Valve Corp. Can Arbitrate Consumer Claims Over Steam Platform

Valve Corp. can compel arbitration of consumer antitrust claims over its “Steam” distribution platform for computer and video games, but in the meantime the company must still litigate a parallel proposed class action on behalf of software developers, a federal judge in Seattle ruled Monday.

Judge John C. Coughenour put the consumer case on hold pending the outcome of the arbitration proceedings, declining to rule on the argument that Valve imposes “unconscionable” terms on its customers.

The arbitration agreement signed by Steam users clearly delegates that threshold issue to an arbitrator, who can return the dispute to the U.S. District ...