Some consumers have been facing a dilemma, where digital products they thought they owned have disappeared or were altered.
The Arizona House passed HB 2010 with bipartisan support to help consumers know what they’re actually buying.
Republican Rep. Nick Kupper, who sponsored the bill, is one such consumer. He says iTunes had altered episodes of a TV show he purchased without notice.
“I was under the impression, as many people I’ve talked to are, that when you buy a TV show or a movie or a video game online — not you pay a subscription service, but you buy it — that you own the item just like you would own a physical Blu-ray or something to that effect," Kupper said. "But it’s not the same. What you’re buying is not the item, you’re actually buying a license."
Amazon.com is currently facing a class action lawsuit accusing the company of misleading consumers on what digital ownership actually means.
And when companies you buy from lose the right to license those items, those digital products disappear. Products may also be altered without notice.
The bill would ban companies selling digital products from using words such as “buy” or “purchase” without a disclaimer and would apply to many digital products, from movies and music to NFTs and cryptocurrencies.
“Any company that is going to sell you a digital license like this for a game or a TV show or a movie, they just have to notify you up front that what you’re buying is a license, not buying the product itself. Now they can choose technically to not notify you, but then they can’t use the word ‘buy’ or “purchase,'" Kupper said.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
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