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Anthem streamer breaks NDA, loses access to account they setup for this



All digital future is sure looking great

It's really sad with how much anti-consumer bullshit companies can get away just because technology allow ithings that wouldn't be possible 20-30 years ago
 
Origin is a form of DRM. Whether he has digital or physical copies, his entire account is nuked from playing any Origin games since he can never get his Origin activated games validated. Either way, don't fuck around with NDA during beta testing. It's just not worth it.
 
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Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
If his library was given away for free due to his position I don't see the problem.

If I did something to piss off Valve and they removed all the games I didn't pay for on my converted-to-press account on Steam I'd be fine with that.

If however he also had paid for some games then they should give that back, obviously. If his account is mixed like mine it could be an oversight and they'll discuss and fix that aspect.
 
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LOLCats

Banned
That digital future. Dude bro not intelligent though. He should have created a new origin account for this.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
If it was stated in the NDA then I don't see the problem. If it was vague in the NDA and this has been the penalty then it's a bit harsh.

I'm guessing the streamer got their 15 minutes of fame, look what it cost.

I was a member of the VMC beta and had to sign an NDA. Sure enough some people leaked screenshots and videos and were kicked off the programme. Sure enough they cried.

This person will now be relying on the outrage mob to brigade for their library back.
 
Origin is a form of DRM. Whether he has digital or physical copies, his entire account is nuked from playing any Origin games since he can never get his Origin activated games validated. Either way, don't fuck around with NDA during beta testing. It's just not worth it.
Also just a plain scummy thing to do.
 
If it was stated in the NDA then I don't see the problem. If it was vague in the NDA and this has been the penalty then it's a bit harsh.

I'm guessing the streamer got their 15 minutes of fame, look what it cost.

I was a member of the VMC beta and had to sign an NDA. Sure enough some people leaked screenshots and videos and were kicked off the programme. Sure enough they cried.

This person will now be relying on the outrage mob to brigade for their library back.
Agreed.
 

kevm3

Member
If he paid for the games, this should be illegal. He shouldn't have broke the NDA, but giving companies the right to remove a library of games you paid for is ridiculous.
 

kevm3

Member
If it was stated in the NDA then I don't see the problem. If it was vague in the NDA and this has been the penalty then it's a bit harsh.

I'm guessing the streamer got their 15 minutes of fame, look what it cost.

I was a member of the VMC beta and had to sign an NDA. Sure enough some people leaked screenshots and videos and were kicked off the programme. Sure enough they cried.

This person will now be relying on the outrage mob to brigade for their library back.

As he should. If someone breaks a Samsung NDA on samsung phones, Samsung should be able to come in his house and take his Samsung washer and dryer and samsung tv as well?
 

neoShuyin

Neo Member
Breaking a legal agreement that you signed has consequences. Who would've guessed? Apparently not this guy.
Sometimes people get sued over breaking NDAs.

Also OP are you saying a digital gaming future is bad because some idiot lost his library due to him actually being an idiot and breaking an NDA?
I don't know what to say to this OP...assuming you're not under 20yo, are you really serious?

Unless you do something really stupid (like signing a legal agreement and breaking it) you'll be fine. Almost all my gaming collection is digital and I'm fine.
 

TacosNSalsa

Member
There are quite a few clips of what happened from different people..a lot of clips have names like report streamer and streaming nda game..reminds me of when people got their hands on Bloodborne early everyone seemed like they were trying to report. His channel only has 8 followers (1 at the time it happened) I'm sure the headache he's going to have to go through to get his library back , if he even can, wasn't worth it
https://www.twitch.tv/smokethrone/clips?filter=clips&range=7d
 

kevm3

Member
Breaking a legal agreement that you signed has consequences. Who would've guessed? Apparently not this guy.
Sometimes people get sued over breaking NDAs.

Also OP are you saying a digital gaming future is bad because some idiot lost his library due to him actually being an idiot and breaking an NDA?
I don't know what to say to this OP...assuming you're not under 20yo, are you really serious?

Unless you do something really stupid (like signing a legal agreement and breaking it) you'll be fine. Almost all my gaming collection is digital and I'm fine.

