Full title: Ubisoft says you "cannot complain" it shut down The Crew because you never actually owned it, and you weren't "deceived" by the lack of an offline version "to access a decade-old, discontinued video game"

Ubisoft's lawyers have responded to a class action lawsuit over the shutdown of The Crew, arguing that it was always clear that you didn't own the game and calling for a dismissal of the case outright.

The class action was filed in November 2024, and Ubisoft's response came in February 2025, though it's only come to the public's attention now courtesy of Polygon. The full response from Ubisoft attorney Steven A. Marenberg picks apart the claims of plaintiffs Matthew Cassell and Alan Liu piece by piece, but the most common refrain is that The Crew's box made clear both that the game required an internet connection and that Ubisoft retained the right to revoke access "to one or more specific online features" with a 30-day notice at its own discretion.

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[–] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 149 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Ubisoft cannot complain if I pirate their games, because they never actually sold them. And I'm not deceiving them with my intention of never, ever, give them a dime.

[–] MrPoletki@feddit.uk 44 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Yeah I'd really like to know how this 'you don't ever own the game' fits in with their other line 'piracy is theft'.

how can you have stolen something if you haven't actually gotten it?

[–] huppakee@lemm.ee 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You are right you can't steal something that is not ownable, but paying for the game is what allows you to play so playing without stealing is still breaking their rules. Instead of buy to own they made it pay to play. But that sucks so fuck them anyway

[–] MrPoletki@feddit.uk 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"You wouldn't download a car"

Fuck you, I would if I could.

[–] lostbit@feddit.nl 2 points 2 days ago

one can dream

[–] null@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

their other line 'piracy is theft'.

Have they ever said that?

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Every AAA game company's have been for 30 years and still currently are arguing this in courts all the time.

The actual public facing employees don't have to, but sometimes still do, though usually in an unofficial capacity these days.

AA / indie devs are more of a mixed bag. A few will openly say 'fuck it, pirate it if you can't afford it, idgaf', but the majority will denounce piracy if its relevant or if prompted.

[–] null@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Every AAA game company's have been for 30 years and still currently are arguing this in courts all the time.

Are you sure about that? Because it isn't theft, it's copyright infringement.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

unauthorized use, sale, or distribution of ip is ip theft.

when it comes to software, basically , unless your software is distributed under some kind MIT or GPL or other copyleft liscense... all of the software legally is ip, and using it in an unauthorized manner is copyright infringement... which is also referred to as ip theft.

so yes, ip theft is a form of theft, and gaming companies and lawyers and other lawyers have been successfully suing other people and other companies into oblivion over this basically since the industry began.

have you just never head of the term 'ip theft'?

[–] null@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

copyright is a type of intellectual property, an area of law distinct from that which covers robbery or theft, offenses related only to tangible property.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I mean, I can be as much of a pedant as you and post an unsourced definition of 'ip theft' ... or maybe you could just admit you'd never heard of the term 'ip theft', or are unaware of its use.

Its a pretty commonly used term, especially amongst government regulatory and business organizations, as well as academics who study policy, in the US.

The term itself, its phrasing, is intentionally constructed to frame copyright infringement as a form of theft, stealing something that doesn't belong to you.

The psychological framing of the term is meant to frame losses from someone committing copyright infringement against you as equivalent to losses from being robbed.

The entire point of the usage of this term is to mold public perception.

Here's some examples where very prominent US institutions/organizations use some construction or variation of 'ip theft' as an umbrella term to refer to all kinds of copyright, trademark and/or patent infringement:

FBI

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/countering-the-growing-intellectual-property-theft-threat

KPMG (huge business consulting group)

https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2022/theft-intellectual-property.html

DHS (Homeland Security)

https://www.dhs.gov/intellectual-property-rights

IPRC (Intellectual Property Rights Center)

https://www.iprcenter.gov/

And finally, literally IPTheft.org, which basically functions as an all-in-one training/resource hub that connects business people to all kinds of resources to report when they have suffered... IP theft.

https://www.iptheft.org/

[–] null@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago

The claim was that Ubisoft called piracy "theft". Have they done that, or not?

[–] sushibowl@feddit.nl 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I've always heard it referred to as infringement, in a legal context. I'm sure game publishers (and music, film, etc.) would like to equate it in the public mind with common theft of physical goods, but it's all just propaganda.

We're just playing games with words at this point. The law is pretty clear, that distributing a copyrighted work such as a copy of a video game is illegal. I don't know why people like to repeat this line, that "if buying a game isn't owning then piracy isn't theft." Maybe it is a moral/ethical argument? It's not going to help you in court.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

The entire original comment chain that lead to what I replied to ... was all about playing word games with slogans, progoganda, public relations.

The law may be 'clear', but it is clearly bullshit.

It is absurdly deferential toward the rights of megacorps and hostile to the rights of consumers.

Laws are supposed to reflect and codify morals and ethics, arise from them... not determine them.

But, as we slip more and more into a cyberpunk dystopia of hypercapitalist megacorps being able to basically just buy legislators, judges and laws, it will become more evident that the government is just entirely a facade directed by them.

This whole article is about a lawsuit in America, you know, the land of the fee, home of the early and very expensive grave?

The place with the ongoing fascist coup that's dismantling all the government agencies that regulate corporations, after the richest man in the world just bought an election, and more recently openly tried to buy a state judge, and though he didn't succeed, will likely face no penalty for doing that very obviously illegal thing?

Also, as far as at least acquring a pirated game?

Its not that hard.

Now hosting them? Sharing them?

Yep, you're right, that's a bit more difficult... but hey, be clever enough to not get caught, and thats the same as being rich enough to write your own laws.

[–] zerofk@lemm.ee -1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Playing devil’s advocate here: both lines are consistent with them owning the games. We just rent them for a while, and own nothing. But pirating is taking what they own without paying - i.e. stealing.

[–] GoodLuckToFriends@lemmy.today 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

How did I take it? They still have it. Theft is defined as depriving the owner of property (in most places).

spoiler

bla, bla, copyright infringement

[–] reksas@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

though their games aren't worth playing in the first place

[–] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 2 points 3 days ago

On that I disagree, and that's part of the problem. I do love some of their games, but I'm not going to reward their behavior anymore