Over the weekend, Sony released new Software Usage Terms for all PlayStation users which included terms about selling, renting and trading your games. Here’s a summary of these terms to explain why absolutely nothing has changed.
The two terms included in the new Sony Software Usage Terms that have caught the attention of gamers are:
6.3. You must not lease, rent, sublicense, publish, modify, adapt, or translate any portion of the Software.
7.1. You must not resell either Disc-based Software or Software Downloads, unless expressly authorised by us and, if the publisher is another company, additionally by the publisher.
Now please note that these two points have been standard practice in the majority of consumer media products since forever. It’s standard copyright protection that stops you from selling, publishing, modifying or leasing a developer’s/publisher’s intellectual property (the Software) and does not restrict you from selling, trading or renting your license (game disc or digital download).
This means that Sony will allow you to sell, trade and play disc-based second-hand games, as they have stated in their Sony PS4 FAQ:
“Similar to the PS3 system today, PS4 will not restrict players from playing disc-based used games. When a gamer buys a PS4 disc, they have right to use that copy of the game, so they can trade-in the game at retail, sell it to another person, lend it to a friend, or keep it forever. Furthermore, users will not have to go through activation steps or be charged usage fees when playing used disc-based games on their PS4 system.”
The FAQ also states that PS4 gamers “can lend and borrow disc-based games without restriction” as well as “trade and sell disc-based games freely.” It would seem that the only issue comes with digital downloads from the PSN and that’s primarily because there isn’t a mechanism to do facilitate this yet.
So there you have it! The combination of awkward legal speak and sensationalist headlines strike once again! Gamers, as always, are free to do whatever they wish with their game licences.
There’s still time to win a PS4 console in the PlayStation Memories For The Players video competition.
Sony PlayStation Software EULA Summary Explained StickTwiddlers