playing online using pre owned games

[bob123]

Is there any way of getting a serial key for an online game reset? Say if i buy a second hand copy of Half life, the person who im buying it off can still continue to use the serial key to play online when he doesnt own the game anymore. Is there any way of telling Valve that ownership has been passed so i can use the serial to play online? What if you buy it off ebay where you can't show reciepts etc?

Anyone?

[Ginger Tosser]

i doubt it they normally have some blurb about not reselling items.

[choddo]

In theory he can't play it any more since he shouldn't have the CD (UT killed the CD req after a few patches, don't think HL ever did that unless you have a crack) therefore he's breaking the licence on a number of fronts.

Course, HL is about 10 quid new so why bother? But I guess that's just a bad example.

[SaintM]

In theory he can't play it any more since he shouldn't have the CD (UT killed the CD req after a few patches, don't think HL ever did that unless you have a crack) therefore he's breaking the licence on a number of fronts.

Course, HL is about 10 quid new so why bother? But I guess that's just a bad example.

Do you have any evidence of this?

As far as I was aware, purchasing a piece of software gives rights to use the software. The media is just a way of delivering this software.

Of course this also brings the whole 'is taking a backup ok?' type questions, but there ya go.

[choddo]

Correct, which is why selling the media to someone else is breaking the EULA, since you have no right to re-sell the license to use it.

Keeping the licence key intending to continue to use it while selling it on to someone else is even worse.

Using a backup is normally also explicitly forbidden.

[Pacman555]

Just download a keygen of whatever game it is and generate yourself new keys until you get an unused one.