I think a large part of the problem is that people pressed a “Buy” button when making a “Purchase”. Even if they bought a “license”, then it is not clear that the license can be revoked at any time, leaving you with nothing. Or that the product can be updated after buying, making it impossible to play the game in the state that you bought it.
The lawsuit was filed in June 2026, with PlayStation users alleging that the company tricked them with deceptive wording when purchasing its products.
According to the lawsuit, by adding a “Buy now” button, the company led consumers to believe they were buying a product (a game) rather than a license to it.
Thus, Sony was accused of failing to comply with California law, which requires companies to clearly communicate to consumers that paying for a digital game doesn’t mean they own it.
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Sony argues it’s not at fault and says that digital ownership is impossible, since it would mean that only one copy of a game could be sold.
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It also says “reasonable consumers would not be misled” into thinking they actually own the games they pay to play.
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“People get copies that they can keep – they don’t expect transfer of immaterial rights with the purchase of a copy. Lawyers use such misleading arguments,” wrote one user.[…]
“The ‘you’re only buying a revocable license’ defense is standard corporate EULA law, but arguing that consumers shouldn’t expect ownership because physical scarcity doesn’t apply to digital bits is wild,” wrote one netizen, adding, “People aren’t expecting exclusive copyright to the entire codebase; they expect the permanent right to execute the copy they paid $70 for without having it wiped from their library when a server contract expires.”
Some Sony clients have already learned what it’s like to suddenly lose material they paid for.
Previously, the company announced that it would remove 551 movies and TV shows from its PlayStation library due to licensing issues. This meant its users would be left without the content they had paid for. The company hasn’t offered a refund or any other solution to this issue.
[…]
Source: Sony Digital Game Ownership Fight: You Can’t Own Games, It Says | Cybernews
Robin Edgar
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