Amazon is facing a new legal challenge following a proposed class action lawsuit over how it markets movies and television shows on its Prime Video platform.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, alleges that the company misleads consumers by describing digital transactions as “purchases” when, in fact, customers receive only a revocable license.
Why It Matters
The lawsuit dives into a broader question over digital ownership and when consumers click “buy” on a streaming platform.
Is the customer truly purchasing permanent rights, or only renting access at the company’s discretion? At stake is whether Amazon and other digital retailers must clearly explain that so-called purchases can disappear, an issue that could reshape how millions of people understand—and pay for—movies, TV shows, games and other digital goods.
What To Know
The complaint, filed August 21 in the Western District of Washington, was brought by California resident Lisa Reingold.
According to the filing, Reingold bought Bella and the Bulldogs — Volume 4 from Amazon in May 2025 for $17.79 after applying a credit. Soon afterward, she says, the program was no longer available in her library.
Newsweek contacted Amazon and attorney Wright Noel for comment by email outside of normal office hours on Thursday.
Bella And The Bulldogs arrive at the Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Inglewood, California. Bella And The Bulldogs arrive at the Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Inglewood, California. Chris Pizzello/AP
The central claim is that Amazon’s use of terms such as “buy” or “purchase” gives consumers the impression of permanent ownership. In reality, access to the content depends on Amazon retaining licensing rights from studios and distributors.
“Instead, they receive ‘non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited license’ to access the digital audiovisual work, which is maintained at Defendant’s sole discretion,” the complaint says.
Clarifying Digital Ownership Rights
The practice is not unique to Amazon, but the case comes as a number of moves have been made to attempt to clarify digital ownership rights.
Earlier this year, California implemented the Digital Property Rights Transparency Law (AB-2426), which makes it unlawful to market a digital good as a “purchase” unless sellers either obtain clear acknowledgment from buyers that they are receiving a license or provide “a clear and conspicuous statement” explaining the limits of the transaction (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17500.6).
Reingold’s suit argues Amazon fails to meet either condition.
Amazon’s website in its Terms of Use/Help pages acknowledges that purchased digital content may not remain permanently accessible.
According to the filing, Amazon does not require customers to affirmatively acknowledge they are receiving a license, nor does it present conspicuous disclosures. Instead, the only notice appears “buried at the very bottom” of the confirmation screen in smaller font: “BY BUYING OR RENTING, YOU RECEIVE A LICENSE TO THE VIDEO AND YOU AGREE TO OUR TERMS AT PRIMEVIDEO.COM/TERMS.”
The lawsuit claims violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law (§17200), False Advertising Law (§17500), and Consumer Legal Remedies Act (§1750).
It seeks restitution, disgorgement of profits, damages, and an injunction requiring Amazon to revise its practices.
The company has not yet responded publicly to this complaint.
An Amazon Prime shipping container is viewed while being transported by railway, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Holly Hill, Florida. An Amazon Prime shipping container is viewed while being transported by railway, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Holly Hill, Florida. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Similar Disputes
Similar disputes have previously arisen.
In 2020, a consumer filed a class action in California alleging that Amazon’s use of “buy” for digital goods was deceptive. That case was dismissed because the plaintiff had not lost access to her purchases. In later litigation in Washington, a federal judge allowed certain claims to proceed, finding that a reasonable consumer could be misled by the terminology.
The difference in 2025 is that California’s new statute sets a clearer benchmark. The legislative history cited in the complaint points to concerns raised after Ubisoft shut down servers for the video game The Crew, cutting off access for players who had paid for the title. Lawmakers concluded that “consumers clearly know and understand the nature of their transactions … including the reality that they may not have genuine ownership of their purchase.”
Reingold’s complaint describes Amazon’s interface in detail, including screenshots showing the “Buy movie” button and the placement of the disclaimer. It argues the notice is not “clear and conspicuous,” as defined by the statute, which requires larger or contrasting text or other markers that call attention to the disclosure.
The proposed class includes all California residents who purchased digital audiovisual works through Amazon.
Attorneys representing the plaintiff include Carson Noel PLLC of Washington and Bursor & Fisher, a firm experienced in consumer class actions.
