Problems with Steam

[Anian]

EDIT: Steam's EULA actually makes for interesting reading. Particularly the "Term and Termination" section.

Well pretty much the whole EULA is a big "Click I AGREE to give up all your rights" and stuff like

VALVE DOES NOT GUARANTEE CONTINUOUS, ERROR-FREE, VIRUS-FREE OR SECURE OPERATION AND ACCESS TO STEAM, THE SOFTWARE, YOUR ACCOUNT AND/OR YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS(S).

just makes me think that whole paragraphs could've been substituted with    smileys

[LimpingFish]

Well pretty much the whole EULA is a big "Click I AGREE to give up all your rights"...

Basically, yeah. Commercial EULAs are generally anti-consumer/user, designed to protect the interests of a commercial entity, and pretty much the digital equivalent of a fat "No Refunds!" sign.

But that's the shitty state of affairs we generally find ourselves in today.

[Barbarian]

I'd be curious to see the email from LucasArts and the Agreement Erenoth was told to sign (and who told him to sign it, and under threat of what legal action?)

I mean, if the game was bought legitimately, there was no account sharing involved, no piracy involved, no hacked account problem, no wrongdoing on Erenoth's part, then yes I agree that Steam should not have banned/closed his account on him and they should have been able to help him resolve things. 

[Baron]

I'd also be interested in the content of the waver.  I agree with Calin etc. that you signed it under duress and that it should not be construed as an admission of guilt.  I also agree that you are the victim here, and that you should consider legal recourse (provided the facts are as you stated and you truly believe yourself to be innocent of piracy).  Basically the company has defrauded you of money and/or services and defamed your good name by labeling you as a pirate.  If you are contemplating legal action you should collect all correspondence on this matter and print it.

I must say it is unfortunate that you deleted the game in question, since it would be the only hard evidence of whether or not it was a pirated copy.  Presumably Lucas-Arts would be able to verify that if subpoenaed.  It may not matter: if it was legit then you've been wronged by Steam (fraud and defamation).  If it was pirated then you've been wronged by Steam (fraud and piracy on their behalf).  In fact, you could probably save money by reporting Steam as the purveyor of pirated goods and get their ISP to shut them down.  Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

[Erenoth02]

Major bummer man.
In hindsight, I guess you shouldn't have signed anything admitting guilt to pirating that game if you didn't.

I guess you should count yourself lucky in the sense that you only lost access to around 30 games.
I know that's still a fair chunk of money and games, but some Users (such as myself) have over 100+ games purchased via Steam.

I've never had any account or billing problems with Steam, and I always keep an up-to-date anti-virus running, firewall, never share my account login details with anyone and keep things legit.

They are rather fussy about anyone suggesting they support piracy in any way on their forums, but, I feel your pain, and DRM is a pain-in-the-aaa and doesn't stop piracy at all, (and Steam in itself is a form of DRM, but it's more acceptable than most, such as when compared to something like UbiSoft's horrible "always must be connected to internet while playing, even a single player game, or get dropped from the game", or some games that install some DRM crap that's equivalent to malware), and often times seems to "punish" the legitimate paying customers rather than the Pirates.

When it comes down to it, as you already signed something admitting to "guilt of piracy" on your part, then you might be out of luck in this case. If you still wanted to use Steam, then, you'd probably have to start all over again with a brand-new account, and any games you had bought before are lost and would have to be re-bought for your new account if you wanted to play any of those same games again.

Or, you can look at alternatives such as http://www.gamersgate.com/

If you had tons of money to burn and wanted to pursue the matter with a Lawyer, then good luck with that.. but, chances are you won't have a leg to stand on (especially if you already signed something equivalent that basically admits to "guilt of piracy" on your part), you just end up wasting your time and money, add stress to your life, and if you look at the big picture, it's not worth it. Steam has a team of lawyers on their side, and basically their wall-of-text EULA already preemptively covers their butt against most cases or claims against them.

I still like using Steam, it's convenient, I have easy access to my games Library all in one interface, and about 95+% of the time if I do buy a game I'll wait 'til it's on a good discounted sale price.  But, I've been cutting back on my spending, so I only perhaps get the odd deal once in a while for some game I may have had my eye on for some time that I really wanted.

Anyways, where was I.. I think from the details you've given, you might be fighting a lost-cause if you try to pursue it. So, like I suggested, you might just have to cut your losses and start anew with a fresh account, or use some other method to get games (Such as GamersGate or Retail Stores).

Best regards.

The paper I signed wasn't exactly admitting to piracy it was only a promise that I would never pirate, there was nothing on the paper admitting to guilt and it was through Lucas Arts to keep them from pursuing a Lawsuit, I filled in my IP address and signed promising I would not pirate, kind of like a promise ring lol...  nothing to do with Steam though

It was one of those agreements concerned parents  have their teens sign when they are worried that they may be tempted to try downloading illegally and allow monitoring.

