Because Sony is in the UK’s sights for PlayStation Store prices
In the UK, a £ 5 billion class action lawsuit has been launched against Sony. The tech giant is accused of violating competition law by overloading millions of its PlayStation customers
€ 6 billion class action against Sony over the Playstation Store.
In the United Kingdom, a group of consumers has sued the Japanese video game giant for abusing its dominant position in the sale of software used on its Playstation platform.
In particular, according to the indictment Sony has inflated by + 30% on every game purchased on the PlayStation Store, where it sells digital games, downloadable content and subscriptions.
The lawsuit was filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal by Alex Neill, head of the consumer protection site Resolver, on behalf of nearly 9 million Playstation users in the country.
All the details.
ACCUSATION OF ABUSE OF DOMINANT POSITION FOR SONY IN THE PLAYSTATION STORE
Sony could be forced to pay close to £ 5 billion in damages if it loses the UK class action.
According to the indictment, Sony has been overloading PlayStation players for six years by abusing its market dominance.
THE ILLEGAL ACCORDING TO THE CLASS CATION
Specifically, for the prosecution's lawyers, the Japanese giant charges a fixed commission of 30% to developers who wish to sell games in the PlaysStation Store. This often results in digital content prices being higher than a physical copy of the same title, despite the associated costs of manufacturing and shipping the hardware.
"It is certainly not the first time that the tech giants have been accused of demanding too high commissions from developers (and always with a" cartel "of 30 percent), as demonstrated by the various cases that have involved Google and Apple in the past" recalls Wired .
“With this lawsuit, I am defending millions of people in the UK who have unknowingly had to pay far more than they owed. We believe Sony has abused its position and robbed its customers, ”said Alex Neill.
“Gaming is now the largest entertainment industry in the UK, ahead of TV, video and music and many vulnerable people rely on games for community and connection. Sony's stock is costing a lot for people who can't afford it, ”he added.
THE COMPENSATION CLAIMED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Therefore, according to the class action, anyone in the UK who has purchased digital games or additional content on their console or via the PlayStation Store since August 2016 is included in the lawsuit and could be entitled to compensation, which is said to be between £ 67. and £ 562 per person excluding interest.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/sony-accusa-regno-unito-prezzi-playstation/ on Wed, 24 Aug 2022 10:40:32 +0000.