PlayStation Facing New California Lawsuit Over Digital “Purchase” Disclosure Law

Sony is facing yet another lawsuit in California over the PlayStation Store.

As reported by Aftermath, Andrew Garcia, Edward Heycock, Jason Mendoza, and John Salinas are suing Sony for violating California’s Assembly Bill 2426.

AB 2426 requires companies to disclose that when they buy digital goods, including video games, they are paying for a license that can be revoked. That means they don’t fully own these digital purchases.

The plaintiffs talk about the disclosures that Sony uses in the PlayStation Store for PS4 and PS5, and argue that they aren’t sufficient. They also point to Sony using language like ‘Buy Now’ and ‘Confirm Purchase’ to potentially mislead customers.

Some gamers may have digital purchases that date back 20 years ago, and they may view this as a nuisance lawsuit. But this disclosure matters to newer gamers and consumers who don’t know their digital rights.

Last May, Sony lost a California lawsuit over anticompetitive practices in the same PlayStation Store. Sony may get even more scrutiny from California in the near future.