Steam Antitrust Claim coming?

Started by Jarhead0331, November 03, 2022, 01:19:14 AM

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Jarhead0331

Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


CaptainKoloth

I wouldn't read too much into it. I'd bet you money that there are dozens of people suing Valve (along with every other company above a certain size) every year for this kind of thing hoping to get a few bucks out of a settlement. It won't go anywhere.

al_infierno

^ That's not stopping me from signing up in the off-chance this one does go somewhere.
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

ArizonaTank

Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

al_infierno

A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

CaptainKoloth

Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 12:51:52 PM
^ That's not stopping me from signing up in the off-chance this one does go somewhere.

The downside would be, ironically, if there WAS some giant settlement, you're singing away your rights to a potentially larger share of it by going with these guys and agreeing to abide by the terms they decide

al_infierno

Quote from: CaptainKoloth on November 03, 2022, 01:15:43 PM
Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 12:51:52 PM
^ That's not stopping me from signing up in the off-chance this one does go somewhere.

The downside would be, ironically, if there WAS some giant settlement, you're singing away your rights to a potentially larger share of it by going with these guys and agreeing to abide by the terms they decide

What's the alternative?  Hiring my own attorney and spending a fortune to try and get an individual settlement?  If these guys are already doing the leg work, I might as well sign up and get some extra bucks out of it.
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

Father Ted

I was led to believe (at least on this side of the pond) that the danger with these sorts of things is that if they lose you have to pay up.

CaptainKoloth

Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 01:18:38 PM
Quote from: CaptainKoloth on November 03, 2022, 01:15:43 PM
Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 12:51:52 PM
^ That's not stopping me from signing up in the off-chance this one does go somewhere.

The downside would be, ironically, if there WAS some giant settlement, you're singing away your rights to a potentially larger share of it by going with these guys and agreeing to abide by the terms they decide

What's the alternative?  Hiring my own attorney and spending a fortune to try and get an individual settlement?  If these guys are already doing the leg work, I might as well sign up and get some extra bucks out of it.

Not that this is a realistic outcome, but the scenario would be if you really did have, say, $1 million of damages, you could pay an attorney $20,000 and win, but here you're waiving that right so if the class action firm negotiates a settlement where they get $20 million and you get $7.18, you have no recourse. Which by the way is exactly how these firms make money on the rare occasions they win a case.

QuoteI was led to believe (at least on this side of the pond) that the danger with these sorts of things is that if they lose you have to pay up.

Not in the US, where you are free to file nearly endless frivolous lawsuits to your heart's content.

al_infierno

Quote from: CaptainKoloth on November 03, 2022, 01:38:46 PM

Not that this is a realistic outcome, but the scenario would be if you really did have, say, $1 million of damages, you could pay an attorney $20,000 and win, but here you're waiving that right so if the class action firm negotiates a settlement where they get $20 million and you get $7.18, you have no recourse. Which by the way is exactly how these firms make money on the rare occasions they win a case.

I think calling it "pay an attorney $20,000 and win" is greatly reductive.  Valve is a mega-corporation who certainly has at least a company-sized element of lawyers on retainer to fight cases exactly like this. 

But yeah, you're generally correct and I'm well aware that's how these cases work.  If the lawyers didn't take the lion's share, they'd have no motivation to pursue the case.  In any case, I don't plan on suing Valve any time soon, so dropping my name in the hat doesn't cost me anything.   :bd:
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

SirAndrewD

Considering how much less I've paid via Steam than the old days of buying in box games off the shelf I'm not sure how the "overpaying" line will sway me.
"These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable. Last week was my birthday. Nobody even said "happy birthday" to me. Someday this tape will be played and then they'll feel sorry."  - Sgt. Pinback

CaptainKoloth

Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 01:49:37 PM


I think calling it "pay an attorney $20,000 and win" is greatly reductive.  Valve is a mega-corporation who certainly has at least a company-sized element of lawyers on retainer to fight cases exactly like this. 

Oh yeah, I don't mean to imply you would win. You have not legally precluded yourself from winning. But then neither have I precluded myself from winning an Oscar, Grammy, and World Series in the next five minutes. That won't happen either.

Don't sue big companies. You'll lose. Simple as that.

