Sony says PlayStation digital game purchases are licenses, not ownership, in lawsuit response

A class action lawsuit alleges Sony failed to disclose that buying digital PlayStation games grants only a license, not ownership. Sony's motion to dismiss argues its terms of service made this clear. The case follows a California law requiring plain-language warnings about digital purchases.

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Sony's legal defense rests on the prominence of its terms of service, which it claims users explicitly accepted before completing a purchase. The company also argues that because two plaintiffs bought the same game just 11 days apart, no reasonable person could believe they held exclusive ownership of a digital copy, as identical files are sold to countless users simultaneously.

This lawsuit emerges amid a broader industry pivot away from physical media. Sony will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games by January 2028, and Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch as digital-only. Meanwhile, Steam has added license warnings to its checkout, and GameStop faces a similar suit under