Minecraft post-purchase ownership rights changes

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Minecraft Alpha was published and sold by a small developer, advocating for consumer ownership, promising Digital Rights Management (DRM)-free software, free optional updates, and a free copy of the fully released version for every earlier buyer.

After years of changes in the title and content of the terms of use, all the previous buyers who failed to stop accepting updates in time, had to choose between forfeiting the ownership or losing the option to use the software offline. The product became a license with DRM that can be terminated at anytime by a tech-giant.

The user side of legal contract to use Minecraft at the 2011 full release is called “Terms of use” (TOU) ,later “End-user license agreement” (EULA), and the changes it went through since 2011, can imply most of the existing anti-consumer practices, not just consumer ownership rights erosion.

This article is focusing on the oldest running version: Java edition, and the changes in consumer ownership rights in the TOU/EULA from 2011 - 2025.

Background

Mojang Studios

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed and published by Mojang Studios. Formally released on 18 November 2011 for PCs, following its initial public alpha release on 17 May 2009. The first sold version is later designated as Java edition.

The game was downloaded more than 100 million times before the Microsoft purchase.

Microsoft

In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for US$2.5 billion. Minecraft as a multi-platform game is the best-selling video game of all time, with over 350 million copies sold (as of 2025) and 140 million monthly active players (as of 2021)

Source clarification:

• Minecraft’s TOU/EULA was published as a page on the publisher’s game store site and as a .txt file in the game directory.
• The latest TOU/EULA is the only available version on Minecraft’s website.
• Earlier verifiable versions of the TOU/ EULA are only available on archived versions of Minecraft’s website, but there were time when multiple terms were aviable simultaneously. Exact dates of changes may vary, and the sources should respectively be the earliest or the latest found versions. These changes were mainly announced to the customer upon downloading and installing an update.
• The .txt file changes containing the TOU/EULA, that were downloaded and agreed to by the users with software updates, mostly exist in non-verifiable user directories.
• Minecraft has many versions, editions, websites, shops, on multiple platforms with corresponding terms. All changing throughout the years, as in content, in place of publication, and in the usage of dating or version history

2009-2011 Ownership in Minecraft Alpha and Beta

The first public version was Java Edition Classic 0.0.11a, an unfinished single player offline usable game, with early codes for multiplayer, and with a separate launcher that was capable of updating the game and the launcher itself.

Under development, before the TOU, mojang had published its term in support.jsp or copyright.jsp.

2011-2025 Owneship rights in TOU/EULA

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2011-09-23 Ownership terms in full release of Minecraft 1.0.0

Online store product page information about the software before TOU agreement 2011-09-13 - 2012-08-18:

Purchase Minecraft

(...)

Once you've bought the game, it's yours. No DRM.

TOU in Minecraft 1.0.0

The game is in development, but the developer promises free copy of the full game - only before 2013-12

What You Get For Purchasing When you purchase Minecraft you do so as is, be it in the early stages of development or already fully released. Subsequent updates are only an added bonus and not a guarantee, as icing on a cake. Purchases during the development of the game are discounted and include the full game upon release.

The buyer of the software can use the software

USING OUR GAME

You have bought the game so you can use it, yourself, on your computer.

Publisher can change the TOU

We reserve the right to change this agreement at any time with or without notice, with immediate and/or retroactive effect. -wbm

2011-2014 Ownership changes in TOU before Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios

2012-10-11 The new account.mojang.com site arrives with a set of its own terms

These terms and conditions incorporates the terms of use for the mojang.com webite, our end user license agreement, our brand and asset usage guidelines, and our privacy policy.

These contain parts of the older TOU, but new parts worded for the new accounts and the new website appear. The minectaft.net/terms page with the TOU is also available from the store page until 2013-12-04.

2013-12-12 The TOU fully merges into the  EULA of account.mojang.com -wbm

Publisher can revoke permission to use the software

“The permission we give you to use and play our Game can be revoked if you break the terms of this EULA. “-wbm

Publisher is the owner of the software

OWNERSHIP OF OUR GAME AND OTHER THINGS

Although we give you permission to play our Game, we are still the owners of it. We are also the owners of our brands and any content contained in the Game. Therefore, when you pay for our Game, you are buying a permission to play / use our Game in accordance with this EULA - you are not buying the Game itself. The only permissions you have in connection with the Game are the permissions set out in this EULA. -wbm

The users can avoid accepting Eula changes by not accepting software updates

“We may also change this EULA from time to time but those changes will only be effective to the extent that they can legally apply. For example if you only use the Game in single player mode and don‘t use the updates we make available then the old EULA applies but if you do use the updates or use parts of the game that rely on our providing ongoing online services then the new EULA will apply. In that case we may not be able to / don‘t need to tell you about the changes for them to have effect so you should check back here from time to time so you are aware of any changes to the EULA. We‘re not going to be unfair about this though - but sometimes the law changes or someone does something that affects other users of the Game and we therefore need to put a lid on it. “-wbm

2014-  Ownership in EULA After Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios

2016-05-31 The subject of the purchase becomes a ‘license’ from the previous ‘software’ -wbm

“USING OUR GAME

You have been granted a license to the Game so you can play and use it, yourself, on your devices.”

2020-10 - 2022-08 Mandatory account migration from Mojang account to Microsoft account with new EULA

Buyers who failed to migrate, but kept their launcher up to date, lost their access to the software.

Microsoft Services Agreement also included in minecrafts’ EULA:

“b. The software is licensed, not sold, and Microsoft reserves all rights to the software not expressly granted by Microsoft, whether by implication, estoppel, or otherwise.”

“The application is licensed, not sold. This agreement only gives you some rights to use the application. If Microsoft disables the ability to use the applications on your devices pursuant to your agreement with Microsoft, any associated license rights will terminate.”

2023-08-02 Removed the information about the option of users voiding EULA changes by not accepting updates

“We may change this EULA from time to time, if we have reason to, such as changes to our games, our practices, or our legal obligation. But those changes will be effective only to the extent that they can legally apply. In that case we'll inform you of the change before it takes effect, either by posting a notice on our website or by other reasonable means. We're not going to be unfair about this though - but sometimes the law changes or someone does something that affects other users of the game and we therefore need to put a lid on it.”

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