At the end of the month october you won't be able to rent a game anymore in Belgium.

The clerk of the shop told me that it is a new law by EU.

His expectation is that we will see at least a 60% rise on software.

Discuss...

Does anyone know anything about this?
I cannot find anything on Google.
And since I live in the US, I have heard nothing about this.

If true, it is of concern because if it happens there, it could happen here.
It could also make used game sales very difficult.

Of course, it is also unclear if this is PC or console games. The former is already pretty much impossible in the US.

Mike from Morgantown

Alle verhuur die er nog inzit mag nog verhuurd worden tot 1-12-2008, dan is het volledig gedaan met verhuur in ons land.

En het kan wel zijn dat er links en rechts zaken zijn die zich er niet aan houden maar de BOETES zullen niet mals zijn.

Maar het in ONoverkomelijk, dat is zeker, er is een speciaal orgaan opgericht in ons land, BEA (http://www.belgianentertainment.be/) die er moet op toezien.
Het staat nog niet vermeld op hun website maar dat komt binnenkort.

-> google translation

From June 1, 2008 should NOT NEW RELEASES in the rent is in our country.

All rental still inside may still be hired to 1-12-2008, it is completely done with rentals in our country.

And it may be that there are things left and right who do not hold but the FINES will not tender.

But the insurmountable, that's for sure, there is a special body created in our country, BEA (http://www.belgianentertainment.be/) that there needs to monitor.
It is not yet listed on their website, but that comes soon.

An EU law? If something that effectively applies to the whole of Europe had become law, there should be a bit more news on the subject, I've seen nothing about that in the UK. Wouldn't that damage the games business, which makes it all the more newsworthy?

R U sure about that? Cause I live in Belgium too and it's the very first time I've heard about that? BTW I don't care cause I don't rent games, but well it's a very strange law...

Poor Belgium! Sales might rise, but so will returns

I cannot believe this without backup from a few sources I trust, something this big would have stirred up a hornet nest full of activism.

Funny, I cannot find anything on the BEA site about it.
Though I will admit that I cannot get Google to do a full site search in Firefox.

Mike from Morgantown

BS.. I can still rent games at Videoland (a Video Rental Store with a lot of stores in the Netherlands)
There is a law in the Netherlands that requires a permission when you are going to rent something out.. That permission has to be asked directly at the production company.. They can say yes or no..
Problem is that not many are willing to put up with all the hassle so there are less and less places where we can rent...

In June, the Belgian Entertainment Association (representing game publishers, of course) managed to convince Belgian authorities to outlaw game rentals. On the grounds that renting games made a sizeable dent in game sales. Part of that deal was that, from June, video stores couldn't buy any new games to rent out, but could keep on renting out the ones they had until December. Well, with December approaching, Belgian paper De Standaard has confirmed that, come December 1, Belgians won't be able to rent video games. At all. Bet the publishers are happy with that one! Pity about the, you know. Gamers.

http://kotaku.com/5071986/belgium-cracks-down-ongame-rentals