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An instance of semantics

Friday, August 29th, 2014

Adrian just posted on the subject blog about the ACCC suing software developer Valve over its refund policy and how that illustrates the capacity in which an organisation is liable for their operations in local contexts.  I don’t necessarily agree with this and would also like to point out the infinitely negotiable nature of legislation and how it does (or does not) apply.  Valve have already issued a response via Kotaku indicating that they fully intend to cooperate (not necessarily comply) with Australian authorities.  Author Mark Serrels points out the bold section of Valve’s refund policy that indicates that it will only consider refunds where mandated by local laws.

It naturally follows that other questions may arise in response to this, particularly the capacity in which Valve’s products are a) definable as a product, instead of a service, and b) whether or not services provided by overseas corporations can be considered equitable to locally distributed products.  It is worth noting that Valve can contest this case extensively by arguing that it does not actually sell anything, and by some interpretations they do not; Valve essentially provides the lease of a software license of an indeterminate period rather than any ownership rights over the software itself.

Valve will more than likely contest the case on these grounds using the argument that if they do not provide a tangible product then their services cannot be held to the same regulations as products that are legislated to have specific consumer protections imposed on then.  Consequently, I would say that rather than being a case that illustrates international liability, it is more indicative of the negotiable semantics that exist around local and internationally applicable laws and where powerful entities are adept at subverting these to their own benefit.

Clarification – Blog Assessment Length

Friday, August 23rd, 2013

Just a quick point of clarification – the essay accompanying the blog post is up to 1,000 words.

Blogpress is handy

Monday, August 5th, 2013

I recently downloaded the WordPress app and found it surprisingly lacking, being essentially the same as simply running the dashboard in a mobile browser. Given that it is pretty much a given that useful UIs capitalise on the affordances of their platform, this is obviously problematic given the complexity of the dashboard, making it exceptionally difficult to operate on a small, touch screen.

I’m writing this post using an app called Blogpress, an alternative whose utility I have yet to determine. On the upside, it’s extremely simple to use and post when I’m out and about. On the downside it costs a whole $3. If I can calculate the cost of something in the amount of coffees I won’t be buying, it better be pretty good.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Forum Theatre

All good points

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

Source: Dog House Diaries