Stop Killing Games Movement Hits European Commission Wall, Shifts to Parliament
The Commission's refusal shifts the fight from a direct regulatory route to a legislative amendment strategy, testing whether the movement can achieve its goals through parliament rather than the executive.
Reporting from 1 sources: 4Gamer.net.
The European Commission refused to legislate on game preservation, citing intellectual property rights, effectively blocking the 1.3 million-signature Stop Killing Games petition. Organizer Ross Scott called the response expected and said the movement is now working directly with European Parliament members to amend the upcoming Digital Fairness Act.
The European Commission on June 16 issued a formal response to the Stop Killing Games petition, rejecting the call for new laws requiring publishers to keep games playable after service termination. The Commission cited EU copyright law, arguing that forcing perpetual game functionality would infringe on corporate intellectual property rights, and that existing consumer protection law already covers cases where termination terms are disclosed before purchase.
Ross Scott, who led the petition that gathered 1.3 million signatures, said the response was expected. He criticized the Commission for passing responsibility to existing laws and courts rather than creating new regulations. Scott and his team have shifted focus to working directly with members of the European Parliament, aiming to incorporate game preservation rules as an amendment to the Digital Fairness Act, a broader bill regulating unfair online commercial practices.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.