April updates on campaign to stop game destruction
Campaign Progress
The UK petition to stop games from being destroyed by publishers has reached 10,000 signatures, and the [[Australia | Australian]] petition is expected to open next week.
Players who received [[The Crew (video game) | The Crew]] for free can still submit a complaint to the DGCCRF, but it's recommended not to volunteer that information.
Cases where players clearly owned the game are preferred for complaints.
The [[Canada | Canadian]] petition is facing challenges due to a lack of response from Canadian Parliament members.
Crowdsourcing and Data Management
Setting up an official Discord server is being reconsidered due to concerns about potential infiltration by PR firms working for publishers.
[[Crowdsourcing]] efforts are needed to update and maintain a list of game shutdowns and at-risk games.
A spreadsheet export option for the list would be beneficial for data analysis and sharing.
Legal Actions
An [[Australia | Australian]] law firm has been secured to file an official complaint to the ACCC on behalf of Australian owners of [[The Crew (video game) | The Crew]].
A website called torn.com has offered to fund the legal fees for the Australian action and potentially for the [[Brazil | Brazilian]] lawsuit as well.
More [[French language | French]] and Brazilian owners of The Crew are needed to join the mediation process.
The Brazilian lawsuit is likely to happen, and an affected owners list is being compiled.
Focus on The Crew and Digital Game Preservation
The focus remains on The Crew as it presents a unique opportunity to address digital game preservation.
[[Nintendo]] and [[Sony]] shutting down multiplayer components of games may not be actionable, except in [[Australia]].
Ubisoft's Response
Ubisoft has not responded to the campaign, and the blanket response from Ubisoft emphasizes their unwillingness to support continued game operation.
Ubisoft removing licenses from accounts does not affect the campaign's plans or goals.
Piracy and Consumer Protection
The argument "if buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing" indicates a misunderstanding of the issue.
Piracy may become less relevant in the future due to increased game protection measures.
The focus should be on the fact that the game is inoperable and that it was purchased as a one-time purchase.
If a [[Consumer protection | consumer protection]] agency notices the violation of inoperability, it could potentially help raise awareness of the issue.