The Stop Killing Games initiative has hit a major milestone, but the fight's just begun
The Stop Killing Games initiative, created by Ross Scott, aims to pass new laws to ensure that video games still run even when developer support ends. The petition was a direct response to when Ubisoft delisted The Crew from online stores, shut down the game's servers in 2024, and revoked licenses from players who bought the game. Scott and other critics felt Ubisoft's actions set a dangerous precedent for gamers who may lose access to their purchased games at a developer's whim.
Even though there are enough signatures to move to the next step, Scott explained in a YouTube video that many of these may have been incorrectly filled out, while others could have been falsely submitted. The movement's founder said, "This is not a change.org petition, this is a government process," adding that "spoofing signatures on it is a crime." To ensure enough legitimate signatures are collected, Scott said that there needs to be at least 10 percent more to cover the potentially invalid ones. As of July 6, the petition has earned more than 1.2 million signatures.
Beyond the signatures, a European advocacy group that includes major gaming studios and publishers like Electronic Arts, Microsoft and Nintendo released a statement opposing the movement.
"Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players' data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable," the statement read. "In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create."
In a longer report, the Video Games Europe group said that this initiative would "raise the costs and risks of developing such games," create a "chilling effect on game design" and "act as a disincentive to making such games available in Europe."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
35 minutes ago
- Politico
Big Tech looks for some global wins
With help from Aaron Mak Big Tech might have lost its bid to freeze state AI rules, but on the global front, it's finding new opportunities to push back on regulation it doesn't like. Nearly six months after President Donald Trump took office promising to go after 'unfair' overseas digital regulation, the American tech industry has already notched one victory and is pushing for more. Canada folded first: Last week, after Trump threatened to stop trade with Ottawa, Canada agreed to shelve a digital services tax that would have collected billions of dollars from U.S. tech companies. Now, looking to press its case in Europe, half a dozen U.S. tech trade groups signed onto a letter last week urging the White House to take a stand against 'the EU's discriminatory digital regulatory policy.' Europe's Digital Services Act, which aims to curb harmful content online, has already come up as a topic of conversation between American and European negotiators, POLITICO's Ari Hawkins reported. European officials pushed back on reports that the Digital Markets Act, which regulates competition, is on the table, too. No trade deal is set yet, and Trump on Monday announced the tariffs that had been set to snap back this week will once again be postponed as he negotiates deals with U.S. trading partners including Europe. But the environment is giving American tech advocates the sense that the wind is at their backs. 'It's hard for me to see the Europeans just giving it up entirely, but they're going to have to make changes' to their digital rules, said Ed Brzytwa, vice president of international trade at the Consumer Technology Association, which counts Amazon, Meta and Apple as members. His group signed last week's letter to the White House, which named the DSA, DMA, digital services taxes, EU AI Act and the General Data Protection Regulation among 'discriminatory, unreasonable and burdensome regulations and taxes in the EU.' American companies say they're unfairly targeted by European policies. In the latest example, Apple, which faces fines of €500 million, and Meta, which was fined €200 million, are challenging their penalties for breaching the EU's Digital Markets Act. The trade war that Trump opened seems to have created new avenues to push their case, and now the tech industry has other digital measures in its sights. 'Canada walking back the DST was an example of how everything is on the table in these trade negotiations,' said Daniel Castro, vice president at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonprofit whose supporters include the CTA, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Meta. To some extent, European tech groups are joining the push to defang the digital rules coming out of Brussels. More than 40 leaders of Europe's biggest corporations, including French AI powerhouse Mistral and the Dutch chipmaking equipment manufacturer ASML, urged Brussels in a letter last week to pause the EU AI Act for two years. They pointed to the challenges pointed out by Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank chief, whose seminal report last September found Europe lagging in productivity. He blamed Europe's financial markets, costly energy, fragmented R&D and polarized politics. The push against the AI Act, from both sides of the Atlantic, seemed to land with a receptive audience. European Commission tech chief Henna Virkkunen told Politico last month she would not rule out postponing some of the AI Act. Nick Moës, executive director of The Future Society that favors tech regulation, said the push was 'emblematic of significant lobbying going on to try to water down or delete obligations and requirements imposed upon industry players developing AI.' But other tech regulations may be harder to crack. In late June, The Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. Trade Representative's office had compiled a draft trade agreement with the EU that included a list of tentative deals with Brussels, including a dialogue on the Digital Markets Act. According to the report, American companies would be exempt from DMA enforcement while talks went on. A senior member of the European Parliament told POLITICO's Jacob Parry the WSJ report 'is bullshit' and that 'DMA is not up for discussion.' Brzytwa, of the CTA, said he could see policymakers in Brussels struggling to outright repeal tech regulation that had been carefully crafted over years – but the enforcement might be lightened. 