Jarhead0331

#12
Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 01:49:37 PM
Quote from: CaptainKoloth on November 03, 2022, 01:38:46 PMNot that this is a realistic outcome, but the scenario would be if you really did have, say, $1 million of damages, you could pay an attorney $20,000 and win, but here you're waiving that right so if the class action firm negotiates a settlement where they get $20 million and you get $7.18, you have no recourse. Which by the way is exactly how these firms make money on the rare occasions they win a case.

I think calling it "pay an attorney $20,000 and win" is greatly reductive.  Valve is a mega-corporation who certainly has at least a company-sized element of lawyers on retainer to fight cases exactly like this. 

But yeah, you're generally correct and I'm well aware that's how these cases work.  If the lawyers didn't take the lion's share, they'd have no motivation to pursue the case.  In any case, I don't plan on suing Valve any time soon, so dropping my name in the hat doesn't cost me anything.  :bd:

Lawyers in cases that are handled on contingency generally take a third of whatever they recover. If they recover $1,000,000, they will generally take $333,333, as their fee, not including disbursements. That may seem like a lot, but there is a tremendous amount of work put into these cases and the lawyer bears all the risk. If the lawyer loses the case, he gets a big fat zilch. In a case like this, your damages, as a Steam user will not approach anything close to "$1,000,000" so the position that you're waiving rights or giving up on a potential windfall by signing onto a member of this class is pretty silly. Your damages, at best, unless you have bought every title available on Steam and were somehow swindled out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars is going to be relatively nominal.

And firms that specialize in class action lawsuits generally do not commence frivolous suits that they cannot win. This is not like  some bullshit trip and fall. The rules that are required to certify a class for such a lawsuit are complex and extremely costly. These guys generally are not ambulance chasers.

It is true, however, that parties to lawsuits in the United States generally do not recover legal fees, unless there is a provision in a contract entitling a party to their legal fees and costs, or there is some statute that awards attorney's fees as a category of damages. 
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


CaptainKoloth

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on November 03, 2022, 04:46:28 PM
Quote from: al_infierno on November 03, 2022, 01:49:37 PM
Quote from: CaptainKoloth on November 03, 2022, 01:38:46 PM

Not that this is a realistic outcome, but the scenario would be if you really did have, say, $1 million of damages, you could pay an attorney $20,000 and win, but here you're waiving that right so if the class action firm negotiates a settlement where they get $20 million and you get $7.18, you have no recourse. Which by the way is exactly how these firms make money on the rare occasions they win a case.

I think calling it "pay an attorney $20,000 and win" is greatly reductive.  Valve is a mega-corporation who certainly has at least a company-sized element of lawyers on retainer to fight cases exactly like this. 

But yeah, you're generally correct and I'm well aware that's how these cases work.  If the lawyers didn't take the lion's share, they'd have no motivation to pursue the case.  In any case, I don't plan on suing Valve any time soon, so dropping my name in the hat doesn't cost me anything.   :bd:

Lawyers in cases that are handled on contingency generally take a third of whatever they recover. If they recover $1,000,000, they will generally take $333,333,333, as their fee, not including disbursements. That may seem like a lot, but there is a tremendous amount of work put into these cases and the lawyer bears all the risk. If the lawyer loses the case, he gets a big fat zilch. In a case like this, your damages, as a Steam user will not approach anything close to "$1,000,000" so the position that you're waiving rights or giving up on a potential windfall by signing onto a member of this class is pretty silly. Your damages, at best, unless you have bought every title available on Steam and were somehow swindled out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars is going to be relatively nominal.

And firms that specialize in class action lawsuits generally do not commence frivolous suits that they cannot win. This is not like  some bullshit trip and fall. The rules that are required to certify a class for such a lawsuit are complex and extremely costly. These guys generally are not ambulance chasers.

It is true, however, that parties to lawsuits in the United States generally do not recover legal fees, unless there is a provision in a contract entitling a party to their legal fees and costs, or there is some statute that awards attorney's fees as a category of damages.

Well as I recall you are a lawyer, so I defer to you on this.

I still want my million dollars from Gabe Newell though.

solops

Steam has saved me big bucks as I only buy the deeply discounted sales. Why would I sue?
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