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Steam just removed its forced arbitration policy, opening the door for lawsuits against its parent company, Valve. In an update on Thursday<\/a>, Steam says its subscriber agreement<\/a> \u201cnow provides that any disputes are to go forward in court instead of arbitration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Many companies include a forced arbitration clause in their user agreement, waiving a person\u2019s right to a trial in court. Arbitration involves settling a dispute outside a legal system before an impartial third party. This method is often faster but may not get the best results for consumers, as arbitrators don\u2019t need to consider the law<\/a> when issuing a decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Previously, Steam\u2019s user agreement<\/a> said that \u201cyou and Valve agree to resolve all disputes and claims between us in individual binding arbitration\u201d for all disputes related to Steam, your account, hardware, or the company\u2019s content and services. The new agreement eliminates any mention of a binding arbitration policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Steam doesn\u2019t say why it decided to suddenly remove the forced arbitration clause. As pointed out by 404 Media<\/em><\/a>, a group of plaintiffs recently challenged Valve\u2019s forced arbitration policy and were able to file a class action lawsuit over Steam\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n