For Amazon, the case highlights a broader industry challenge: how to market digital goods in a way that matches consumer expectations. While many users understand that streaming rights are time-limited, others view the term “buy” as equivalent to owning a physical DVD or book.
What People Are Saying
Amazon Prime Video terms explain that digital titles: “will generally remain available to you but may become unavailable … for reasons such as potential content provider rights restrictions.”
Wright Noel, counsel for the plaintiff in the complaint said: “Amazon does not meet the standards set by the statute for a clear and conspicuous notice that the thing they are purchasing is a revocable license to access the digital good. The warning is buried at the very bottom of the screen, in font that is considerably smaller than the other text on the screen.”
What Happens Next
Amazon will be required to respond in court, either by filing a motion to dismiss or by answering the allegations. If the case survives, it will move into class certification, discovery, and potentially settlement talks or trial. Because the claims rest on a new California statute, the outcome could set an important precedent for how streaming and digital platforms label and market purchases to consumers.
There was a time, not all that long ago, when being a Houston Texans fan made you a target of ridicule, a source for the pleasure of those who dabble in schadenfreude. Put simply, it really sucked being a Texans fan from 2020 through 2022, when not only did they win a paltry 11 games over three seasons, but they did so by making decisions and doing things which defied any sort of logic.
The NFL is full of teams who are bad teams, despite doing things that seem logical on paper. The Texans were the team doing things that you could tell from jump were bad ideas — prompting Bill O’Brien to GM, trading DeAndre Hopkins for nothing, allowing Jack Easterby to have a 713 area code. At the eye of the storm was owner Cal McNair, who ultimately answers for everything Texans-related, good or bad.
Back then, it was a whole lot of BAD. Every tweet the team sent out , even if it had nothing to do with McNair, would elicit dozens of “Sell the team!” replies, and sometimes, oftentimes actually, in far more colorful terms than that. For a while, it looked like there was no way out.
Then, like a gift from the football heavens, along came DeMeco Ryans to coach the team. Then, from there, along came angel number two, in the form of C.J. Stroud, and next thing you know, the Texans are winning games, and the very same owner who probably needed security surrounding his River Oaks home two years ago, that guy can’t go out in public now without fans telling him how awesome he is.
Two great hires, in the two most important spots in a football organization, and the Texans are off to the races! Now is the time for Cal McNair to enjoy the fruits of being a POPULAR NFL owner, and man is he doing a good job of that! Let’s start with this past weekend and go backwards chronologically with the four biggest things, aside from hiring Ryans and drafting Stroud, that Cal McNair has done to enhance his skyrocketing popularity:
4. Shotgunning a beer at the Luke Combs concert (Saturday night) In case you missed it, Cal McNair joined several Texans players on stage at the second of two Combs’ concerts at NRG Stadium, and joined the award winning artist in a celebratory shotgun of a cold beer:
CJ Stroud and the boys joined Luke Combs tonight and #Texans owner Cal McNair shotgunned a bear on stage!
Incredible, and here are the best and somewhat unknown parts of this video. First, I was told by a source close to Cal that he had to be told exactly what “shotgunning a beer” was, which is incredible considering he played college football at Texas. Second, Combs wanted all the players to shotgun a beer, but Cal stepped in and said that it was in-season, the players are training, and he would do it on their behalf. The icing on the cake, the punt of the beer can at the end, was not planned. What a scene, man!
3. Cal’s impromptu “man on the street” interview with the School of Hard Knock (Earlier this summer) What better way to give off that “every man” vibe than to allow an interviewer to walk right up to you and pepper you with questions about your business — like, literally about Cal’s actual corporate business. This is a level of comfort that Cal McNair did NOT have a few years ago:
I can’t believe this.
Cal McNair, principal Owner of the Houston Texans, did an interview with School of Hard Knocks. The same channel that interviews grifter pretend millionaire “entrepreneurs”.
My favorite part of this video was at the end, when Cal says his advice in negotiations is knowing “when to walk away,” as he is literally walking away from the interviewer. Hilarious.
