Lobby clashes cast private game servers as piracy battleground
Stop Killing Games lobbied California’s AB 1921 to require publishers to warn 60 days before ending official server support and offer remedies such as offline modes or refunds; the bill stalled in the Senate amid ESA claims that private Minecraft/Call of Duty servers constitute piracy, a claim SKG rejects. EU efforts similarly stalled. With funding and lobbying constraints cited, SKG plans more court challenges and a recruitment drive to push for post-license play protections and counter publishers’ arguments in hearings across other states.