PlayStation believes "reasonable consumers would not be misled" by its current disclosures

With the end of physical PlayStation games looming, the need for clear digital ownership rights is more pressing than ever.

For its part, Sony believes your rights are very clear: you do not own your digital games, and it’s unlikely you’re stupid enough to believe otherwise. At least, that’s roughly the argument the company’s lawyers are presenting in response to a proposed class-action lawsuit.

Sony argues that its current customer-facing disclosures ensure that “reasonable consumers would not be misled” into believing they actually own their digital games. That’s according to a Game File report (paid article link) citing an August 21 filing Sony’s lawyers made in California’s Northern District.

  • aesthelete@lemmy.world
    1·
    2 days ago

    But that negating the importance of individual action can actually disempower people from taking their part in collective action. Like it never gets off the ground because every individual just goes “well I’m just one person, so…”

    Everyone pushes that viewpoint. What’s the real choice here? Let’s just look at this individual issue and pretend it’s not connected to a larger problem of our government being endlessly corrupt and complicit in the non-stop caveat emptor that pervades everything. The choice is don’t buy the fun toy while all of your friends do and every time they talk about the fun toy being fun you either relate to them less or actively become the debby downer that lectures everyone about why you didn’t buy the fun toy.

    I guess that was even kind of abstract, but if you’re a gamer and are friends with other gamers they will likely buy this game and play it without you. They’ll have fun playing it without you, and you get the great choice of saying “no i haven’t bought that yet” and being vague and missing out, or lecturing them and risk being categorized as a negative nancy.

    Either way your individual choice does little to solve the problem, because other individuals individually ignore it. And honestly, owning games is somewhat inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

    You aren’t individually choosing your way out of these things. Other people exist. And unless you’re Elon fucking Musk, your individual preferences will likely not move the needle.

    The only real answers are not individual choices and nagging. They’re collectivism and politics. Sorry for the inconvenience but it’s true.

    The people opposing you understand this. It’s why Sony is a corporation. It’s why Republicans need megachurches. Collectivism is the only thing that works.

    Edit: Look man I’m here on lemmy and never use Reddit. Reddit still exists. My individual choices do not move the needle.

    • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
      1·
      1 day ago

      And lemmy is thriving because individuals like you and me gave enough of a fuck to shift over to this place.

      But look if someone wants to buy a game they can just do that. I was speaking more generally, like in spots you feel principled enough hell yeah be that nuisance.

      I’m not saying like fixate on individual action or think your one part “moves the needle” but that it’s part of collective action. Like how are you going to find your collective if you aren’t out there showing what you’re about.

      It’s like voting. Yeah yeah, it makes virtually no different. 1 half-brick in a sock is worth a million votes. But you’ve still got to pitch in and be one of the little drops. There are multiple borders in the war against working class people and you just do what you can in the ones you’re able to.

      PS Just to be clear, none of this is meant in a combative tone. I’m reading this as a friendly back-and-forth.

      • aesthelete@lemmy.world
        1·
        6 hours ago

        And lemmy is thriving because individuals like you and me gave enough of a fuck to shift over to this place.

        I dunno about thriving, but it’s here and it’s kinda sorta close enough to Reddit that I don’t use Reddit anymore. But Reddit still exists. Similarly, GTA 6 will probably break sales records whether I buy it or not.

        The other thing is that conceptualizing it as “voting with your dollars” points out the problem straightforwardly. Some people have millions/billions/trillions to vote with.

            • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
              2·
              2 hours ago

              I mean it’s labour day long weekend, I’m sure there’s one near you. I don’t want to dox myself, but I’ll be harassing a local MP with a group sometime this weekend. It’s not the whole war but it’s pretty high impact for what a dozen people would otherwise be able to do with just votes or dollars.