"On January 1, 2025, California’s Assembly Bill 2426 (AB 2426) will go into effect. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2024, AB 2426 requires digital retailers to be transparent about what consumers are actually purchasing when they pay for movies, music, games, and other digital goods. If you think you own what you pay for in the digital world, you might want to read the fine print. (Or re-read it if you’re that kind of person.) For years, digital storefronts have exploited vague language and fine-print licensing terms to convince consumers they are “buying” digital games or media, when really they are just buying a license to that content – one that often can be revoked at any time.

The new law mandates that sellers in California clearly disclose when a purchase is, in fact, a limited, revocable license. Further, it bans terms like “buy” or “purchase” unless these words are accompanied by disclosures indicating that the purchase might not confer true ownership. In this way, AB 2426 enforces truth in advertising for digital products, ensuring that companies can no longer mislead consumers into thinking they “own” a digital product only to have it disappear from their libraries later."

https://publicknowledge.org/ownership-used-to-mean-something/

#USA #California #DRM #Rentism #Copyright #IP