And those consequences should be taking him to court and/or removing the beta and barring him from any future early previews. Giving these companies the right to remove possibly hundreds of games you paid for at a whim is disgusting.
 

neoShuyin

Neo Member
If he paid for the games, this should be illegal. He shouldn't have broke the NDA, but giving companies the right to remove a library of games you paid for is ridiculous.
Lol. It's illegal to take his library on their own platform?
No.

You know what's actually illegal? Breaking an NDA, as that is actually a LEGAL DOCUMENT.
I hate it when people ask this question, but I have to do it: how old are you and what world do you live in?
You don't seem prepared for the real world lol

Edit: to reply to what you said above: you think taking him to court would be the better option?
How?
You do realise that he'd have to pay them more than whatever his games were worth, right? Right?
 
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Cosmogony

Member
He agreed to the NDA. He broke the NDA. He would have expected consequences.

If the issue is proportionality, and the same question could be raised about the Fallout 76 anti-gay incident, I'd like to know which alternatives you would be proposing and what would the rationale be.
 
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Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Lol. It's illegal to take his library on their own platform?
No.
I mean, if he paid for the games I'm pretty sure he'd win a court case. But he's a nobody that won't be able to take on a company like that so it won't happen.
And yes they could sue him for breaking the NDA and take everything he owns in damages for all I know but that'd be a different case altogether, nothing to do with the games he bought. If he bought, as I said.
Maybe he'll accept it as the better alternative to the latter but it doesn't make it legal on its own. Not everything you click "agree" to online/before use has legal grounds.
 
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As he should. If someone breaks a Samsung NDA on samsung phones, Samsung should be able to come in his house and take his Samsung washer and dryer and samsung tv as well?
No, but they should expect to lose access to all Samsung services as well as any software or entertainment purchases made through their Samsung account.
 

neoShuyin

Neo Member
I mean, if he paid for the games I'm pretty sure he'd win a court case.
Don't be so sure.
He wouldn't.

He bought the games on their platform/service and they locked him out of their service due to him breaking a legal agreement. How can he win a case in court lol
 

kevm3

Member
Lol. It's illegal to take his library on their own platform?
No.

You know what's actually illegal? Breaking an NDA, as that is actually a LEGAL DOCUMENT.
I hate it when people ask this question, but I have to do it: how old are you and what world do you live in?
You don't seem prepared for the real world lol

Edit: to reply to what you said above: you think taking him to court would be the better option?
How?
You do realise that he'd have to pay them more than whatever his games were worth, right? Right?

And you know what you do when someone does something illegal? You report them or take them to court. You don't go and essentially take goods that they paid for and rightfully owned
 

kevm3

Member
No, but they should expect to lose access to all Samsung services as well as any software or entertainment purchases made through their Samsung account.

So just as long as a company can tie the purchase of a product to one of their services, they have the right to simply remove or take away anything you paid for? If samsung started an internet of things service where all of your samsung devices has to be connected to their network in order for it to work and any violation means they can essentially disable all of your devices, that's a future you're fine with?
 

Burger

Member
Breaking a legal agreement that you signed has consequences. Who would've guessed? Apparently not this guy.
Sometimes people get sued over breaking NDAs.

Also OP are you saying a digital gaming future is bad because some idiot lost his library due to him actually being an idiot and breaking an NDA?
I don't know what to say to this OP...assuming you're not under 20yo, are you really serious?

Unless you do something really stupid (like signing a legal agreement and breaking it) you'll be fine. Almost all my gaming collection is digital and I'm fine.

It’s not a ‘legal’ agreement, but simply a contract. You can take a shit on the contract and break it and the other party may choose a legal remedy. There is nothing special about a NDA.
 

TacosNSalsa

Member
Don't be so sure.
He wouldn't.

He bought the games on their platform/service and they locked him out of their service due to him breaking a legal agreement. How can he win a case in court lol
That's because not everything in an NDA , TOS or whatever you click agree to before you use something is enforceable.That would be up to a judge. It's like those warranty stickers that say void if removed.Those are not enforceable no matter what they say but they will continue to use them to make consumers believe it . The law is not a rigid as some would like to believe
 

Cosmogony

Member
And you know what you do when someone does something illegal? You report them or take them to court. You don't go and essentially take goods that they paid for and rightfully owned

That might be where the transition from games as goods to games as a service would kick in. The streamer isn't being robbed of any physical goods, as no Bioware SWAT team stomed in and took his physical copies.

