Overview
- An ESA lobbyist, Jennifer Gibbons, told a California Senate committee that community and private servers for games like Minecraft and Call of Duty are “illegal” and “piracy,” a claim that went viral after the June 29 hearing.
- The Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), which would have required notice and tools or refunds when server‑dependent games shut down, failed to advance in the Senate committee by four ayes, three noes and four abstentions but was granted reconsideration.
- Publishers and the ESA later softened their public language, saying their concern targets unauthorized servers that host or distribute copyrighted content without permission rather than publisher‑authorized server tools.
- Gaming outlets, creators, and players pushed back strongly, citing examples such as Mojang’s official Minecraft server software and other games that ship dedicated‑server tools to show many community servers operate with publisher permission.
- The dispute crystallizes a broader policy conflict: preservation advocates want legal guarantees or tools to keep paid games playable after shutdowns, while publishers point to IP rights, licensed third‑party content, moderation costs and security as barriers to mandated preservation.