Today the European branch of Japanese conglomerate Sony Interactive Entertainment
was penalized $3.5 million AU - or $2.4 million US - by the Federal Court of Australia. The fine has been issued as a result of
allegations made by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) back in May 2019.
According to the case presented by the ACC last year, Sony Europe infringed the rights of Australians customers as per the Australian Consumer Law when it introduced its new terms and conditions for the PlayStation Store in September 2017. The news terms prevented customers from getting refunds on games two weeks after purchase or once they had been downloaded.
Four customers in specific were informed over the phone by Sony employees that they could not issue a refund unless approved by the game's developer, while a separate customer was offered PlayStation Store credit instead of a proper return of the fiscal amount charged.