'What we're hopeful for is it becomes less burdensome on companies with respect to fines,' he said. Brzytwa said he saw the White House taking an expansive view of what might be possible on the global front. In Trump's first term, he ordered investigations into individual policies that burdened American companies. Now, however, Trump was targeting a wide range of digital policies. 'His aperture in terms of the issue set has broadened,' Brzytwa said. 'We haven't seen anything in writing but all the tea leaves seem to indicate…the issues we're citing are on the table.' Communications systems blamed for flood disaster As deadly floods devastate Texas, alleged failures in emergency communications infrastructure may have been a driving force of the destruction. Over the weekend, flash floods coursed through central Texas, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 people. Dozens of people are also missing. Some local officials have accused the National Weather Service (NWS) of making faulty forecasts, which the agency has disputed. Yet, emergency preparedness experts say that gaps in the technical measures to disseminate warnings are really to blame. 'The crux of this disaster is a failure of the last mile of communication,' Tom Fahy, legislative director for the NWS employee union, told POLITICO. Such alerts were transmitted wirelessly to handheld devices, and to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Radio. However, the messages can't reach people who don't have access to a cellphone or reliable service, or who've disabled such notifications on their devices. A summer camp where 11 people are missing notably had a policy against touchscreen devices that could've received weather alerts. In addition, people may miss radio communications if they don't happen to be listening at the right moment. Other counties in Central Texas have tried to solve this problem by installing outdoor weather sirens. post of the day THE FUTURE IN 5 LINKS Stay in touch with the whole team: Aaron Mak (amak@ Mohar Chatterjee (mchatterjee@ Steve Heuser (sheuser@ Nate Robson (nrobson@ and Daniella Cheslow (dcheslow@
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Are tariff rates going up? What to know about Trump's July 9 deadline
President Donald Trump's administration says higher rates will now go into effect Aug. 1. Here's where trade negotiations stand. U.S. consumers might have a few more weeks before feeling the full force of President Donald Trump's tariffs, even as a July 9 deadline looms. Trump in April announced a baseline 10% tariff, as well as targeted tariffs on dozens of countries. After stocks tanked and the bond market rebelled, Trump reversed course and said he would pause the sweeping tariffs for 90 days, giving countries until July 9 to negotiate rates. The flat 10% rate remained in effect. But that goalpost seems to have been pushed back. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on July 6 that Trump is 'setting the rates and the deals right now," with new tariff rates set to kick in on Aug. 1. "I think we'll have most countries done by July 9. Either a letter or a deal," Trump said on July 6. By July 7, Trump posted letters to the leaders of various countries, like Japan and South Korea, announcing tariffs and warning of further increases if they raise tariffs on the United States. Here's where the country's trade deals stand so far. Where do tariffs stand today? After announcing a 90-day pause on the April 2 tariffs, the Trump administration said it would use that time to launch dozens of deals with trade partners. "We're going to run 90 deals in 90 days. It's possible," White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said in April. So far, the Trump administration has announced two trade deals: The U.S. and China in May also agreed to lower tariff rates during a 90-day pause. The administration has hinted at more deals on the horizon amid ongoing discussions. The EU's top trade negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, recently met with officials in Washington, and the Japanese government said its tariff negotiator held 'in-depth exchanges' with Lutnick over the phone in early July, according to Reuters. Talks with South Korea are also set to continue the week of July 7, according to Reuters, with President Lee Jae Myung's national security adviser visiting Washington. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on July 7 told CNBC that the administration would make 'several' more trade announcements within the next 48 hours. 'I think what President Trump is concerned about is the quality of the deals, not the quantity,' he said. Trump threatens countries aligned with BRICS On July 6, Trump said countries that align with BRICS policies could face an additional 10% tariff. The group of nations includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. Trump's threat comes shortly after the countries issued a joint statement warning that tariffs could hurt global trade. The countries also condemned military strikes on Iran. What does this mean for Americans? Because importing U.S. businesses will be paying Trump's tariffs, economists have warned that U.S. consumers will likely see higher prices as companies pass along those higher rates to customers. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last month said he expects to see more price hikes this summer after tariffs have more time to work through the distribution chain. "The cost of the tariff has to be paid, and some of it will fall on the end consumer," he said. "That's what businesses say. ... So we know that's coming." Trade war escalates again: Trump says 25% tariffs coming for Japan and South Korea Trump sends tariff letters to countries During a July 6 appearance on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Bessent said the U.S. would send letters threatening to hike tariffs if trading partners fail to reach an agreement, with roughly 100 letters sent to smaller countries that don't trade much with the U.S. The letters are "saying that if you don't move things along, then on Aug. 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level," Bessent said. Here are where the April 2 tariffs stood for some of the country's largest trading partners: Letters started going out on July 7. That afternoon, Trump shared letters threatening 25% tariffs on goods from Japan and South Korea starting Aug. 1 if the countries do not agree to a trade deal. According to the Commerce Department, 4.9% of the U.S.'s machinery and mechanical appliance imports originated from South Korea as of 2022, as well as 8.3% of its transportation equipment and 4.9% of its base metals, iron, steel and tools. U.S. imports from South Korea totaled $115.4 billion, up 21.3% from the previous year. As for Japan, the country accounted for 6.2% of the U.S.'s machinery and mechanical imports in 2022. Nearly 4% of total U.S. exports were sent to Japan that year, while 4.6% of total U.S. imports were from Japan. Trump revealed new tariff rates on goods from an additional five countries later in the day, including: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there will be dozens of additional letters sent in the coming days.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
EU Rushes to Conclude a Framework Trade Deal With US This Week
(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is seeking to conclude a preliminary trade deal with the US this week that would allow it to lock in a 10% tariff rate beyond an Aug. 1 deadline as they negotiate a permanent agreement. Are Tourists Ruining Europe? How Locals Are Pushing Back Foreign Buyers Swoop on Cape Town Homes, Pricing Out Locals Trump's Gilded Design Style May Be Gaudy. But Don't Call it 'Rococo.' Denver City Hall Takes a Page From NASA In California, Pro-Housing 'Abundance' Fans Rewrite an Environmental Landmark The EU is seeking an exemption from the 10% rate for certain key products including aircrafts, aircraft parts as well as wine and spirits, according to people familiar with the matter. Some form of relief is expected as part of the agreement in principle. The European Commission, which handles trade matters for the EU, briefed member states Monday on the status of the negotiations. A spokesperson from the commission declined to comment on the ongoing talks. The US announced on Monday that universal tariffs that were due to kick in July 9 would be delayed until at least the beginning of August. For the EU, tariffs on nearly all its exports to the US will jump to 50% on that date if it doesn't strike a deal beforehand. Trump has imposed tariffs on almost all US trading partners, saying he wants to bring back domestic manufacturing, needs to pay for a tax-cut extension and stop other countries from taking advantage of the US. The EU is also pushing the US for quotas and exemptions to effectively lower Washington's 25% tariff on automobiles and car parts as well as its 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, according to the people. But a breakthrough on those levies is not immediately forthcoming. However, the two sides are discussing a so-called offsetting mechanism that would allow companies that make automobiles in the US to export a certain number tariff free, said the people. Some officials are concerned that such an arrangement could see investments and production shift across the Atlantic, Bloomberg previously reported. Any initial deal would likely be short and not legally binding. The two sides are also aiming for common ground on non-tariff barriers, digital trade and economic security. In addition to so-called reciprocal tariffs and sectoral levies on cars and metals, the US is working to introduce duties on other sectors, including pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Member states are divided on how imbalanced a deal the bloc should accept, with some pushing for a quick agreement while others want the EU to impose countermeasures and negotiate from a position of strength. The EU will assess any end result and at that stage decide what level of asymmetry it's willing to accept and whether any rebalancing measures would be required, Bloomberg previously reported. The EU has approved tariffs on €21 billion ($24.6 billion) of US goods that can be quickly implemented in response to Trump's metals levies. They target politically sensitive US states and include products such as soybeans from Louisiana, home to House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as agricultural products, poultry and motorcycles. The bloc has also prepared an additional list of tariffs on €95 billion of American products in response to Trump's so-called reciprocal levies and automotive duties. They would target industrial goods including Boeing Co. aircraft, US-made cars, and bourbon. The EU is also consulting member states to identify strategic areas where the US relies on the bloc, as well as potential measures that go beyond tariffs such as export controls and restrictions on procurement contracts. --With assistance from Andra Timu and Milda Seputyte. SNAP Cuts in Big Tax Bill Will Hit a Lot of Trump Voters Too For Brazil's Criminals, Coffee Beans Are the Target 'Telecom Is the New Tequila': Behind the Celebrity Wireless Boom Sperm Freezing Is a New Hot Market for Startups Pistachios Are Everywhere Right Now, Not Just in Dubai Chocolate ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