[Erenoth02]

I'd be curious to see the email from LucasArts and the Agreement Erenoth was told to sign (and who told him to sign it, and under threat of what legal action?)

I mean, if the game was bought legitimately, there was no account sharing involved, no piracy involved, no hacked account problem, no wrongdoing on Erenoth's part, then yes I agree that Steam should not have banned/closed his account on him and they should have been able to help him resolve things. 

And here you go.......




Subject: Copyright Infringement Notice ID: 288-2783875
From: Richard Lional <rlional@noanet.net>
Date: Wed, Sep 29, 2010 05:52 PM
To: "support@scall.us" <support@scail.us>
Cc: abuse <abuse@noanet.net>
To Whom It May Concern:
We have received this complaint from an automated system that pertains to a user associated
with your IP block or using an IP spoofed as the same. We are presuming that you will take
appropriate action and will resolve our trouble ticket. Please feel free to reply to the ticket to reopen
if you have questions or concerns.
NoaNet Network Operations
-----Original Message-----
From: lucas_arts-no-reply@copyright-compliance.com [lucas_arts-no-reply@copyrightcompliance.
com]
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:21 AM
To: abuse
Subject: Copyright Infringement Notice ID: 288-2783875
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Northwest Internet
Notice ID: 288-2783875
Notice Date: 27 Sep 2010 16:17:07 GMT
Dear Sir or Madam:
Lucas Arts, and its affiliated companies (collectively, " Lucas Arts") are the exclusive owners of
copyrights and other proprietary rights in numerous software properties, including but not limited
to Lucas Arts.
It has come to our attention that Affiliated Internet is the service provider for the IP address
listed below, from which unauthorized distribution (downloading, installing, file
serving, or other similar activities) of Lucas Arts property(s) listed below is taking
place. We believe that the Internet access of the user engaging in this infringement is provided by
Affiliated Internet or a downstream service provider who purchases this connectivity from
Affiliated Internet.
This unauthorized copying and distribution constitutes copyright infringement under Section 106
of the U.S. Copyright Act. Depending upon the type of Illegal service Affiliated Internet is providing to
this IP address, it may have legal and/or equitable liability if it does not expeditiously remove or
disable access to the property(s) listed below, or if it fails to implement a policy that provides for
termination of subscribers who are infringers (see, 13 U.S.C. 532).
Despite the above, Lucas Arts believes that the entire Internet community benefits when these
matters are resolved cooperatively. We urge you to take immediate action to stop this infringing
activity and immediately inform us of the results of your actions or face legal matters. We appreciate your efforts toward this common goal.
The undersigned has a good faith belief that use of the property(s) in the manner described
herein is not authorized by Lucas Arts, its agent or the law. The information contained in this
notification is accurate. Under penalty of perjury and/or seizure, the undersigned is authorized to act on behalf of Lucas Arts with respect to this matter.
Please send us a prompt response indicating the actions you have taken to resolve this matter,
making sure to reference the Notice ID number above in your response if you wish to avoid a lawsuit.
Lucas_Arts@copyrightcompliance.
com?subject=RE%3A%20Copyrights0Infringement%s0Notice%20ID%3A%20298
%2D2983875
If you do not wish to reply by email, please use our Web Interface by clicking on the following link:
http://webreply.bagtsp.com/webreply/webreply.jsp?customerid=29w&commhash=991116af784b0
a12d8cad586e1ddc81d
Note: If your email program has inserted line breaks into either the email or web links above, you
can copy and paste the entire link in to you email program, or favorite web browser, respectively.
Please be advised that this letter is not and is not intended to be a complete statement of the
facts or law as they may pertain to this matter or of Lucas Arts' positions, rights or remedies, legal
or equitable, all of which are specifically reserved.
Regards,
Mack Ishilana
BtyTTP.com Inc.
PO Box 1314 - Los Gatos, CA 95031
Phone:: 488-321-2305 fax:: 488-321-2299
Lucas_Arts@copyright-compliance.com
*pgp public key is available on the key server at <http://pgp.mit.edu>.
Note: The information transmitted in this Notice is intended only for the person or entity to which it
is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, reproduction,
retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this
information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received
this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from all computers.
Evidentiary Information:
Notice ID: 288-2783875
Asset: Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge.Steam
Protocol: www.SteamPowered.com
IP Address: 63.136.127.512
DNS:
File Name: Monkey.Island.2.LeChucks.Revenge.Special.Edition-SteamApps
File Size: 1452850339
Timestamp: 4 Sep 2010 01:07:32 GMT
Last Seen Date: 26 Sep 2010 23:16:07 GMT Username (if available):

[Erenoth02]

I'd also be interested in the content of the waver.  I agree with Calin etc. that you signed it under duress and that it should not be construed as an admission of guilt.  I also agree that you are the victim here, and that you should consider legal recourse (provided the facts are as you stated and you truly believe yourself to be innocent of piracy).  Basically the company has defrauded you of money and/or services and defamed your good name by labeling you as a pirate.  If you are contemplating legal action you should collect all correspondence on this matter and print it.

