DuckDairyDip

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Feb 21, 2018
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How exactly would an indie dev like this even go about getting their game removed from Steam posted by someone else? I assume many who are much smaller don't even register as a business depending on the circumstance or have anything copyrighted or the like. So even if they wanted to, does Steam have an avenue to even prove they are the true owner of the game?
 

Tremonia

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How exactly would an indie dev like this even go about getting their game removed from Steam posted by someone else?
They contact Steam's legal department.
I assume many who are much smaller don't even register as a business depending on the circumstance or have anything copyrighted or the like.
They don't need to have a company to sell a game on Steam. They also don't need a company to claim their legal interests regarding copyright infringement.
So even if they wanted to, does Steam have an avenue to even prove they are the true owner of the game?
Of course Steam has that. They would be stupid if they didn't. As a retailer, Steam is also liable to a certain extent if they allow copyright infringement. This is also one of the reasons why Steam checks the content before every release and, especially in the case of music, asks for proof that it is licensed music or its own creations. There are many ways to prove that you own the copyright to your own product. Assume that Steam, with the mass of products they offer, knows very well what ways there are and uses them accordingly.
 
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How exactly would an indie dev like this even go about getting their game removed from Steam posted by someone else? I assume many who are much smaller don't even register as a business depending on the circumstance or have anything copyrighted or the like. So even if they wanted to, does Steam have an avenue to even prove they are the true owner of the game?
I don't know the exact process, but what I know is that if someone is sending Steam a DMCA takedown notice, they have to take the game down for 30 days to give both parties the time to prove their claim (I have seen it happening ~6 years ago to a game called Farmer's Dynasty).
 

DuckDairyDip

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Feb 21, 2018
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They contact Steam's legal department.
They don't need to have a company to sell a game on Steam. They also don't need a company to claim their legal interests regarding copyright infringement.
Of course Steam has that. They would be stupid if they didn't. As a retailer, Steam is also liable to a certain extent if they allow copyright infringement. This is also one of the reasons why Steam checks the content before every release and, especially in the case of music, asks for proof that it is licensed music or its own creations. There are many ways to prove that you own the copyright to your own product. Assume that Steam, with the mass of products they offer, knows very well what ways there are and uses them accordingly.
Makes sense Steam has those things in place for as big as they are and how long they've been around. Of course a storefront would have a way to combat copyright infringement. Just curious since I imagine many devs especially those who have not prepped for a Steam release may not have things copyrighted or any legal ties to the game outside of maybe their Patreon payments and the like. So if things aren't properly copyrighted or something that could be used as a legal substitute, how would they prove it?
I don't know the exact process, but what I know is that if someone is sending Steam a DMCA takedown notice, they have to take the game down for 30 days to give both parties the time to prove their claim (I have seen it happening ~6 years ago to a game called Farmer's Dynasty).
Yeah, I remember that situation. Was just curious how they would go about a DMCA and the like if they did not have a registered company, copyright, and/or trademark to anything and what that process would likely look like. Like would the Patreon page no longer being up and very little social media presence work against them? Would providing proper builds including old builds of the game be sufficient?
 
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