XBL Marketplace - NEW RESTRICTIONS!

[DieH@rd]

Tommorow will be released new dasboard update, and one "update" will anger many x360 users.

Xbox 360 Marketplace Territory Controls Strengthened

Some Xbox LIVE members may experience some changes when downloading Marketplace content, as we strengthen the territory controls on the service with the Spring Update coming next week.

As you may have noticed over the past few months, Xbox LIVE Marketplace has seen tremendous growth with tons of additional gaming and entertainment content, as well as a number of new partners. We are committed to providing great content to all of our users, however not all content is available for use in all countries. For example, as indicated in our Terms of Use, the movies and TV shows available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace are currently available only for use in the United States.

...

For example, if you are not located in the US, but have created a US Xbox LIVE account, you will not be able to download TV shows and movies that are currently available for use only in the US.
http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2007/05/03/544632.aspx

OK, no movies... no big deal... But wait, its not just movies:

Q: What if I live in a country like Greece that does not have Xbox Live, but I have an Xbox Live account registered to another country?

Michael Newey: While we do not advise or condone this since a user who does this is technically breaking a contractual agreement, users with this type of account will still be able to use it. However, they will not be able to download content from Xbox Live Marketplace.

So, no demos, no DLC, nothing... [ There are rumors, that some European countries (Croatia, Serbia,...) that are not part of EU will not have acces even to EU Marketplace! ]

Here is link to m$ PR response:
http://aceybongos.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!34EFB79E92974FD2!4205.entry

 

[Nesh]

My cousin has this stupid problem with Playtstion Store. He cant buy anything online because he is from Greece. If he had a UK credit card he could. But since he is from Greece and his card is from greece he cant. Atleast Sony's online service is free unlike 360's. It sucks even more that XBOX Live is not free and still have to deal with such an issue.

Btw if someone knows or finds a solution to Playstation store or XBOX Live so we can buy content that is not available for us in non-incluided countries please do inform me/us

 

[LightHeaven]

The restrictions wont be apllied to the entire marketplace, only the actual content...

The lock will be up to the publisher, not Ms.

 

[Titanio]

My cousin has this stupid problem with Playtstion Store. He cant buy anything online because he is from Greece. If he had a UK credit card he could. But since he is from Greece and his card is from greece he cant. Atleast Sony's online service is free unlike 360's. It sucks even more that XBOX Live is not free and still have to deal with such an issue.

Btw if someone knows or finds a solution to Playstation store or XBOX Live so we can buy content that is not available for us in non-incluided countries please do inform me/us

At least free stuff is accessible on other PSN stores.

I think this could be a huge problem, though, if everyone starts closing off access to content based on your region. Isn't there an issue in someone selling in the EU and discriminating against other EU citizens based on nationality?

Even with a store in every country, there's the problem of varying content. I'd hate to be limited to just my own country's store. It all seems very un-internet.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

Isn't there an issue in someone selling in the EU and discriminating against other EU citizens based on nationality?

No, because they can brush this off by saying they do not have the ability to process greek CC's (they do, but this is a bad example okay?). They can blame it on technical difficulties, and leave it at that.

 

[DieH@rd]

Well this sucks:

Sho Nuff @ NeoGAF

Oh, this is rich. According to one of the official MS blogs, content you've paid for and had licensed to you can no longer be downloaded. I bought a bunch of TV shows and deleted them to free up extra space. Oh, guess what, I CAN'T RE-DOWNLOAD CONTENT I LEGALLY OWN ANYMORE AFTER THE MAY UPDATE!

Yeah, MS, I'll be sure to buy lots more DRM'ed content from you in the future. Thanks for the two-day heads-up, so I'll have 48 hours to re-download everything I bought from Video Marketplace. Oh, that's right, THE FILES DOWNLOAD LETHARGICALLY SLOW SO IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THEM ALL.


PS3 time

 

[Titanio]

The restrictions wont be apllied to the entire marketplace, only the actual content...

The lock will be up to the publisher, not Ms.

This would at least be a bit better..do you have a source on that? The Q+A above makes it sound like restrictions will be wholesale (i.e. if no Live in your country, then no marketplace content at all).

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Isn't there an issue in someone selling in the EU and discriminating against other EU citizens based on nationality?

Yes, which is what Apple are getting pulled up for. You aren't allowed to restrict EU citizens from buying content or products from other EU countries. If a game is available to UK citizens, French citizens should be allowed to purchase it.

There might be a loophole in allowing access though. In the case of iTunes, UK peeps can log onto the French iTunes site but payment is refused. If UK citizens couldn't access the website, I don't know how that'd be handled. Companies can't be required to make all products available to all EU countries.

I CAN'T RE-DOWNLOAD CONTENT I LEGALLY OWN ANYMORE AFTER THE MAY UPDATE!

One would say you don't legally own it, because it was illegally sold to you. MS shouldn't have allowed unlicensed content out of the region in the first place.

