MP criticized Sony’s new user agreement

The Russian State Duma condemned the strategy of the Japanese corporation Sony, which introduced a ban on the resale of discs for game consoles. The new user agreement states that owners of physical copies of games will no longer be able to sell them without obtaining permission from the company, and violators risk having their accounts blocked on the PlayStation Network platform.

However, this approach caused dissatisfaction among deputy Anton Tkachev, who works in the IT committee of the State Duma. In an interview with Ridus.ru, he spoke about the intricacies of Russian legislation, which does not support the kind of measures that Sony is taking.

According to the deputy, it should be understood that the ban on resale only applies to activated discs on a specific console with a specific account. If the game is installed on a new console, it will probably not launch, since this is technically impossible.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, if any goods are purchased by an individual from a legal entity, then they are the property of the buyer. The latter has the right to dispose of them in his own interests, including resale to other individuals, if this is not entrepreneurship. The sales restriction can only be applied to legal entities engaged in commercial activities.

The deputy insists that Sony has the right to limit the sale of discs exclusively to legal entities engaged in entrepreneurial activities. He also points out that Sony’s aggressive policies may violate citizens’ rights. However, users already know how to bypass the blocking of online games on Russian user accounts by registering clients under the guise of residents of other countries and paying for games in other currencies.

The deputy also warns that such actions by the company could lead to a decrease in income and customer outflow, as well as stimulate business development among competitors.