They might try to frame it as him being denied service, denied the ability to keep playing their games. The fine print he might have not read would cover EA's bases.

But proportionality and strict legality might be an issue, sure.
 
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neoShuyin

Neo Member
And you know what you do when someone does something illegal? You report them or take them to court. You don't go and essentially take goods that they paid for and rightfully owned
But that's the point: he bought the games on their platform, which, like Steam for example, is a DRM and a service provided by them. They locked him out of their own platform/service. Why is it so hard to understand?

The guy messed up. He should be happy he wasn't taken to court and maybe he learns to not sign legal documents that he plans to break, as that can have serious consequences. More serious than losing access to a service/platform.
 

Helios

Member
Also OP are you saying a digital gaming future is bad because some idiot lost his library due to him actually being an idiot and breaking an NDA?
I don't know what to say to this OP...assuming you're not under 20yo, are you really serious?
The point is that if he had physical copies, EA wouldn't break into his house to take his C&C cd back. There are plenty of reasons to hate digital only and while this is not the best example it still proves that you don't have control over something you bought.
 
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Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I've heard where places like Blizzard put up dark drapes around the office at night, so no one can see into the studio on what they're working on. Actually Cliffy B said that. He also said they make you sign an NDA when you go there. I wouldn't be surprised. When I took an animation course, our animation teacher went on for about half an hour about how f*cked you are if you break any type of legal agreement or copy someone else's work.

Plus there is such a large group of gamers/streamers that aren't going to realize how serious the entertainment industry is. I'm not the type to pirate anything because of it either. Look at how people get a warning for downloading movies and music. They break that short warning before a movie starts and it comes with a lot of consequences.

I think the person had it coming if they willingly tried to stream it.
 
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badblue

Member
But that's the point: he bought the games on their platform, which, like Steam for example, is a DRM and a service provided by them. They locked him out of their own platform/service. Why is it so hard to understand?

The guy messed up. He should be happy he wasn't taken to court and maybe he learns to not sign legal documents that he plans to break, as that can have serious consequences. More serious than losing access to a service/platform.

Yeah, but if you get your account locked on Steam, you don't loose access to the games you've bought. You are just unable to buy any more, or use their servers for game play.

Yeah, they guy messed up, but unless that NDA he signed stated that he would loose access to games on his account if he broke the NDA he should not have lose his games.
 
So just as long as a company can tie the purchase of a product to one of their services, they have the right to simply remove or take away anything you paid for? If samsung started an internet of things service where all of your samsung devices has to be connected to their network in order for it to work and any violation means they can essentially disable all of your devices, that's a future you're fine with?
There's a difference between disabling hardware and removing access to software. This type of thing happens frequently on consoles when you break the TOS, you lose all of your digital games but your hardware is fine so you can create a new account and start from scratch. You could easily do the same with an IOT account.
 

LordRaptor

Member
I doubt he actually signed shit for a videogame alpha, so clicking a checkbox to say "yeah, okay" probably holds as much legal weight as agreeing to a EULA does.

removing his access to the alpha, or restricting his access to EA online services, nuking his entire account of purchases is another.
 
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kevm3

Member
There's a difference between disabling hardware and removing access to software. This type of thing happens frequently on consoles when you break the TOS, you lose all of your digital games but your hardware is fine so you can create a new account and start from scratch. You could easily do the same with an IOT account.

How is there a difference? Sony can't come into my house and remove my discs because I violated some agreement of theirs, yet they can remove access to my 'digital library'. Yea, you can create an IOT account, but if operation of said item was tied to that specific account, then your hardware would be essentially worthless.
 

dottme

Member
I’m not sure I agree with the nuke everything. But it was quite stupid to try to stream a closed beta under NDA.
 

kevm3

Member
I doubt he actually signed shit for a videogame alpha, so clicking a checkbox to say "yeah, okay" probably holds as much legal weight as agreeing to a EULA does.

removing his access to the alpha, or restricting his access to EA online services, nuking his entire account of purchases is another.

