Last year the company Valve was sanctioned by the federal court of Australia after it considered that the PC gaming platform, Steam, has deceptive practices for consumers in that country and it did not even offer reimbursements for the period from 2011 to 2014.
On that occasion, the Australian authority imposed a fine of $2.2 million on the company and, obviously, Valve defended itself through an appeal, which was rejected a few days ago.
Last week, the Supreme Court of the federal court of Australia reported that Valve’s appeals to dismiss the sentence passed last year and the fine of $2.2 million was rejected.
According to the court, Valve’s first appeal regarding Steam’s consideration of consumer deception could not prove otherwise, so the judgment is ratified, considering that Steam practices are deceptive and detrimental to consumers in their country.
In other words, the authority in Australia establishes that the launch of a product, by whatever means, involves quality standards that have been previously met and that ensure consumer satisfaction, which is in conflict with the policy of Steam international reimbursements, which is not adequate to the Australian legal framework for consumer protection.
At the same time, the court held the ruling and considers that this fact is a precedent for all companies with a global presence, as it ensures that they must adapt their services and products to the law of the country and not vice versa. Finally, the Australian authority rejected the appeal corresponding to the $2.2 million fine.
