File a class action lawsuit against Sony In the UK accused Play Station The company “ripping people apart” on its digital store.
The legal claim, filed by consumer rights activist Alex Neill, claims that Sony violated competition law by demanding that every purchase made on the PlayStation Store be cut off.
According to the claim, UK players have been paid an additional £5 billion ($5.9 billion) for their digital purchases over the past six years.
The suit, which was filed with the Competition Appeal Court last week, says it includes anyone in the UK who has purchased games or DLC via the PlayStation Store since August 19, 2016, which is said to be around 9 million people.
If the procedure is successful, each person will be entitled to between £67 and £562 in compensation, plus interest.
The controversy appears to be about the terms and conditions that Sony puts on developers and publishers who want to sell games and additional content through PlayStation digital stores.
Sony takes a 30% stake in every purchase made, just like steamAnd the X-Box and App Store (epic takes less than 12%), and it’s this reduction that Neal claims is “ripping people apart.”
It’s not clear if the lawsuit claims that Sony should not take any commission for third-party sales in its digital stores, or whether it should simply be reduced by 30%.
“The game is intended for Sony PlayStation,” Neal said in a statement. Sky News.
“Through this legal action, I am defending the millions of people in the UK who have been inadvertently overcharged. We believe Sony has abused its position and stole its customers.
“Gaming is now the UK’s largest entertainment industry, ahead of TV, video and music and many vulnerable people rely on gaming for community and communication.
“Sony’s actions are costing millions of people who cannot afford it, especially when we are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and the consumer wallet is under pressure like never before.”
Natasha Berman, the partner leading the case, added: “Sony dominates the digital distribution of PlayStation games and in-game content – it has deployed an anti-competitive strategy that has resulted in excessive customer pricing that does not match the costs of Sony’s provision of its services.”
Last month Sony successfully Persuaded a US court to dismiss another lawsuit who claimed that the PlayStation Store was anti-competitive.
The lawsuit alleged that due to the fact that Sony only sells digital copies of PlayStation games on the PlayStation Store, it illegally monopolized the market.
However, according to the ruling, the plaintiffs – a group of gamers who buy games from the PlayStation Store – had to show that the decision to sell games only on the PlayStation Store was intended to cut out competition and ended a lucrative deal. Business to dominate the market.
Judge Richard Seaborg of the US District Court for the Northern District of California concluded that this had not been sufficiently substantiated.