Exactly. If they want to remove access to the alpha or take him to court, cool. But to essentially take away a library of games he paid for is disgusting.
 

Fbh

Member
On the one hand this guy is clearly an idiot. Don't sign an NDA you are not willing to keep and if you decide to break it then maybe don't livestream yourself doing so?

But I don't like how they can so easily take the stuff that he has purchased. IMO they should ban him from participating in other preview events, ban his from accessing online services and ban him from making future purchases but taking away access to even the single player content of the stuff he purchased just seems like too much.

I mean I'm sure EA is legally in the right but I'm kinda surprised how happy people are around here that they can do that and how eager they are to defend them. Personally, I'd love if for once the politician in my country started to not just implement laws to protect big companies but actually took a hard stance on digital ownership

How is there a difference? Sony can't come into my house and remove my discs because I violated some agreement of theirs, yet they can remove access to my 'digital library'. Yea, you can create an IOT account, but if operation of said item was tied to that specific account, then your hardware would be essentially worthless.


That's the problem with digital distribution. You don't actually own anything. You aren't paying for the ownership of a digital copy as much as for the right to use that digital content.
It's like... I don't know paying to enter a theme park: you are paying for the right to enter and use the attractions but if you break their rules they can kick you out and they won't give you your money back.

IMO it sucks and I wish someone would try to regulate it
 
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RedVIper

Banned
He agreed to the NDA. He broke the NDA. He would have expected conseuqndces.

If the issue is proportionality, and the same question could be raised about the Fallout 76 anti-gay incident, I'd like to know which alternatives you would be proposing and what would the rationale be.

In this case they should take him to court for breaking the NDA. His library should not be removed, not sure that's even legal.
But if I was him I'd just let it go because going to court would be a lot worse.
 
How is there a difference? Sony can't come into my house and remove my discs because I violated some agreement of theirs, yet they can remove access to my 'digital library'. Yea, you can create an IOT account, but if operation of said item was tied to that specific account, then your hardware would be essentially worthless.
Sony can't take your physical games but they can stop your PlayStation ever connecting to their servers again, thus drastically reducing functionality.
 

neoShuyin

Neo Member
It’s not a ‘legal’ agreement, but simply a contract. You can take a shit on the contract and break it and the other party may choose a legal remedy. There is nothing special about a NDA.
An NDA is a LEGAL contract. And if you sign it, you are under LEGAL obligation to keep confidentiality.
You too seem really unprepared for the real world.


The thing is I have no love for EA, nor am I defending them.
But in this particular situation, the guy messed up and has nothing to complain about.
Maybe people need a bit of sense in this world.

Also, all of you need to understand that STEAM, amd Origin etc. are services provided to you by these companies and you buy a license for these games,
No reason to freak out though. As long as you're not a complete idiot (like the guy who broke the NDA) nobody is going to deny you access to the service.
 

LOLCats

Banned
i think most game services TOS say you don’t own the game and it can be removed for any reason by the service provider. If I recall origin TOS had a section that says if you don’t login your account for 24 consecutive months your account can be deleted.

At any rate the future is not bright for digital PC gaming. You’ll never own a game again. This in itself is a reason I haven’t spent more than 20$ on a PC game in almost a dozen years.
 

LordRaptor

Member
An NDA is a LEGAL contract. And if you sign it, you are under LEGAL obligation to keep confidentiality.
You too seem really unprepared for the real world.

There's actually a difference between signing a paper contract with your legal name and checking a checkbox as XxGamerDudexX on a popup
 

dirthead

Banned
Digital store fronts. Not even once. It's kind of hard to not condone piracy when shit like this happens. It's basically the only remaining method to actually feel secure in your ability to access data.
 
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D

Deleted member 738976

Unconfirmed Member
Jokes on you EA. I haven't paid a single cent on Origin with all the free games you desperately gave away to compete with Steam.
 

n0razi

Member
As he should. If someone breaks a Samsung NDA on samsung phones, Samsung should be able to come in his house and take his Samsung washer and dryer and samsung tv as well?


Perhaps read the contract before you sign it?
 
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