Sony argues PlayStation customers knew digital games were licensed, not owned
Hennadiy Chemеris
Sony Interactive Entertainment argues that "reasonable" PlayStation customers already understood they never owned digital titles, as it seeks dismissal of a California class action over digital game ownership claims. The company filed its response on August 21, 2026, saying its PlayStation Terms of Service and Software Product License Agreement already spell out that digital purchases are licenses, not sales.
The lawsuit was filed on June 18, 2026 by four PlayStation users in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Plaintiffs say Sony does not clearly disclose at the point of sale that buying a digital game does not convey ownership.
Sony pushes back by pointing to the language shown during purchase, which states that a digital product purchase is subject to the Software Product License Agreement. The company says the license is "limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and personal" and applies only to private, non-commercial use.
In its filing, Sony also argues that true ownership of a digital title is "not plausible" because a digital file is not inherently scarce. The company summed up that position with a blunt line:
In a digital era, it is not plausible to suggest that any reasonable consumer believes they are obtaining ownership of a digital game.
Sony even cited Resident Evil Requiem in its response, saying Edward Heycock bought the same digital title on February 25, 2026, after Jason Mendoza had already purchased it on February 14. The company used that example to reinforce its argument that digital game access is licensed rather than owned.
The ownership case is separate from another class action in which Sony reached a $7.85 million settlement over digital game pricing purchased between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. A settlement hearing in that case is scheduled for October 15, 2026.
Can Sony convince the court that its licensing language is enough to make digital ownership claims collapse?
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Sony argues digital PlayStation games are licenses, not owned purchases