Valve over a breach of the law is owing 3 million dollars to the Australian government
In the year of 2014, Australian consumers began to complain of the inability to refund money for purchased video games via Steam, which is otherwise required under Australian Consumer Protection Law. Namely, Australian laws give every buyer the right to insist on making a refund or replacing a product if it has a some kind of fault.
Accordingly, the Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CAAC) has filed a lawsuit against the US company for "causing misconduct or misleading behavior and false and misleading statements about consumer's warranty".
Valve then did not offer the possibility of cash refund, like lets say today, however, ACCC considered that despite the fact that the company has its headquarters in US, the fact is that it sells products in Australia meaning they are bound by Australian law on these products. Finally, in 2016, the court ruled that Valve owes 3 million dollars to the Australian government for welding consumers around their own money refund policy.
Of course, the American company complained on this decision - two times - claiming that their lack of physical presence in Australia means that the laws of that country should not apply to their digital commerce. Nevertheless, the Australian Supreme Court ruled that Valve is bound to comply with Australian laws when selling its products to Australian consumers, meaning that the US company is required to pay a three-million-dollar fine.
Tagged with: Sale of Games and Hardware, Steam, Court Disputes, Valve