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EA Blocks 'Origin' Access In Six Countries, Citing US Embargoes (pcgamer.com)
An anonymous reader writes: "In compliance with US embargoes and sanctions laws, Origin is not available in Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine (Crimea region)," a community manager from EA posted in September. Engadget calls it "a reminder of the risks you take when buying copy-protected game downloads... Even if you started your account elsewhere, you aren't allowed to either visit the Origin store or use any of your purchased games."
Sunday an employee at EA's Origin game store commented "This isn't an EA-specific issue -- it's an issue that impacts all companies offering services that are covered by trade embargoes." But since the U.S. lifted sanctions on Myanmar in September, EA "is internally reviewing the situation... It's unclear to me whether we can do anything for residents of other countries that are still similarly embargoed, but I'll bring the topic up for discussion internally."
Sunday an employee at EA's Origin game store commented "This isn't an EA-specific issue -- it's an issue that impacts all companies offering services that are covered by trade embargoes." But since the U.S. lifted sanctions on Myanmar in September, EA "is internally reviewing the situation... It's unclear to me whether we can do anything for residents of other countries that are still similarly embargoed, but I'll bring the topic up for discussion internally."
Last year, UMass had suddenly cited compliance to refuse graduate students form Iran. http://college.usatoday.com/20... It's bizarre when civic and corporate entities enforce laws that even the government doesn't ask them too
A sad reminder of how the first sale doctrine is now a long forgotten memory.
Are users even getting a refund?
.. with foreign elections, ..
Whatever one has a problem with that is up to each and everyone I guess. I have absolutely nothing against American citizens or the American life-style but it's food for thought it the situation was the other way around:
* Sanctions against the USA.
* Pakistan and Afghans drones which bombed in the other direction (you see, I can't even write the sentence as it should be written because if I did I'm sure some US filter would catch that and flag me as suspicious and super-dangerous.)
* Got invaded to have the ruling government replaced by something else, possibly nothing.
* Other nations trying to influence the election outcome (we really have a bit of that with Russia and Trump, how much does Russia care beyond just being somewhat amused? I don't know!
Is the purpose that the citizens in those nations will wake up and riot and demand a change of their leaders? How likely is that result? Has it been the result anywhere so far?
Of course here in Sweden I would just be happy if someone helped us remove our ruling elite but in most scenarios I can understand if people get pissed.
EA took these people's money. When they did that EA violated the US embargo. So that ship has sailed. EA broke US sanctions.
Now EA has removed access to the games people in these countries bought and won't refund them. That doesn't undo EA's sanction breaking, it just heaps upon it the act of fleecing the customers from these countries who paid money for the games in good faith. EA is punishing innocent people for an illegal act by EA.
EA needs to refund these people's money and talk to the US government about what fines EA will have to pay for THEIR misdeeds.
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce