Then the button becomes License and everyone knows that's the one you click to buy.

As much as I empathize with (and even support) the reasoning, I wonder if it would have a tangible effect. Is there anyone who was gonna click "buy" but not "license" (presuming they relabel the button and everything else is the same)?

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californical 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I think it depends. If they are also required to allow 3rd party stores, and one of the third parties has a “buy” button while the others have “lease (lifetime)” buttons, it might sway a decent number of people.

Same thing with consoles, if one has “buy” and the other “lease”, then it might not convert everyone but could it take 5% of sales? 10%? 20%??

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ryandrake 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I don't think the general public is engaged enough to understand the difference between "license" and "buy". They will look at the button and think "This is what I click to get it" and don't understand that they are just temporarily renting the thing. To most people, "license" is a noun: something you carry in your pocket to drive. The word is already overused by media vendors to confuse people.

	▲	inigyou 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It does defuse any excuses like "why do you say I can't buy games? I bought this game just now" and that can be a stepping stone to actual change.

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bsimpson 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

That's assuming there's an alternative.

Yes, the language should be clear and precise.

Also, if the whole industry string-replaces "lease" for "buy," I doubt the effect will be much.

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Avicebron 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It should in a functioning system, people who see lease or license on a game may be more hesitant to buy it and might pick a game who differentiates itself by marketing itself as being a permanent purchase.

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deaton 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

The point is to not mislead people. When you write "buy," you are implying that the "buy"er is obtaining a perpetual right to use the software, subject to certain rules (i.e. you can't make copies and redistribute it). "Buy" implies the buyer has an absolute right. When "buy" actually means a temporary revocable license is issued, and the buyer has no rights, that's a problem.