The Death of the First-Sale Doctrine in Digital Game Distribution: A Legal Analysis of Steam Account Ownership and Inheritance

Jaya Setiawan Sinaga; Yosman Leonard Silubun; Julianto Jover Jotam Kalalo

doi:10.35724/mularev.v8i2.7821

Jaya Setiawan Sinaga Fakultas Hukum Universitas Musamus
Yosman Leonard Silubun Fakultas Hukum Universitas Musamus
Julianto Jover Jotam Kalalo Faculty of Law, Musamus University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35724/mularev.v8i2.7821

Abstrak

The shift from physical to digital game distribution on platforms like Steam creates an "illusion of ownership," systematically stripping consumers of traditional property rights. This paper aims to analyze the legal standing of digital game licenses under Indonesian Civil Law and the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE), and to evaluate consumer protection against exoneration clauses within the Steam Subscriber Agreement. This study employs a normative legal research method, utilizing statutory and conceptual approaches. The findings reveal that while digital assets are recognized as economic entities under the UU ITE, Steam's adhesion contracts reduce them to revocable, non-transferable licenses. This construction circumvents Book II of the Civil Code and completely nullifies the First-Sale Doctrine. Furthermore, Steam's exoneration clauses explicitly violate Article 18 of the Consumer Protection Law, triggering a severe legal vacuum regarding unilateral asset confiscation and digital inheritance. The paper concludes that passive reliance on individual litigation is fundamentally inadequate. The Indonesian government must optimize the mandatory Private Electronic System Provider (PSE) registration to enforce compliance with national consumer protection laws and safeguard digital sovereignty.

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