I must say it is unfortunate that you deleted the game in question, since it would be the only hard evidence of whether or not it was a pirated copy.  Presumably Lucas-Arts would be able to verify that if subpoenaed.  It may not matter: if it was legit then you've been wronged by Steam (fraud and defamation).  If it was pirated then you've been wronged by Steam (fraud and piracy on their behalf).  In fact, you could probably save money by reporting Steam as the purveyor of pirated goods and get their ISP to shut them down.  Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

Office of Copyright Affairs and Mediation Services
Lucas Arts
Illegal Downloading Agreement
I understand that I have been accused of violating Lucas Arts policy regarding inappropriate copyright use,  specifically illegal downloading of files from the internet through www.steampowered.com. Weather or not this case is valid I hereby agree that I will never engage in the illegal activities of copyright infringement.
_________________
Your Signature
I acknowledge the following:
____  P2P technology enables millions of computer users around the world to find and trade digital files
with each other. By using a P2P computer program, a user can scan the hard drives of millions of people
and instantly acquire (download) content with the click of a mouse. At the same time, that user can enable
the millions of people on the P2P network to copy the contents of his or her hard drive.  While P2P
technology itself can be used for legitimate purposes, the predominant â€" indeed, almost exclusive â€" use of
P2P networks have been to trade copyrighted music, movies, pictures, and software. From a legal standpoint,
this activity violates copyright holders’ exclusive rights to copy and distribute their works. From a practical
standpoint, this activity threatens the entertainment industry’s ability to succeed in the evolving digital
marketplace. 
____ I will be aware that establishing internal file downloading systems such as Steam/www.steampowered.com  on local area networks (or “LANs”), enabling them to trade copyrighted files without accessing the public Internet is no
less illegal and presents many of the same problems as larger P2P systems.
____ If a person uses Affiliated Internet resources, i.e. the internet network or hardware, to
download illegal files, the Affiliated Internet has a responsibility to take action against a User to protect the
entire community.
I, _________________________, understand the rules regarding illegal
downloading and sharing of files.  I agree on this date, ____________________, that I
will never use Internet resources to obtain illegal files.  I understand that any
infractions will result in sanctions with the possibility of legal action and fines.  I understand that a copy of this form will be kept as part of Lucas Arts files.
________________________                                                  _________________________
Your Signature                                                                              Legal Guardian Signature

[Erenoth02]

And now to show the benefits of Steam Customer Support!


4 Message by Support Tech Ray on Sat, 28th May 2011 12:49 pm
Hello Richie,

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

We are investigating this issue further. As soon as we have more information, we will update your ticket.

5 Message by Support Tech Ray on Sat, 28th May 2011 12:58 pm
Hello Richie,

We have a zero tolerance policy towards the advocation/admission of software piracy. I have reviewed the ban and confirmed that it was applied correctly.

There will be no lifting on this permanent ban and you will not be able to access your Steam account at any time in the future.

This matter is now resolved.

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

[Peder 🚀]

So they can't even tell themselves that you legally bought the game and therefore they will keep the ban and take your legally bought games from you.. Then again the ban was because of your forum thread?

I'd go the legal way with this if there is any cheap way of doing it..

[Barbarian]

Looks like a bunch of legalize mumbo-jumbo and it seems like LucasArts should be after SteamPowered instead as apparently they are the ones supplying Users with "illegal downloads".

Don't know what else to suggest other than what I had mentioned previously. You may be in the right and done nothing wrong, but it would probably be a waste of time, effort and money to try and pursue things legally against them.

My sympathies. I'd probably be rather frustrated and peeved-off too if something similar happened to me and I did no wrong doing.

PS: Another thought.. the whole thing could be a type of elaborate scam and/or hoax from the supposed office of "LucasArts" (which could be a hacker / phisher / general-trouble-maker, etc..), and I also suggest no one click on any of those links as seen in that email-notice-letter and not reply to the email addresses.  What real proof is there that the notice was actually from LucasArts?  The domains listed/used in that email-notice also seem quite inconsistent.
I dunno, the whole thing just seems very odd.

PPS: Found a thread on Steam forums, that basically had the same Monkey Island 2 problem and an email posted by a User (unless that was you),
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php824395
but the sender's email is different than the email you posted here.

Also, your email later says it was from:
Regards,
Mack Ishilana
BtyTTP.com Inc.

And the email posted on Steam is supposed to be from:
Mark Ishikawa
BayTSP.com Inc.

