Minecraft post-purchase ownership rights changes

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 Microsoft.

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.

Note: this article focuses on the original Minecraft (Java Edition) and is not relevant to other versions of Minecraft.

Background

Mojang Studios

Main article: Mojang

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 Microsoft purchased Mojang AB.

Microsoft

Main article: 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 obsurity:

Minecraft has many versions, editions, websites, shops, on multiple platforms, had two account migrations with corresponding terms. All changing throughout the years, as in content, in place of publication, and in the usage of dating or version history.

The scope of the lack of sources is visualised in community notes on 'Terms versions' and 'Changes history' used in a video about a class action lawsuit.

• Minecraft’s TOU/EULA was published as a page on the publisher’s game store site and as a text file in the game directory.
• Earlier verifiable versions of the TOU/ EULA are only available on archived versions of Minecraft’s website, but there were times when multiple TOU/EULA versions were available 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.

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.

While under development and before the creation of the TOU, mojang had published its predecessors to its later terms of use in 'support.jsp' in the form of 'Frequently Asked Questions', later in copyright.jsp. as 'Copyright information'.

Customer ownership terms in Minecraft 1.0

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

Product page information

2011-09-13 - 2012-08-18:

Purchase Minecraft

(...)

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

First Terms

TOU for 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.

2012-01-12 Statement by Markus Persson aka Notch, founder of Mojang:

Just pirate it. If you still like it when you can afford it in the future, buy it then. Also don't forget to feel bad. ;)

Customer ownership changes before Microsoft

2011-2014 Customer Ownership changes before Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios.

Account.mojang.com migration

Start of migration

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

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.

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.

End of migration

2013-12-12 The TOU fully merges into the  EULA of account.mojang.com with the end of minecraft.net/terms

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.

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.

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.

Customer ownership changes after Microsoft

2014-2025 Customer Ownership changes after Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios. 2014-09

Product becomes a license

2015-10-27 The subject of the transaction changes from "bought the game" to "have been granted a license to the Game"

USING OUR GAME

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

Microsoft account migration

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.

Removed EULA-change avoidance

2023-08-02 Removed the information about the option of users avoiding 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.

Numbers of affected users

Estimated minimum number of Minecraft Java edition copies sold before ownership changes in the TOU/EULA

Version history from minecraft.wiki. Date specific 'Terms' and 'Number of Java copies sold' from archived Mincrafts websites

Date of change	Copies sold	Version	Terms change	Before	After	Sold Copies
2012-08	~ 6.7 million	1.5	while the product page states: “Once you've bought the game, it's yours. No DRM”
2013-06	~ 10.2 million	1.6	before launcher software first includes DRM
2013-12	~ 13 million	1.7.4	while early customers were promised a full version, before first mention of permission revocation right of the publisher
2014-09	~ 16 million	1.8	before Microsoft becomes the owner of Mojang
2015-10	~ 21 million	1.8.8	before the subject of the transaction changes from "bought the game" to "have been granted a license to play the game"
2019-07	~ 31 million	1.14	before EULA includes Microsoft Services Agreement

Reasoning for TOU/EULA modification practices

The EULA contains in itself the terms for the publishers right to change said EULA retroacively:

since the first terms the publisher can change the terms:

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

since 2013-08-27 the publisher has the right to revoke permission ot use:

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

2013-12 - 2023-08 the EULA suggests not accepting updates, for thoose users who dont with to accept new EULAs. :

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. 

See also

• Block of access by mandatory account migration - Minecraft account migration
• Hidden rules regarding private servers - Shutting down of community-run Minecraft servers by Mojang
• Chat moderation enforcement on private servers and single player mode resulting in unexpected loss of license
• DRM spiked launcher updates - Minecraft Beta pre-1.8's lack of authentication
• Post-purchase retroactive EULA modofication
• Feature ransom
• Forced arbitration
• License laundering - License euthanasia
• Rights Stripping
• False advertisement
• Mass personal information acquisition by tech-giant from indie developer with 100 million active users