INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
LONDON: Sony must face a mass lawsuit worth up to 6.3 billion pounds ($7.9 billion) over claims the PlayStation maker abused its dominant
position leading to unfair prices for customers, a London tribunal ruled on Tuesday
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) was sued last year on behalf of nearly nine million people in the United Kingdom who had bought digital
games or add-on content through Sony's PlayStation Store
Alex Neill, a consumer advocate who has worked on previous campaigns, is bringing the case against Sony
She says the company abused its dominant position by requiring digital games and add-ons to be bought and sold only via the PlayStation
Store, which charges a 30% commission to developers and publishers
The claim alleges customers have therefore paid higher prices for games and add-on content than they would have done
Sony's lawyers argued the case was "flawed from start to finish" and said it should be thrown out
The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that Neill's case could continue, though it said people who had made PlayStation Store purchases after
the case was filed in 2022 should be removed from the proposed claimant class
Neill said in a statement that Tuesday's ruling was "the first step in ensuring consumers get back what they're owed"
Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
