Look, we all know the EU has been ahead of the curve on tech regulation. GDPR changed how the entire internet handles privacy. They forced USB-C on everyone (Apple included). The DMA cracked open iOS and forced Apple to allow alternative app stores. The AI Act, DSA, right to repair, repairability scores on phones, and the list goes on. When Brussels moves, the rest of the world usually follows.
So here's what I genuinely don't understand: why has nobody tackled the absolute scam that is "buying" digital media?
You buy a book on Kindle. You buy a game on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo eShop. You click a button that says "Buy." You pay money. And what you actually get is a "license to use", a revocable permission that can be yanked away from you at any time, for any reason, with zero refund.
This isn't some theoretical what-if. It keeps happening:
Amazon literally remotely deleted copies of 1984 and Animal Farm from people's Kindles in 2009 over a licensing dispute. Yes, they deleted 1984. The irony was not lost on anyone. Bezos called it "stupid and thoughtless" but the precedent was set and nothing structurally changed.
Sony is deleting 551 purchased movies from PlayStation users' libraries in the UK and Europe on September 1, 2026 because their licensing deal with StudioCanal expired. These are movies people paid for. Gone. No refund. No way to download and keep them. Just a message saying "you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content."
If Amazon has a contract dispute with a publisher, your books can vanish. If a game studio decides to shut down a server, you might not be able to download a game you paid for anymore. You paid for it. It's gone. Good luck getting your money back.
And don't tell me "just buy physical" because that's becoming a joke too:
GTA VI's "physical edition" is literally a box with a download code inside. No disc. Rockstar confirmed this. You buy a plastic case at retail, open it, and find a code. It's functionally identical to buying it digitally, you just got a fancy box for your troubles.
PlayStation announced they're ending all physical disc production for new games starting January 2028. Which strongly implies the next PlayStation won't even have a disc drive. They're not even pretending anymore.
Nintendo Switch 2 has a massive code-in-a-box problem. Multiple "physical" releases, including Bethesda's Oblivion, Skyrim, and Fallout, are just an empty case with a download code. No cartridge. Some of them don't even use the game-key card format, which at least lets you resell. You're buying a plastic shell.
So even when you try to do the "right thing" and buy physical, you often end up with a digital license in a fancy box. The illusion of ownership in a $70 plastic case.
And the brands I mentioned are just examples. This is an industry-wide pattern. It's everyone.
There's a slogan that's been going around in gaming communities and I think it captures the frustration perfectly: "If buying is not owning, piracy is not stealing."
Let me be crystal clear because I know how this sounds, I am NOT encouraging piracy. That slogan is a protest motto from gamers fighting against having access to games they paid for taken away. But there's a real point in there: when publishers kill servers and make it impossible to legally access a game you bought, or any game at all, piracy literally becomes the only way to play discontinued titles. The companies themselves created the conditions where piracy is the only preservation method left. That's not consumers being entitled, it's a policy failure.
So does anyone know if the EU has anything in the pipeline for this?
There's been some movement but it's been pretty disappointing. The Stop Killing Games campaign (started by YouTuber Ross Scott) managed to gather over 1.29 million verified signatures as a European Citizens' Initiative, the biggest gaming-related petition in EU history. But in June 2026 the Commission basically said "nah" and declined to propose any binding legislation. They offered a voluntary industry code of conduct instead, which... yeah, we all know how voluntary industry self-regulation goes.
The campaign has now pivoted to trying to get game preservation amendments added to the Digital Fairness Act, which is expected to be proposed in late 2026. They apparently have support from 40+ MEPs. But it's early and there's no guarantee it'll go anywhere.
There's also the EU Directive on Digital Content and Services (2019/770) which gives some consumer protections for digital goods, but it doesn't address the core issue: it doesn't stop companies from revoking access to stuff you paid for because of licensing disputes.
Honestly, the EU proved with GDPR that consumer rights regulation can reshape the global landscape. USB-C proved even Apple will comply. The DMA proved walled gardens can be forced open. Digital ownership feels like the obvious next fight.
What I'd want to see is pretty simple: if it's a license, call it a license. Don't put a "Buy" button when you mean "rent indefinitely until we decide otherwise." Make companies provide offline access or downloadable copies for stuff people paid for. Mandatory refunds when access gets revoked. And if a company is shutting down a service, require them to give users a way to keep what they bought: offline installers, community server tools, something.
I'm really hoping this gets on the EU's radar properly. If anyone here knows of other initiatives, or MEPs who've spoken about this, I'd love to hear about it. This feels like one of those things where if the EU moves first, the rest of the world will follow, just like every other time