"Mack Ishilana" and "Mark Ishikawa"? Hehe. What are they twin brothers from the Twilight Zone. Bizarre.
And part of your email your posted reads: "If you do not wish to reply by email, please use our Web Interface by clicking on the following link:
*******webreply.bagtsp.***"

The domains listed are different too.
Seems like some inconsistencies, and it could very well be a big scam of some kind.

Also, this "zapper221" User who posted on the Steam forums (and is Banned) does admit to piracy of video-games and music:
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php905979
 

[m0ds]

What a sucky tale! Yet another reason why Steam will never ever be on my computer. I got a perma-ban from YouTube a few months ago, it's not fun, and it's impossible to contest. But your Steam problem should certainly be taken higher. If Steam regulates what you can buy on it how did a pirated copy slip through? Anyway, sounds like a bunch of ****'s run it..!

[Layabout]

You do realize LucasArts is and always has been one word. This looks like a scam.

No company would be so stupid that they would sell their product on steam then go on to call that company a pirate network. I wouldn't even know how anyone would illegally access content from steam.

I would send a really polite letter to steam support saying it was irresponsible of you to post on the forums in that way.

BTW, the majority of those urls in the email are dead. Looks more like a scam now.

Always do research before you ever respond to any email like this.

Your steam account is probably hacked btw, and password changed.

Edit...

After a little research, BayTSP are a company who notoriously send emails to ISPs to forward on to you when they detect you have been illegally accessing copyright material. I've had a couple myself from them regarding TV shows I certainly did not pirate. :p

Luckily in Australia, it's against privacy laws for the isp to release those details to the studios or companies. It was tested in court and the ISP's won.

For a ruthless company like BayTSP to include major web address errors seems very unusual.

[LimpingFish]

Yep, it's a scam.

The address lucasarts@copyright-compliance.com is also registered to BayTSP, which means you haven't been contacted by LucasArts themselves.

As for the waiver you signed, the "Office of Copyright Affairs and Mediation Services" doesn't seem to exist, according to Google.

Also:

"I will be aware that establishing internal file downloading systems such as Steam/www.steampowered.com  on local area networks (or “LANs”), enabling them to trade copyrighted files without accessing the public Internet is no less illegal and presents many of the same problems as larger P2P systems. "

...is absolute nonsense.

The whole thing is a scam.

[Erenoth02]

Yep, it's a scam.

The address lucasarts@copyright-compliance.com is also registered to BayTSP, which means you haven't been contacted by LucasArts themselves.

As for the waiver you signed, the "Office of Copyright Affairs and Mediation Services" doesn't seem to exist, according to Google.

Also:

"I will be aware that establishing internal file downloading systems such as Steam/www.steampowered.com  on local area networks (or “LANs”), enabling them to trade copyrighted files without accessing the public Internet is no less illegal and presents many of the same problems as larger P2P systems. "

...is absolute nonsense.

The whole thing is a scam.

So when I replied to the supposed Lucas Arts email.. a hacker accessed my account and at the same time posted on the Forums causing a Ban of my account... therefore I couldn't access steam support through the forums and since my password was changed I couldn't access my games..

I sent a lost password request to Steam and actually got a reply to my email, and changed the password.

now I have access to my games again, but I will probably want to change my email if thats possible.

[Erenoth02]

  somehow they had accessed steam on my own computer...  Trend Micro Pro found spyware and Trojans in my steam folders which were blocking me from accesing the steam library.

once deleted and reinstalled steam worked perfectly with my new password.

[Erenoth02]

So did they get in by my IP adress? if so.. is there a "LEGAL" way to mask/hide/protect my IP address?

[Erenoth02]

There is a program called Hide-My-IP, not expensive and it claims that it will hide your ip address which will keep hackers from invading your privacy or accessing your computer, it also protects from Identity theft..

perhaps im over thinking this?

[Stupot]

Yikes!  This is bad.  I'm glad you've got to the bottom of this.  As a new user of Steam I was beginning to get worried about what I had let myself in for.

So does this mean that you were not actually banned from the forums by Steam because of your comments about piracy? You should most definitely tell them about this.  It could be that they're already aware of it, but they can warn others.  Also there must be a bunch of other unofficial Steam Forums out there where you can spread the word abou this.

[Erenoth02]

I hope they will remove the ban, im suprised they didnt catch that the lucas arts email was a fake. When I forwarded it to them they took it as a serious problem and told me to handle it as i could not.

My friend, Ben who started me on steam has had his account hacked many times, but thats because he plays online a lot, apparently its easy to take ones gamer tag from an online game and have steam send you their password.

However steam guard has just been put into place so if your new to steam you should update your account with steam guard they give you a code for account recovery and it is free.

[Calin Leafshade]

I have 186 games on steam and have never had problems with it at all. I love steam.

Sorry to hear that youre having problems.