2. Cal’s handling of the leaks of secret pictures of the team’s new uniforms (March 2024) Back in March, the team had a private showing of their new uniforms for a handful of media members, team employees, and select season ticket members. I as one of the people present, and I can vouch that they asked us to turn in our cell phones before the presentation. Well, there was one bad apple in the room who managed to sneak in a camera and post an awful picture of the new uniforms on an average Joe, like you or me:
This Texans “leak” is making the rounds on Reddit. You never know, but consider me in the “not buying it” camp. Stingley’s number but not Stingley. And I’m expecting all of the redesigns this year to be in the standard Vapor FUSE template. pic.twitter.com/24iMtgMYHv
Instead of fretting about, Cal just one upped the leaker and posted way cooler pictures of Nico Collins and Tank Dell sporting the uniforms:
Kudos to Cal McNair for dropping this image when the leak occurred. Saved us from speculation and does look better on actual NFL players. pic.twitter.com/tkdMvVu9Lk
1. Cal’s cookout (summer tradition, began August 2022) This is actually something Cal McNair decided to do back in the summer of 2022, right before the Lovie Smith-coached season. He decided to hold a cookout in the practice field parking lot, and give free burgers to fans who attended the final practice:
Chef extraordinaire Cal McNair grilling burgers for fans after Texans practice pic.twitter.com/xaHX3y0Bl6
I love this one for a couple reasons. First, as I said earlier, Cal started doing this back in 2022, when times were still pretty rough for the Texans. So this wasn’t him riding the wave of Ryans’ popularity. Ryans was still the defensive coordinator for the 49ers at that time. Second, I have served as the primary assistant for Cal McNair at these cookouts, and if I may say so, I’ve become quite the burger flipper!
Can’t wait to see what popularity trick Houston’s favorite son pulls out of his hat next! Winning something like 12 or 13 games this season would do just fine.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
One of the biggest gifts I’ve had in my life has been my mentors. They’ve given me direction and advice that has gotten me where I am today. When I say there’s value in listening to others, I truly mean it.
But there’s a big difference between taking great advice from people you respect and collapsing under interpersonal or social “shoulds.” This might look like getting the job your parents want you to get or following a career path you can’t stand because everyone tells you it’ll make you financially secure. Fearless leadership requires you to own what you want with no apologies.
What it means to own your “wants”
Owning your wants as a leader is synonymous with authenticity and self-awareness. It doesn’t require you to completely disregard traditions or the paths others have taken to find success. You can still deeply respect those. It just means you understand yourself enough to know what will fulfill you — and take accountability for obtaining that fulfillment for yourself. If you must go in a different direction than others to be happy or get what you need, don’t hesitate.
Let’s pause on that idea of self-accountability for a moment. Some people make the mistake of interpreting self-accountability to mean that they must do everything independently. But no one successful has known everything or been able to do everything. The most successful people know their limits and are grateful to take help and delegate where possible. So, as you seek to take ownership of your true desires and goals, accept that it’s okay to build a team that can support you.
Owning what you want can be hard — other people can be closed-minded or have their own goals. They can try everything to convince you that the path you want to walk is foolish, simply because they haven’t walked it themselves or don’t want you to get in their way by rocking the boat. Their efforts to dissuade you can do a serious number on your confidence.
Then there are the logistical hurdles. How will you pay $100,000 when all you’ve got is $50,000? What if the certification you need isn’t offered for another year and requires you to relocate? Some will never own their dream because they don’t know how to overcome those problems.
Finally, being self-aware is a rare gem — even though 95% of people think they’re self-aware, only 10-15% are. Maybe people haven’t had the chance to explore and figure themselves out. Or, perhaps they’re unwilling to break out of familiar habits, get feedback or reflect on what they believe. Either way, without self-awareness, it’s hard for a person to identify where they want to go and have conviction about that decision.
Looking at the three main issues that hold people back from owning what they want, five steps can help you go after what matters to you:
Connect with yourself. Techniques like mindfulness, journaling, trying new hobbies or getting feedback can help you discover who you are. Once you have a better sense of self, it’s easier to identify what will be meaningful or beneficial to you.
Define what you want. Do you build a legacy as a CEO over decades or move on every few years? Does being wealthy mean $100,000 a year or $1 million? The more clearly defined your goal is, the easier it is to understand the responsibility you’re taking on, assess what’s realistic and develop ways to measure progress.
