This is also an argument that often occurs with the sale of keys and G2A pages. But how does it look from the publisher’s point of view?
A given portal reports to the publisher asking for a given number of keys on the giveaway.
The publisher (usually free / for advertising) keys.
The keys go to the readers of the portal.
Reader A does not use the key and sells it on G2A to user B.
As a consequence, the publisher itself does not lose anything – so user A would not play the game or purchase it, so it can be assumed that this is equivalent to the fact that user B himself received the free key in the giveaway. . In the end, whether or not the giveaway has taken place, the free keys have been handed over.
And if we buy from a Russian?
The Russian buys the game for $ 20 eg on Steam.
In Poland it costs 50 zł on Steam.
So the Russian is playing the G2A game for 40 zlotys.
Pole buys the game for 40 zł.
As such, Steam is still earning money from the game, only from the Russian. The game was bought, Steam got the money for it. Yes, it is 30 zł less than if you buy it in Poland, but do not deceive – so unfortunately works free market. If the platform offers different prices in the regions concerned, exchange between regions is a natural consequence that is not illegal in any way.
There would be some ethical issues here as well. Here, however, I ask a purely rhetorical question – is ethics selling games at typical Western prices in a country that is economically typical? Poles unfortunately can not afford to buy Steam games for the price that this platform requires. But that’s another topic. One thing is for sure – ethics in marketing does not exist, but its causes are different. Some simply want to earn as much money as possible even for the poor, others have no choice but to save. As I also recalled – the sale of keys is a natural consequence of a free market, and in this there is nothing unethical. Similarly, the Court of Justice of the European Union stated in 2012, saying that the purchase and sale of any digital goods is completely legal. Furthermore, I will also quote an important passage from the Court’s order:
The software developer may not object to the resale of its “used” licenses enabling the use of its downloaded programs.
The exclusive right to distribute a copy of a computer program covered by such a license is exhausted with its first sale.