First off I have a lot of respect for GOG, so I don't want to do anything against their rules, but I don't know morally if it is right for me to, after i finish my game to delete it from my library and give it to a friend like I would with discs when I used them, even though I am still buying the game and not just a license to play like Steam, it's the fact it's still a downloadable game and it kind of pushes it for me, so any answers are appreciated.

See here.
I believe there is also no way to "delete" a game from your library; you can only hide them. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, though.)

Of course, no one can stop you from doing whatever you want with your GOG installers, but since you said you respect GOG, maybe don't.

Ok thanks just clarifying to make sure I won't then :)

It is a bit of a shame that it doesn't work like games on disc, but on the other hand, there are many sales on GOG, so gift copies of games you want your friend to play aren't hard to come by in most cases.

After reading the title of the thread, I instantly thought: "Nope. Not OK." But now that I think about it... If someone was being honest about it, and removed all copies from their own computers before giving a game to a friend, it would be no different from a traditional physical game on disc/cartridge/floppy etc. Of course the recipient of the game wouldn't be allowed to create and give away multiple copies of the game either. But as long as there's only one copy and owner of the game at a time, it would work just like traditional games, right?

As far as I know we were never permitted to pass on or sell traditional physical games either, at least according to the publishers. Pretty sure most game manuals had some fine print related to that. According to actual law, people had the right to resell their game/ownership license though, and I suspect it's a similar situation with digital game downloads. In the end it's the same thing really, it's all just data, only the method of distribution has changed. Back in the day of floppy discs, in example, you could also easily create a back-up copy for yourself, before selling your game, and I'm sure many people did just that.

That's unfortunately a misconception. You always only buy a license to use the game. GOG just doesn't add any DRM restrictions. GOG's licence is also a personal one, meaning it's tied to you personally and not to be transferred in any way. You aren't allowed to share it, to sell it and maybe not even to hand it down.

See GOG's User Agreement:

The general answer is that it's not really encouraged, but allowed if you insist on doing it.
Hopefully somebody else can chime in here since I didn't save the post, but this question's been asked numerous times before, and once a staff member came in and commented that if you're going to do so, they ask that you at least remove the game from your own computer first.

Sorry, that's wrong - see the User Agreement.

You are always just buying a license. Even when you bought the games on physical disc.

Yes and no... Depends on the country you live in. In Germany there is something called "Erschöpfungsgrundsatz" (right exhaustion principle) - meaning you own something - you can do with it as you like: give away, burn, shit on it - you name it. But that only applies to physical goods. Meaning - you bought the game on DVD - you're free to give it away to somebody else.

Digital goods are a whole different matter though...

Oh, my mistake.
Where was that post I'm referring to, though? I know it exists somewhere...

Arguably, we were always buying digital goods though, they were merely delivered on plastic discs and in cardboard boxes. But the bulk of the money was always for the digital information on the discs, and the permission to use that data for personal entertainment, not for the packaging or the form of delivery.

Also, there have always been conflicts between publisher created user agreements, commonly accepted behavior/morals, and the actual local law. In the end I think this discussion is moot, and it all comes down to individual perception of what's acceptable and what isn't. I mean, we could all agree that it's not acceptable to upload a GOG game and make it available freely on the web. Just as most of us could agree that it's fine to install your purchases on the computer of your kids, or wife/family members. But I could also think of various examples where the situation isn't as clear cut. So I think people will just have to decide for themselves what seems acceptable and fair for GOG, the game devs/owners, and the end user, because there's no universal answer for every situation.

Ultimately, nobody here in the GOG forums are legal experts, and a true legal expert would be unlikely to leave any authoritative comments on a public gaming forum, so take that into account when you review the responses received.

Having said that, the correct legal situation that applies to you specifically will be a combination of International law and your country's own laws with regards to intellectual property, and what the end user license agreement is on each individual game you have purchased. There are no 100% solid rules that apply to all games on a global scale with regards to the law.

On the surface, the layman might assume that because they can purchase a physical game on CD/DVD and then sell it or give it away at a later date if the laws in their country permit this, that doing the same thing with a digital download game should also be legal. However, if one actually investigates what the laws of a given country actually has to say about this, it very well may not be the case. It is my understanding that in Canada and the United States for example, that video games, movies and similar entertainment content purchased online in digital download format, we do not in fact own but rather we have licensed that content under specific terms outlined in the EULA or whatever licensing agreement and are bound by the terms found within. Normally these agreements do not permit the resale or redistribution of a copyrighted work because we technically do not own it. In other words the laws of many countries consider digital goods to be very different from physical goods purchased on disk.

Many people out there have strong opinions on what they think "should" be legal and why, and may express those opinions as if they are legal fact, so be careful to not make decisions based on random people's opinions of what they think the laws should be that do not match up with what the laws actually are. Research the laws that pertain to you and your own country specifically from an authoritative government source where you live, or a legal organization that is in your own country.

Don't take random legal advice from strangers on the Internet (including me), regardless of how well intentioned they might be - they are probably wrong. Get direct legal advice from a proper source, contacting an attourney directly if necessary. That is the only way to get accurate information on such matters.

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm quite new to GOG which is why I asked the question, I played the Witcher series and since then CD Projekt Red has been one of my most respected game developers, and I haven't seen a post about if you were to genuinely treat it like a disc and not just copy it around everywhere. So i was just wondering about it and what you can do with DRM free games that is morally correct. But if it's up to debate like this then I guess it could be down to some moral conscience I guess, because even if buying discs mean you can't share them second hand games were all over the place. I guess its a grey area then, but generally I stay away from grey areas so that's that then, thanks guys :)

For what it's worth, the majority of games here are fairly cheap, especially during sales, so you could always send your friend(s) some gift codes for games, and/or they could buy them for themselves.

It is a pretty weird situation, though, with digitally distributed games. In example, if you buy the latest Call of Duty or whatever as a retail release on console, you're generally able to trade or resell it once you're done with it ( an evening or two later ). Now, buy the same game as a digital download on PC, you'll be unable to do anything with your copy once you've finished playing, because it's bound to some account, or it's not considered legal to pass on your copy/license. I guess it would seem more fair if purely digital distributions were significantly cheaper than traditional retail sales, but that's not the case. Often you can even find very cheap retail deals, while the base price for the digital version is still high. It's kinda messed up.