Hobbs vetoes bill meant to curb misleading advertising about ownership of digital products

Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill aimed at curbing misleading advertising for digital products. The bill was once a bipartisan effort, but ultimately lost Democratic support.

When purchasing a digital copy of a movie or TV show, one might assume they have ownership forever, but many buyers have seen those digital products disappear from their libraries.

This House bill would have required companies to make it clear they’re selling a temporary license of a digital product, or provide a refund.

It originally had bipartisan support in the Legislature. But lost Democratic backing following changes to the proposed refund process and ultimately passed with a Republican majority.

Republican Rep. Nick Kupper was the bill’s sponsor.

"I worked specifically with one of the biggest stakeholders, Apple, on that specific section," Kupper said. "In fact, the whole reason that we amended it in conference committee was to make sure we could take care of what Apple needed. Apple is the biggest player that would be affected by this bill."

When Hobbs vetoed the bill, she called the refund provisions “ambiguous and inconsistent with other states.”

Kupper said, “We have laws in our state that fit the needs of Arizonans. If that’s inconsistent with what another state is, well that’s another state.”

He said he intends to reintroduce the bill next legislative session.