So if I bought a used copy at GameStop...

[ActualSize]

More and more companies are going to put these codes inside new games to help prevent used game sales because the developers make $0 off of them. BioWare has been doing that with "free" DLC codes that would cost $15 to purchase if you bought the game used.

I'm familiar with that, but I'm not sure that's the same thing; I bought a (new) copy of Dragon Age a few weeks ago, and it had a one-time-use code insert that allowed me to download a $15 add-on for free. But if I had bought that one used, I still would have had the option of paying the extra $15 and getting the add-on that way. Bioware's approach encourages people to buy the new one instead of the used one, yes, but it does it in a way that doesn't punish people who buy it used by actually preventing them from accessing a feature.

They have to consider the worst-case scenario, in which basically the $10 export can be abused by one person passing around his otherwise brand-new LRB disc to a bunch of his friends. Sure, Harmonix is getting $10, but how much are they losing on the disc sale? How much are Tt or MTV games losing on it, for that matter?

Like I said earlier, I understand to policy; GameFly alone would potentially account for thousands of unsold copies of the game if export licenses weren't pretty tightly-controlled (well, maybe not "unsold," as not everyone who rents a game is someone who would have bought it otherwise, but at least there would be a lot of people who'd be getting a lot of product for far less than intended). Not to mention traditional rentals, RedBox, and people taking advantage of the very same GameStop return policy I did. I'm not really complaining; I only brought this up because I wanted to verify that it worked the way it does. It was a pain for me to deal with, but it's been dealt with; at this point, it's a non-issue for me.

lol @ talking about morals, laws, ethics. For real? HMX didn't screw you over, and that's all that needs to be said. I don't know how you got anything else out of my post.

Well, looking again, I'm seeing quotation marks around the word "perspective," presumably to indicate a dismissive attitude toward my use of the term, the implication that I intended to rip anyone off, and the word "pretends."

so thank you for doing the right thing and returning the used copy to gameschlock...

You're... welcome?

I'm not sure it was "the right thing," though... would keeping my used copy and just dealing with not being able to export the songs have somehow been "the wrong thing?" It's a used copy of the game, not a stolen one. My whole point when I brought up perspective was that there really isn't a "good guy" and a "bad guy" here, just different views of an issue. Nobody's the villain.

I don't know if you guys know this, but if I were to buy a used Prius, Toyota wouldn't see a dime from me. They'd have already been paid for their product the first time it was sold. After that, the new owner is free to do with it whatever they want, including selling it to someone else. Nothing shady or dishonest or conspiratorial; just people doing business with other people.

[Apples]

Yes, you are getting a "big ole middle finger" from the company because they incentivized people to purchase their product via their preferred channel. (ie: new)



Don't play the victim here. You would not have gotten dog piled on by the forum populace if you had not phrased your question in such an inflammatory manner.

And for the record, your comparison to the Toyota Prius is completely bogus. Toyota does not give you the ability to clone a copy of the car, and then sell the original. Sorry for the harsh assessment, you seem like an articulate fellow, but you really pushed the wrong buttons.