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From: JAB <noway@nochance.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Subject: Re: Steam Backs Down From Forced Arbitration
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2024 09:38:52 +0100
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On 28/09/2024 15:35, Ross Ridge wrote:
> JAB  <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>> In the UK my understanding is that arbitration courts exist* but they
>> can only be used for a civil offences if both parties agree including
>> who will be the arbitrator.
> 
> It the same in the US and other countries.  In this case, both parties,
> Valve and the Steam user, agreed to use a certain arbitration service to
> resolve any disputes.  That happened when the user agreed to the Steam
> Subscriber Agreement.
> 

In the UK you just can't do that in general as the principle is you 
can't sign away your rights just because the shop says so regardless of 
what you sign/agree to. There has to be a law in place that specially 
says you can sign away an individual right and even then it still has to 
met the criteria of could someone reasonable expect it. So no, burying 
it in ten pages of texts just doesn't work.