The lack of a clear warning in the PlayStation Store about the sale of game licenses has led to a lawsuit
Starting in 2025, a law in California requires digital stores to warn that they are not selling games as such but licenses for access to them. According to four American gamers, the PlayStation Store is violating this law.
The dissatisfied gamers filed a lawsuit against Sony. In the lawsuit, they stated that the PlayStation Store still uses the phrases “Buy Now” and “Confirm Purchase.” According to the law, these phrases cannot be used without clarification about licenses, as they mislead consumers.
However, the plaintiffs acknowledged that at the purchase confirmation stage, the PlayStation Store does display a notice stating that gamers are buying only a license, not the game itself. Nevertheless, in their opinion, the note is written in such small print that most people do not pay attention to it.
The plaintiffs want the court to require Sony to correct the violation and pay compensation to the affected users. The amount of compensation should be determined by a jury. They also hope the lawsuit will be granted class-action status so that more gamers can join.
Sony has not commented on the lawsuit.