 

[DieH@rd]

In my book, if he paid it, he should own it... And yes, MS made mistake with allowing this in the first place...

Sho Nuff:

I originally registered my Live account in the USA on an American console with an American credit card with an American billing address. I'm an American, but it clearly is my fault in moving abroad. I guess I'm just going to have to pack up and return to the USA now. Myself, MrSingh, Dcharlie, Cormacaroni, JohnTV, are going to have a mass exodus out of Japan.

:neutral:

 

[Titanio]

There might be a loophole in allowing access though. In the case of iTunes, UK peeps can log onto the French iTunes site but payment is refused. If UK citizens couldn't access the website, I don't know how that'd be handled. Companies can't be required to make all products available to all EU countries.

Yeah, but this is sort of like the internet equivalent of physically stopping someone from a different company travelling to your store to buy something. The roadblocks, if you will, are very arbitrary and deliberate. They can't say it's logistically impossible or unprofitable to distribute stuff to people in Greece, for example, over the internet.

 

[Nesh]

At least free stuff is accessible on other PSN stores.

I think this could be a huge problem, though, if everyone starts closing off access to content based on your region. Isn't there an issue in someone selling in the EU and discriminating against other EU citizens based on nationality?

Even with a store in every country, there's the problem of varying content. I'd hate to be limited to just my own country's store. It all seems very un-internet.

Why cant they just share the stores? They dont have to make one for each EU country!

I dont understand this either!

 

[Titanio]

Why cant they just share the stores? They dont have to make one for each EU country!

I dont understand this either!

I don't know, I'd like to know too. I'm guessing its because every country has different regulations etc.

On the flipside of the coin, harmonising things into one EU store could slow things down for everyone in terms of getting content out. You'll often see UK/Irish gamers pondering why they cannot get a game released at the same time as the US, because they are english speaking countries. They'd rather be treated separately if it means faster access to content, rather than to wait with the rest of Europe for everything to be ready for all countries. I guess this way, that happens, they are being treated separately. But even with that, the content there isn't anywhere near as in line with the US, so I guess it's not making that much of a difference.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

In the case of content, each country has it's own review and censuring policies. Thus to get a film onto a download service, it'll need to pass by different agencies and get different ratings for different countries. It's a 12 in the UK, and an K-13 in Greece. You'd thus need to discriminate with customers when purchasing. It's these regional differences that put a spanner in the works of a pan-European network service I guess.

 

[ninzel]

I don't think it's case of reviews(the US is pretty Puritanical compared to other developed nations) or ratings ,more like business agreements.
In my country of Canada ,CTV shows Lost ,Global shows Heroes etc.. They probably all signed some exclusive broadcasting agreements.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I don't think it's case of reviews(the US is pretty Puritanical compared to other developed nations) or ratings ,more like business agreements.

That was only meant as one example of regional issues, although it's certainly one that slows things down. Regardless of what ratings are handed out, the content has to go through the various review boards, with the right paperwork and legal shennanigans. You can't have a download video just sent around the EU without the different governments all wanting to have their say regards their populations. Although the internet has managed that okay, but I doubt the governments are happy about it!

 

[Titanio]

In the case of content, each country has it's own review and censuring policies. Thus to get a film onto a download service, it'll need to pass by different agencies and get different ratings for different countries. It's a 12 in the UK, and an K-13 in Greece. You'd thus need to discriminate with customers when purchasing. It's these regional differences that put a spanner in the works of a pan-European network service I guess.

But there's nothing to stop a person in one EU country buying a movie/dvd in another, importing it. I do wonder if there are legal issues in preventing that.

 

[standing ovation]

When you buy content on Live what you are really doing is signing a lease. But without some sort of closure you are bound to the seller's terms of use.

 

[Nesh]

In the case of content, each country has it's own review and censuring policies. Thus to get a film onto a download service, it'll need to pass by different agencies and get different ratings for different countries. It's a 12 in the UK, and an K-13 in Greece. You'd thus need to discriminate with customers when purchasing. It's these regional differences that put a spanner in the works of a pan-European network service I guess.

Does this also happen with games? I have the impression that in Greece the games are rated the same as they are in UK

 

[Titanio]

This was posted on GAF, and I thought it was illuminating re. the situation in the EU at least. Apple has run into a spot of bother for basically doing the same thing with iTunes. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this is, and how it might set the tone for any such similar move by MS.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6520677.stm

Brussels believes agreements between Apple and record companies violate EU laws by preventing users in one country buying music from a site elsewhere.

The Commission said Apple established customers' country of residence through their credit card details and only allowed people to buy tracks from the website for that country.

"Consumers can only buy music from the iTunes online stores in their country of residence and are therefore restricted in their choice of where to buy music," said EU competition spokesman Jonathan Todd.

 

[DeathKnight]

While this news may be disheartening for some, I myself don't really care. I've never intentionally cheated the system to gain access to stuff that I'm technically not supposed to have access to.