On several occasions I've noticed people trying to sell their GOG accounts and I started to wonder how does GOG look at this. I quickly read through the terms of use, but found nothing about this particular issue.
Since games distributed by GOG are DRM free, there is a high probability [if not a certainty] that the person selling his / her account would keep the installs for themselves and continue to use them, while allowing someone else to access their account.
I know Valve doesn't approve of this when it comes to Steam accounts, even though in Steam's case, only one person can actually use the account.
So is selling a GOG account to someone, giving them access to purchased games, legal? Can there be a transfer of ownership or is this against GOG rules?

Read the rest of it.

Fine: PROVE that the second person changes the password. PROVE that once it's changed the access won't be returned. PROVE that they have no contact, association, that would let both people not have access in any form at the same time, that only one person will use it, the other wouldn't be able to, and that there's no sharing in any form.

It's impossible. And it's a legal nightmare if you have to try and figure out who is really who.

Well sure, it isn't easy for it to be tracked, but if it is a legitimate sale done between strangers that live in different countries for instance, and if it was done in the correct way (single ownership) that's what i'm curious about.

Like I wrote: It's against TOS. Now go back and read my first post. I have nothing against selling used items but digital rights is another thing entirely, because how do you use a non-modifyable program? It doesn't age.

And say you do sell/giveaway the account. Say that we have what just happened a few months ago, scamming. That guy who you gave the account to, thinks, "Hm, I need a scapegoat", throws his account password to you, saves it, and then gets to work. When he gets in trouble he can claim you had access and must be the responsible person. That's just one example of how twisted this can get, it's a legal nightmare. And there's just as many ways for the original owner to screw with the new one as there are the new one to fuck up the trust of the old one.

Maybe you two should just absorb the point m0rd3n made...

I have been so cute two years ago ;_; Oh wait, I still am!

I'm not sure what point you're referring to since it's all just a question about wether or not it's legal.

necro-bomb!

like with steam just don't do it on their forum then how would they know you didn't move change your primary email and reset your password at roughly the same time?

but since unlike steam gog is drm free its probably something they'd frown on(for legitimate reasons) because the original owner could just download copies of all the games before transferring the account(could basically pirate games from their server by reselling trading or gifting the login) so functionally it'd be basically the same as letting somebody else log in as you without transferring the account first(the thing they say you can't do in tos).

steam no reason not to sell other than they don't want you to, gog has an actual reason

This:

Selling online accounts seems sketchy to me because, as you said, no reason they couldn't download all their games and still have them after the sale.

To me it's just indicative of one problem with digital - basically working to eliminate second-hand sales.

The term "illegal" isn't the most correct here. But "selling" GOG account does not have any legal consequences. It's like you didn't sell it at all. You accepted the money, but account is still yours - the right of ownership nor the licences were transferred.

If somebody tried to argue, you could be even charged for criminal fraud (somebody gave you money thinking he gets something, but in fact got nothing at all)

Let me say it again - if you "sell" GOG account, from legal perspective - nothing happens. You are still the only person who has rights to use that account and download games on it.

There were, in fact, some fraud attempts regarding steam like that - somebody sold account to somebody else, and then contacted steam, presented some receipts and photos of retail games, the account went back to the original owner (meaning changing the password etc), and the person who bought the account was left with nothing. (except the claim for criminal fraud the person selling account comitted)

That's an issue. With physical games, they can be sold on, and i'm used to getting rid of games once i've played them. I'm not really a collector.

Let me bump this thread. Recently I've discovered that some guy is selling accounts with Dungeon Keeper, which was free a week ago. Probably he's made dozens of fake e-mail accounts, which were used to create GOG accounts for trade.

Can reporting such guy to the customer support make a difference in any way? Or we're helpless?

Such people just piss me off, it's nothing less than cheating on GOG and other people.