Calls to strengthen protections for digital ownership have grown alongside a steady pullback by industry players from physical media formats. Under current arrangements, a digital purchase typically transfers only a usage licence to the buyer — one that the seller retains the right to withdraw.
Proposed legislation aimed at broadening online freedoms for individuals has been filed in the US House of Representatives. The bill, titled the Power To The Players Act, was introduced in Congress by Ritchie Torres, the Democratic representative for the House seat covering the Bronx.
As outlined on Torres' website, the legislation would direct the Federal Trade Commission to establish rules protecting the right of consumers to own and use video games they purchase. If passed into law, the measure would give buyers full title to the game itself rather than restricting them to a licence permitting access.
Under a proposed requirement in the bill, any game relying on remote servers would be required to include a functional offline option in the event those servers are taken down — a provision drawing on principles championed by the Stop Killing Games movement, which has built a following over recent years.
When Torres made the case for the bill's passage, NBA 2K25 was the specific example he put forward to anchor his argument. The gaming title, which went live in September 2024, is scheduled to have its online infrastructure taken offline by 31 December of that year.
A press release connected to the bill argued that pulling a purchased game from availability on a company's self-determined schedule was unacceptable to buyers, and linked that position to household affordability pressures across the United States. Torres added that purchasing a game should carry with it the rights to own, play, and transfer that title.
When a publisher can revoke access at any time, what consumers receive amounts to a conditional licence rather than ownership of the product. The arrangement functions as a tenancy wrapped in the appearance of a purchase. Households setting aside money to purchase these titles have a reasonable expectation that access to what they paid for will remain intact.
Proposed under the banner of digital consumer rights, the Power To The Players Act would give buyers lasting ownership over purchased content, though turning such a proposal into law has historically taken considerable time and effort.
Any such proposal would need to be filed in the House of Representatives before working its way through the relevant committee stages. Should the measure advance through committee and secure a floor vote, it would still face a Senate review process where a filibuster remains an available procedural option. Should it clear an additional committee and secure a majority vote, the proposal would then proceed to a joint review by House and Senate members before any final decision is taken. Approval from the President would still be required before the legislation could take effect, assuming it clears that additional vote.
No legislators from either chamber have signed on to sponsor the measure alongside its author. The party holds a majority position across all three branches of federal government. Lobbying activity from corporate interests is a foreseeable consequence of the legislation.
Among members of the House, the typical age hovers near 57.5 years, whereas those holding Senate seats tend to cluster around 64.7 years. According to Pew research, around 87 percent of bills put forward in the current Congress never advanced to a floor vote, placing it toward the lower end of legislative productivity compared with bodies from recent decades.
