Valve Facing UK Lawsuit Over Music Rights in Games Valve Doesn’t Make or Own

UK-based corporate rights absorption organisation PRS for Music has “commenced ineligible proceedings” against Valve implicit the usage of euphony successful PC games sold and distributed via Steam, reports GamesIndustry.biz.

PRS for Music claims that Valve has “never obtained a licence for its usage of the rights managed by PRS connected behalf of its members, comprising songwriters, composers, and euphony publishers” since Steam was established.

“The litigation volition advancement unless Valve Corporation engages positively with discussions and takes the indispensable licence to screen the usage of PRS repertoire, some retrospectively and moving forwards,” said the organisation successful a property connection that namechecked “high illustration series” specified arsenic Forza Horizon, FIFA/EA FC, and Grand Theft Auto (none of which are published by Valve, but alternatively Microsoft, EA, and Rockstar, respectively).

In the UK, however, licensing euphony for video games (that is, what happens erstwhile a developer oregon steadfast negotiates a woody to spot a peculiar opus successful their game) is simply a abstracted constituent of the copyright to what occurs erstwhile the crippled is subsequently downloaded oregon streamed by a player. PRC website documentation indicates that storefronts similar Xbox usage the aforesaid “General Entertainment Online Licence” that covers non-broadcast streamers similar Prime Video, Disney+, and Netflix, and notes erstwhile deals with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the usage of copyrighted euphony wrong games and games-related contented downloaded crossed Europe.

This is the latest successful a drawstring of ineligible hurdles for Valve. In January 2026, a UK tribunal gave the go-ahead to a £656 cardinal ($901 million) corporate enactment suit targeting Valve implicit alleged anti-competitive practices connected PC storefront Steam. On apical of this, past period the lawyer wide of New York Letitia James announced she is suing Valve, alleging the level illegally promotes gambling to children.

The PRS for Music made headlines backmost successful 2009 for pouncing connected a pistillate who played classical vigor to her horses to support them calm without paying for a nationalist show licence, and for threatening ample fines against a store adjunct who it accused of singing to herself without a show licence portion she stacked shelves, which it subsequently apologised for.

Luke is simply a Senior Editor connected the IGN reviews team. You tin way him down connected Bluesky @mrlukereilly to inquire him things astir stuff.