Sony loses court case involving PlayStation Store refunds in Australia, results in $2.4 million fine
After nearly a year in court, an Australian court case against Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe has wrapped up and come to a conclusion. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) took Sony to court over its digital game refund policies, claiming that they were false and misleading to consumers. Four different users had purchased "faulty" PlayStation games and had been refused refunds, as the games were bought digitally on the PlayStation Store, and according to Sony, were not able to be refunded as more than 14 days had passed since the date of purchase. This breached Australia's Consumer Law rights, which determined that consumers who buy products that don't function as promised or "have a major fault" are able to receive full refunds to their original payment method, even if they are digital goods.
“Consumers who buy digital products online have exactly the same rights as they would if they made the purchase at a physical store,” Mr Sims said.
“No matter where in the world a company has its headquarters, if it is selling to Australian consumers, the Australian Consumer Law applies.”
As a result of breaching ACL rights, Sony EU has been fined $3.5 million AUD (2.4m USD) in penalty fines.
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