1. Terms of Service:
o PRIVACY POLICY
AGREEMENT
o SUBSCRIBER
AGREEMENT
IPOP303 Policy Primer
Simon Godfrey

2. What is STEAM?
= ?

3. STEAM : is an online platform for distribution
and purchase, multiplayer communication
and DRM developed by VALVe Corp.
STEAM is accessed via a client which installs
on the users computer, mac or PS3 console

4. (VALVe: Software
Developer founded
by ex Microsoft
employees Gabe
Newell and Mike
Harrington, also
developed the
‘source’ engine used
in all subsequent
VALVe games. Steam
has exclusivity of
these games, all of
which are bestsellers)

5. IN SHORT
o 54,000,000 active user accounts as of 2012
(Gaming Bolt 2012)
o 70% dominance on digital distribution market
(Gamasutra 2009)
o Cloud based distribution and account info storage
o Distributes Proprietary Software Licenses
o Steam offers integration of User Generated
Content with the Steam system (Steam 2012)

6. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o User downloads and installs the client on
applicable hardware.
Thus agreeing to:
o http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/
o http://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/

7. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o Children under the age of 13 are
encouraged to only sign up with parental
guidance.
This is not enforced and any child can install Steam without
adult consent. However, a credit card, Steam Wallet or PayPal
account is still needed to purchase games.

8. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o User account information can be changed upon
request: The user can manipulate the way they are
represented within the Steam user-base and
community, at the discretion of Steam.
This means anyone can obtain Steam and assume the identity
of any demographic they choose, unless Steam discovers this

9. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o Habits and behaviours of individual users and
demographics can be monitored at the discretion of
Steam and shared to other parties without restriction
Other parties include Law Enforcement, disclosure to
whom is not made clear in the Agreement.

10. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o Habits and behaviours of individual users and
demographics can be monitored at the discretion of
Steam and shared to other parties without restriction
This includes hardware monitoring and reporting,
which is optional by request.
The hardware survey gages the performance and
usage of hardware and software by users for Steam
marketing purposes. (Steam 2012)

11. HOWEVER
o “Valve will not share personally identifying
information with third parties for marketing
purposes.”
VALVe won’t sell your details to marketing companies.
Good on you VALVe.

12. HOWEVER
o If you use a proxy/VPN for anonymity: VALVe
can terminate your Steam account:
“You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise
the place of your residence, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions
on game content, to purchase at pricing not applicable to your geography,
or for any other purpose. If you do this, we may terminate your access to
your Account.”

13. HOWEVER
o “VALVe may cancel your account or any
particular Subscription(s) at any time.”
For, but not limited to; “a violation of this Agreement or
improper or illegal activity” VALVe may cancel the
user’s account without obligation of refund.

14. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o In the case of account cancellation: “You agree
to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Valve,
its licensors, and its and their affiliates...”
This clause survives the account termination, so even
if you are no longer a Steam client, Steam is not
legally obliged to you.

15. WHEN A USER SIGNS UP
o Violation of the Agreement or illegal activity can
include the illegal modification and repurposing
of software distributed by Steam
This is to prevent piracy via the Steam network,
however this is enforced by Steam DRM.
Steam allows and encourages the use of their
workshops to modify and create User Generated
Content

16. USER GENERATED CONTENT
o VALVe has an unlimited use license on ALL
user generated content
“you expressly grant Valve and its affiliates the complete and irrevocable
right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute,
transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, and publicly display and
perform the User Generated Information and derivative works thereof in any
form, anywhere, with or without attribution to you, and without any notice or
compensation to you of any kind.”
o If a user creates, modifies or contributes to
content made available on Steam (maps,
mods, programs) this belongs to Steam with
no obligation on their part to the user.

17. USER GENERATED CONTENT
o VALVe has an unlimited use license on ALL
user generated content
This agreement survives subscription
termination: “All your data are belong to Steam”

18. HOWEVER:
o A user may cancel their OWN account at any time
o BUT the account still exists but is rendered
inaccessible. (AccountKiller 2012)
Only accounts with no purchases made/no licences or
subscriptions pending are fully deleted, meaning
personal info is retained on VALVe servers
This also means no refunds or transfer of purchased
games/software can be attained

19. HOWEVER:
o This means that if an account is lost,
deactivated, terminated or cancelled in any
way:
VALVe does not have any obligation to refund or
compensate for loss of digital licenses in any way:
The games you buy are merely borrowed via Steam
and are never possessed by the user as independent
software.

