Entertainment Software Association testimony on AB 1921: Difference between revisions

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-On June 29, 2026, the '''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''' (ESA) told a California Senate committee that community-hosted video game servers are ''illegal'' & that the trade group considers them ''piracy'', in testimony opposing the [[Protect Our Games Act]] (Assembly Bill 1921), a bill that would require game publishers to give buyers an end-of-life plan before they disable a purchased game.<ref name="hearing" /><ref name="billtext" /> The ESA's witness was Jennifer Gibbons, its vice president of state government affairs, who also told the committee that the United States Trade Representative's Notorious Markets report had named ''some of these big private servers as a notorious market''.<ref name="hearing" /><ref name="gibbonsbio" /> [[Microsoft]] distributes free Minecraft server software for self-hosting, & the 2025 USTR Notorious Markets report does not use the term private servers.<ref name="minecraft" /><ref name="ustr2025" /> The committee failed to pass AB 1921 on a 4 to 3 vote, with four of its eleven members not voting, & then granted reconsideration, leaving the bill alive.<ref name="billvotes" /><ref name="billhistory" />
+On June 29, 2026, the '''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''' (ESA) told a California Senate committee that community-hosted video game servers are ''illegal'' & that the trade group considers them ''piracy'', in testimony opposing the [[Protect Our Games Act]] (Assembly Bill 1921), a bill that would require game publishers to give buyers an end-of-life plan before they disable a purchased game.<ref name="hearing" /><ref name="billtext" /> The ESA's witness was Jennifer Gibbons, its vice president of state government affairs, who also told the committee that the United States Trade Representative's Notorious Markets report had named ''some of these big private servers as a notorious market''.<ref name="hearing" /><ref name="gibbonsbio" /> [[Microsoft]] distributes free Minecraft server software for self-hosting, & the 2025 USTR Notorious Markets report does not use the term private servers.<ref name="minecraft" /><ref name="ustr2025" /> The committee failed to pass AB 1921 on a 4 to 3 vote, with four of its eleven members not voting, & then granted reconsideration, leaving the bill alive.<ref name="billvotes" /><ref name="billhistory" />However, the bill has not been reconsidered, and will be restarted at next year's legislative session.
 ==Background==
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 [[File:Minecraft Java Edition server download page.png|thumb|center|upright=2.4|Mojang's official Minecraft page, headed ''Download the Minecraft: Java Edition server'', invites players who ''want to set up a multiplayer server'' to download and run one.<ref name="minecraft" />]]
+The Minecraft EULA includes explicit permission giving end users permission to install and host 'Minecraft: Java Edition Server' on their own hardware.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Minecraft EULA |url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/eula |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260630220306/https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/eula |archive-date=2026-06-30 |access-date=2026-07-01 |website= |publisher=Mojang Studios / Microsoft}}</ref><blockquote>"For the server version of Minecraft: Java Edition, you can install it on a server and host online play."<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>Following up the hearing, in a statement to PC Gamer<ref name="pcgamerArticle" />, the ESA wrote:
+<blockquote>
+“Private servers infringe on the intellectual property (IP) rights of game publishers. Publishers reserve the right to exercise their rights against them.”<ref name="pcgamerArticle" />
+</blockquote>
+and another follow up on a Kotaku article<ref name="kotakuArticle" />:
+<blockquote>
+“Private servers that host or distribute copyrighted game content without authorization infringe on the intellectual property (IP) rights of game publishers,” [...] “While publishers may take different approaches, all publishers reserve the right to exercise their rights against IP infringement.”<ref name="kotakuArticle" />
+</blockquote>
+The next day, on July 1st 2026, the Minecraft creator Markus Persson (Notch), while replying to a post asking for [[Microsoft]] and [[Mojang]] to  speak up on the ESA commentary, he defined their move 'incredibly scummy' and 'borderline evil'.<ref name="notchPost" />
+<blockquote>
+“I'm not part of either any more, but I feel like the ESA is being incredibly scummy by pulling this. I've never liked them, but even less so now.
+I did not wish for my work to be used against people. This is borderline evil.“<ref name="notchPost" />
+</blockquote>Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 both come with dedicated server downloads for users who own the game on Steam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Dedicated Server - SteamDB |url=https://steamdb.info/app/42750/info/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-07-02 |website=SteamDB}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |title=Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Unranked Dedicated Server Metadata - SteamDB |url=https://steamdb.info/app/545990/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-07-02 |website=SteamDB}}</ref>
 ==Notorious Markets reports==
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 <ref name="calmatters">{{Cite web |title=Some legislators miss hundreds of votes, but even 'excused' absences count as a 'no' |last=Kamal |first=Sameea |date=2024-10-21 |website=CalMatters |url=https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/10/california-legislature-absences-abstentions/ |access-date=2026-06-30}}</ref>
 <ref name="glossary">{{Cite web |title=Glossary of Legislative Terms |publisher=California State Senate |url=https://www.senate.ca.gov/citizens-guide/glossary-terms |access-date=2026-06-30}}</ref>
+<ref name="pcgamerArticle">{{Cite web |title=ESA bafflingly declares private Minecraft servers 'illegal' in Stop Killing Games hearing: 'We consider it piracy, we have lawsuits' |first=Joshua |last=Walens |website=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/esa-bafflingly-declares-private-minecraft-servers-illegal-in-stop-killing-games-hearing-we-consider-it-piracy-we-have-lawsuits/ |url-status=live |date=20 Jun 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260701024933/https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/esa-bafflingly-declares-private-minecraft-servers-illegal-in-stop-killing-games-hearing-we-consider-it-piracy-we-have-lawsuits/ |archive-date=2026-07-01}}</ref>
+<ref name="kotakuArticle">{{cite web |title=Gaming Industry Lobbyist Claims Minecraft And Call Of Duty Community Servers Are ‘Illegal’ During ‘Stop Killing Games’ Hearing [Update] |first=Lewis |last=Parker |website=Kotaku |url=https://kotaku.com/gaming-industry-lobbyist-claims-minecraft-and-call-of-duty-community-servers-are-illegal-during-stop-killing-games-hearing-2000711650 |url-status=live |date=30 Jun 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260701020422/https://kotaku.com/gaming-industry-lobbyist-claims-minecraft-and-call-of-duty-community-servers-are-illegal-during-stop-killing-games-hearing-2000711650 |archive-date=2026-07-01}}</ref>
+<ref name="notchPost">{{cite web |title=Notch comment |url=https://x.com/notch/status/2072179272744104341 |first=Markus |last=Persson |date=1 Jul 2026 |website=[[X]] |url-status=live}}</ref>
 </references>