Discount buyers of the Orange Box get the shaft

Persons who purchased the The Orange Box from an online Thai retailer at a discount are having their games “deactivated” by Valve.

The Thai version of the game collection was intended only for domestic consumption; but the retailer sold the product to international customers for $20.

Valve is now deactivating the product on Steam for anyone who has a Thai CD key, but is not in Thailand. The company is directing these customers to the original retailer for a refund.

The deactivation policy applies to all U.S. users who purchased foreign versions.

Gamers who then purchase a legitimate U.S. copy of the product are discovering they are still locked out.

The Orange Box contains Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal.

When are publishers going to learn one simple and obvious truth: THE INTERNET BREAKS REGION CODING. Stop trying.

Via EvilAvatar and The Consumerist.