20. That’s right:
“Your license confers no title or ownership in
the Software.”

21. Lawsuit and Class Action Waiver; restricting the legal
power of the user.
This means no legal action against VALVe in the case of:
o Fraud
o Tort
o Statute
o Unfair competition
o Misrepresentation
o “Any other legal theory”
Steam allows, however, for claims against unauthorised use,
piracy or theft from the user’s account, to be dealt with between
the user and Steam.

22. LEGAL
o Any legal proceedings outside of Europe
must take place in Washington state.
“You agree that this Agreement shall be deemed to have been made and
executed in the State of Washington, and any dispute arising hereunder shall be
resolved in accordance with the law of Washington.”
o All legal proceedings within Europe must
take place in Luxembourg
“You agree that this Agreement shall be deemed to have been made and
executed in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and that it is subject to the laws of
Luxembourg, excluding the law of conflicts and the Convention on Contracts for
the International Sale of Goods (CISG)..”

23. LEGAL
o All legal proceedings within Europe must
take place in Luxembourg, however:
“However, where the laws of Luxembourg provide a lower degree of consumer
protection than the laws of your country of residence, the consumer protection
laws of your country shall prevail. In any dispute arising under this Agreement,
the prevailing party will be entitled to attorneys' fees and expenses.”
o Steam is flexible in application of its legal
consumer protection and rights, in favour of
the user (outside of the USA).

24. DISTRIBUTION
o Purchasing software requires a credit card or pre-
payment to ‘Steam Wallet’, VALVe’s in-house
‘PayPal’
Want to take money back out of your Steam
Wallet?
o NON REFUNDABLE

25. DISTRIBUTION
o Purchasing software requires a credit card or pre-
payment to ‘Steam Wallet’, VALVe’s in-house
‘PayPal’
Want to close your account and get your game
licences transferred/redeemed?
o NON REFUNDABLE

26. DISTRIBUTION
o Purchasing software requires a credit card or pre-
payment to ‘Steam Wallet’, VALVe’s in-house
‘PayPal’
VALVe closes your account while you have game
licences purchased?
o NON REFUNDABLE

27. DISTRIBUTION
o Purchasing software requires a credit card or pre-
payment to ‘Steam Wallet’, VALVe’s in-house
‘PayPal’
Change in subscription details incur additional
costs?
o NON REFUNDABLE

28. DISTRIBUTION
o Purchasing software requires a credit card or pre-
payment to ‘Steam Wallet’, VALVe’s in-house
‘PayPal’
Extra cash in your Steam Wallet when your
account is terminated?
o NON REFUNDABLE

29. DISTRIBUTION
o And finally: “When you provide payment
information to Valve or to one of its payment
processors, you represent to Valve that you are the
authorized user of the card, PIN, key or account
associated with that payment”
Steam also says in the event of unauthorised
usage of your account is entitled to claims,
however, this clause make these circumstances.
Otherwise:
o NON REFUNDABLE

30. CENSORSHIP:
o Censorship of content: Steam offers censored editions
of games depending on the national position i.e.;
Australia has had no R18+ classification for games,
many have been altered or banned.
o Banned games are not available through Steam in
applicable countries, if at all.
o Cheating, hacking or otherwise disobeying the Steam
acceptable conduct policy incurs account termination.

31. STEAM ONLINE CONDUCT
All Steam subscribers agree to not commit any of
the following offences:
o Upload copyrighted material
o Infringe proprietary material rights
o Upload malicious software
o Attack Steam servers in any way
o Use Steam as a marketing scheme userbase
o Violate legal rights of other users including privacy and
publicity
o Inhibit or restrict enjoyment or use of Steam services
o Harvest user information in any way
o Create a false identity for the purpose of misleading others
o Violate any law or regulation

32. WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO:
o When you buy a game: YOU DO NOT OWN IT
o When you create content: YOU DO NOT OWN IT
o If you close your account/is terminated: NO REFUND
o If you want to use anonymously: ACCOUNT
TERMINATED
o If you want to take Steam to court: NO

33. WORKS CITED
• AccountKiller. AccountKiller. 15 August 2012. 3 September 2012
<http://www.accountkiller.com/en/delete-steam-account>.
• Graft, Kris. Gamasutra. 19 November 2009. 2 September 2012
<http://www.gamasutra.com/php-
bin/news_index.php?story=26158#.UEnWR9bia1w>.
• Mudgal, Kartik. Gaming Bolt. 6 January 2012. 2 September
2012 <http://gamingbolt.com/valve-releases-pr-steam-
userbase-doubles-in-2011-big-picture-mode-coming-soon>.
• Steam. Privacy Policy Agreement. 2012. 5 September 2012
<http://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/>.
• —. Steam Hardware & Software Survey: August 2012. 1 August
2012. 4 September 2012
<http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/>.
• —. Steam Subscriber Agreement. 2012. 5 September 2012
<http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/>.