Regulations
By Pankaj K
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California's False Advertising Law Enters the Picture. The lawsuit's first count leans on Section 17500.6 of California's false advertising law.
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Sony Pushes Hard for Arbitration. The company also wants this case moved out of court entirely.
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What the Verdict Could Mean for Digital Sales. The broader stakes here go well beyond Sony. Digital game sales have been growing for years across…
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Sony doesn't think you own your games. Not even close.
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The company made that crystal clear in an August 21 court filing, responding to a class action lawsuit sitting in the Northern District of California.
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The gap between what a button says and what the fine print means is the whole fight here.
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The lawsuit's first count leans on Section 17500.6 of California's false advertising law. That section is specific: it bans companies from using words like "buy" or "purchase"…
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Sony's legal team pushed back hard. Their argument is that the checkout process already spells things out — the PlayStation Terms of Service and the Software Product License…
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Two of the plaintiffs put real money on the line. Jason Mendoza bought Resident Evil Requiem on February 14. Edward Heycock bought the same game on February 25 for $69.99.
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The company also wants this case moved out of court entirely. Sony filed to push the dispute into private arbitration, which its terms of service require.
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Related: Polygon Silently Fixes Major Security Flaws with Two Hard Forks Before Disclosure
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The judge hasn't ruled on the arbitration request yet. That decision is probably the most important procedural moment in the whole case.
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And it's not just the legal structure that's shifting. Sony announced it will stop producing physical game discs starting in January 2028.
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The company is also reportedly looking at a dollar-denominated stablecoin to handle digital purchases inside its ecosystem. Details on that are sparse.
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See also: Scott Bessent Faces Trade Tensions and Iran Crisis at G20 Summit in Osaka
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