings its own brand of mischief and reward: the Red Pig expands the grid and adds new win possibilities, the Yellow Pig boosts prizes with multipliers of up to x10 and can award random values of up to 100x the total bet, while the Blue Pig adds extra respins and can also deliver random values of up to 100x the bet.
Adding to the chaos is the Mystery Pig, which can transform into any of the three Pig Coins to trigger surprise upgrades mid-bonus. Meanwhile, the Collector Chest feature keeps the base game brimming with activity, scooping up the values of Prize Coin symbols as they land. The brand-new Prize Gem system adds long-term treasure hunting to the mix, with four collectible tiers: Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand – each unlocked through colour-coded progress bars. When a bar is filled, a matching Prize Gem drops onto the grid, delivering a haul worthy of the high seas.
With an RTP of up to 95.81% and a rich tapestry of features that blend instant rewards with long-term engagement, 3 Pigs of the Caribbean represents a major evolution in the Pigs franchise, and one of Gaming Corps’ most feature-packed titles to date.
Viacheslav Pechernyi, Product Owner at Gaming Corps, said: “The Pigs have become a cornerstone of our portfolio and a player favourite around the world. With 3 Pigs of the Caribbean, we wanted to take everything that made the series successful – fun characters, smart mechanics, and big win potential, and send them on their most daring voyage yet. We can’t wait to see how it performs.”
The post Gaming Corps sets sail with 3 Pigs of the Caribbean – a swashbuckling new chapter in its hit Pigs series appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
UKGC: GSGB to Continue for a Further Four Years
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The UK Gambling Commission has awarded a four-year contract (2026–2029) to the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the University of Glasgow to deliver the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).
The new contract builds on several years of survey development, culminating in the launch of the GSGB in 2024 as the official statistics on gambling behaviours in Great Britain. Since its launch, the GSGB has become one of the largest and most comprehensive gambling surveys in the world.
The GSGB is already offering unprecedented insight into how people gamble, enabling the Commission to monitor behaviours over time and to publish in-depth thematic reports. These have included analyses of why people gamble, the characteristics of more frequent gamblers, and the relationship between specific gambling activities and Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores.
The Commission has given particular thanks to the University of Glasgow for its analytical contributions to these topical reports, which have deepened understanding of gambling behaviours across Great Britain.
Mari Toomse-Smith, Director of Health and Biomedical Surveys at the National Centre for Social Research, said: “We are honoured to have been trusted by the Gambling Commission to lead on the delivery of the GSGB. We worked closely with the Commission to design a state-of-the-art survey and are pleased to be able to continue the GSGB journey with the Gambling Commission and the University of Glasgow.
“GSGB plays a pivotal role at the UK gambling data infrastructure, and its potential will only grow with each new survey year.”
Professor Heather Wardle said: “We are delighted to extend our contract with the Gambling Commission and our work on the GSGB. We’re excited to work with the Commission to explore how we can further enhance the GSGB, looking at how survey data can be merged with information about gambling from other sources, and looking at how we can better understand how behaviours change over time.
“We’re especially well placed to do this, having led methodological innovation on understanding gambling for the last 20 years”
Over the next four years, NatCen and the University of Glasgow will continue to refine and enhance the survey, supporting the Commission’s commitment to developing evidence and improving data quality.
As outlined in the Commission’s evidence roadmaps, this next phase will also explore the potential for using the GSGB for longitudinal research and data linkage—opening up new possibilities for understanding how gambling behaviours evolve over time.
Tim Miller, Executive Director of Research and Policy, said: “The Gambling Survey for Great Britain has already transformed our understanding of how people gamble, providing richer, more reliable insight than ever before. We are pleased to award this new contract to NatCen and the University of Glasgow, whose expertise has been central to the GSGB’s success so far.
“Over the next four years we’ll continue to strengthen the survey and expand what it can tell us—whether that’s through deeper analysis or exploring opportunities for longitudinal research. This work is fundamental to ensuring our regulation is rooted in the best possible evidence.”
The post UKGC: GSGB to Continue for a Further Four Years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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