Sony Argues in Court That Digital Games Can't Be Owned

In brief

• Sony told a federal court on August 21 that reasonable consumers would not be misled into thinking they own the digital games they pay for.
• Its filing argues that ownership is implausible because two plaintiffs bought the same game 11 days apart—had the first owned it, the second could not have bought it.
• The proposed class action, filed in June by four California PlayStation customers, alleges the store's checkout fails a disclosure law in force since January 2025.

Sony has told a federal judge that no reasonable consumer believes they own the digital games they pay for on the PlayStation Store, according to an August 21 filing reviewed by Game File.

The filing is the company's first substantive answer to a proposed class action brought in June in the Northern District of California by four California PlayStation customers. They allege the store's "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase" buttons imply ownership when the transaction hands over only a revocable license.

The suit's first count is brought under Section 17500.6, added to California's false advertising law by AB 2426, which took effect in January 2025. It bars sellers from using "buy," "purchase," or any term a reasonable person would read as conferring unrestricted ownership, unless the checkout carries a clear and conspicuous statement, in plain language, that buying the digital good is a license.