Opinions on giving out keys in software bundles (e.g. Humble Bundle keys)

glennmagusharvey

TL;DR: What do you all feel about the practice of giving away individual keys in things like game bundles?  What is its legal status?  What should be its ethical status?

Background info: A recently-popular method for digital sales of media and software, especially games (but also music, literature (e-books), and other software), has been to "bundle" several products into one package.  These bundles are usually limited-time offers, priced cheaper than the products by themselves; several bundle formats even use various "pay what you want" schemes (usually with a minimum price, which may vary).

The reasons for doing these bundles are generally not disclosed, but they may include: raising awareness about the bundled products (or the producer's other products), using a more prominent product to draw customers toward a less well-known product, offering a product at a lower price when it doesn't sell well at its original pricing, and raising money for charity (many bundles include charity options).

Some bundles sell products that span multiple formats, such as direct downloads and keys redeemable on download services like Desura and Steam. For example, the most recent Indie Royale bundle offered six games for roughly US$5 (depending on when you bought it), but in the following formats:

• five of six games have DRM-free direct download options


• three of six games also have Steam keys provided (one of these games is only available as a Steam key)


• two of six games (both of which also have Steam keys) have Desura keys provided

So if you consider each medium of each game to be a separate product, the bundle contains not six items, but ten, counting content duplicates.  Obviously, with these being separate means of obtaining a game, one could download a game multiple times.  So one can give the codes (or download links, even) to others to get the games.

(A "key" is a code which can be redeemed on a download service to get that game.)

Even if there were no duplicates, such as in the most recent Indie Gala bundle:

• three games available as Desura keys


• twelve games available as Steam keys (none of which are the three Desura games)


• two albums available as direct downloads

...there remains the possibility of splitting up the bundle and giving codes to different people.  This is especially relevant since many people buy bundles because they're interested in only a subset of the games offered, but the bundle is cheaper than buying the games individually.

Additionally, there have been some items that have shown up in multiple bundles.  For example, the game Aquaria has appeared in several Humble Bundles to date.  So if one has bought, say, both the Humble Introversion Bundle (beating the average to get Aquaria) and the Humble Bundle for Android 6, one would have bought Aquaria twice.  (And it's possible to buy Aquaria individually, so if one did that first, one would seem to own the game three times.)

Some bundles (such as Humble) specify that keys are for personal use only, whatever that may mean.  Consensus seems to hold that this generally means for one person to use on their own computer, probably with basic common-sense provisions for sharing (such as letting friends play on one's computer).  On the other hand, some bundles have explicitly (or implicitly) talked about giving away individual keys; I remember the second Indie Gala bundle made a point about this (especially since its highest-tier purchases included all of the first Gala's games).

(FWIW, bundles usually include a way to buy whole bundles as gifts, for the same price as buying for oneself.)

What is your take on the ethical and legal status of giving away keys?  What should its status be?  Should one never give away individual keys?  Should one only be allowed to give away keys only if one owns a duplicate?  What about keys for games that one doesn't want?  Should keys only be given as gifts, or should trading them away be allowed?  Should keys ever be resold?

And what about extra direct downloads?  Should they be shared at all?  What if one already owned a game and then got an "extra copy" of it in the form of a direct download?  Should one voluntarily keep track of whether one has downloaded or given away a given download link, so as to imitate how a key can't be reused?

Kraken

I think you should be able to share it with your friends if they want it and you don't.

But you should never sell it.

Noimporta

It kinda' wrecked the Steam Giveaways economy (if you could call it such).