Sony says gamers don't own their digital purchases, but 44 examples of its own wording suggest otherwise

A consumer rights wiki has collected Sony's ownership claims from support pages, store listings, and official blog posts

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A hot potato: Sony has argued in its ownership lawsuit that people don't actually own their digital purchases. But that seems to contradict the 44 instances documented by the Consumer Rights Wiki, all of which show the gaming giant clearly stating that people do in fact "own" their games.

The collection spans PlayStation support pages, store listings, and official blog posts, with live links, archived snapshots, and highlighted screenshots showing exactly where Sony uses ownership language.

The project comes from the community around the Consumer Rights Wiki, founded by consumer advocate Louis Rossmann. Its collection covers support articles, promotional pages, store listings, and official blog posts, all showing that language suggesting ownership extends well beyond the checkout button.

One particularly clear example appears in Sony's instructions for upgrading PS4 games to their PS5 versions. The page explicitly refers to an eligible "digital PS4 game you already own." That leaves little room to suggest the wording applies exclusively to physical discs.

There's also Sony's explanation of its PlayStation Store ratings system. In an August 2025 blog post, the company said players "must own the game before submitting a rating." It appears that ownership is a perfectly useful concept when explaining who gets to leave feedback.

The lawsuit was filed in June by four California customers who allege Sony's checkout does not adequately disclose that their purchases grant revocable licenses. They say the licensing notice is small and insufficiently prominent, while buttons such as "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase" suggest ownership.

California's AB 2426, which took effect in January 2025, restricts that language unless sellers obtain the required acknowledgment or provide a clear, conspicuous licensing disclosure. The dispute concerns what customers are told when paying for games, rather than whether buying a copy transfers the publisher's intellectual property.

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Sony argues its licensing terms make the arrangement clear and that "reasonable consumers would not be misled." But the wiki's examples certainly illustrate why people would think they do own these items.

Other storefronts have been more explicit about ownership. Steam added a shopping-cart notice in October 2024 explaining that digital purchases grant licenses. Ubisoft used a similar ownership defense after The Crew's shutdown left paying customers unable to play.

For now, Sony is seeking individual arbitration, citing terms it says all four plaintiffs accepted without opting out. It has alternatively requested dismissal, with a hearing scheduled for October 1. Whether the wiki's collection influences proceedings remains to be seen, but it certainly adds to the growing PR nightmare Sony has become embroiled in.

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