Believe you deserve to achieve it. It’s common for people to get wrapped up in doubts or shame. When something good happens, they feel unworthy and mentally point out others who should get what they want instead. Accepting the belief you deserve to achieve as part of connecting with yourself silences this negative inner critic and the naysayers who might try to keep you stuck. The more justified you feel in pursuing the goal, the less likely you are to abandon it.
Figure out the steps necessary to achieve what you want. Most logistical issues can be figured out if you break them down into smaller action points. Mentors and teammates can help you consider alternatives and get the necessary information to move sensibly from one small point to another.
Take action. Even the most brilliantly broken-down plan won’t amount to much unless you do what’s on it. Face your fears and bravely confront each step, trusting you can sort through any bumps that might come up along the way.
Taking ownership is not easy, but it makes your soul rich
Owning what you want admittedly is no cakewalk — doing your own thing and swimming against the current takes bravery. But taking on the risks of pressing upstream increases the odds that, in the end, you’ll be fulfilled. Because innovation and competitiveness almost always ride on the heels of a dream someone claimed and took pride in, don’t compare yourself. Just be honest about why you crave the path you do and take it.
Divvying up an LLC can be tricky, especially when the definition of “economic interest” is … [+] stretched.
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Family businesses large and small, whether involving real estate or anything else, often use a limited liability company as the ownership vehicle for the business. The founder of the business will often maintain a controlling position in the LLC, while other family members receive only an “economic interest”—the right to receive money and enough information to file their taxes, but not much more.
When the founder dies and LLC interests go to the various family members, or if the founder gets divorced, it can become crucially important to define exactly who gets what types of rights in the LLC. If a surviving family member or spouse receives only an economic interest, then they cannot make decisions for the company or even know very much about what’s happening in the company. Most importantly, they cannot decide how much money the LLC should distribute to its members and when.
Instead, any holder of a mere economic interest just gets money—if and when the LLC management decides the time is right—and a bit of information. Often that’s precisely what the founder wanted. For example, the founder might not have confidence in the business judgment or sophistication of a particular family member or of future generations more generally. The founder might not want one family member to second-guess the decisions of another family member or group.
Recent litigation involving assets of the Bich family underscored the importance of these distinctions. A family LLC owned hundreds of thousands of shares in the Bic company, an international manufacturer of pens, lighters, and other products. Bruno Bich, husband and father, owned a 99% economic interest in the company. The LLC agreement also gave him the right to designate the manager of the company, i.e., the person who could manage and control the company and make all its decisions.
Bruno and his wife, Veronique, at some point entered into a post-nuptial agreement, an agreement between spouses who are already married but want to resolve future disputes about division of assets if they separate or divorce. That agreement said that if the parties separated, Bruno would transfer to Veronique his 99% “interest” in the LLC. It didn’t mention his right to designate the manager of the company.
Eventually, the parties did separate. After that, Bruno died. At some point along the way Bruno and his three sons, who owned the other 1% of the LLC, made an agreement transferring to the sons Bruno’s right to designate the manager of the LLC.
Veronique sued, demanding that she receive not only Bruno’s 99% economic interest, but also his right to appoint the manager of the LLC. Presumably, she would have used that right to appoint herself or a trusted third party to run the LLC, thus assuring that the LLC distributed money. This was a crucially important agenda item for her since she would receive 99% of those distributions as a 99% economic interest owner. On the other hand, if she couldn’t directly or indirectly control the LLC then it might never distribute a penny to her. She argued that the reference to Bruno’s “interest” ought to include all his rights under the LLC agreement as they existed when he signed the post-nuptial agreement or perhaps at some later point. Those rights would have included his right to designate the LLC’s manager.
The court rejected her broad reading of “interest,” concluding that she could recover only Bruno’s 99% economic interest, and had no claim to his right to designate the manager of the LLC and hence initiate distributions by the LLC.
As part of the basis for decision, the court noted that Delaware law governed the LLC. Delaware law defined “interest” in an LLC as nothing more than an economic interest. More generally, the court noted that the post-nuptial agreement referred only to Bruno’s 99% “interest,” specifying the percentage at issue. It said nothing about any of his other rights under the LLC agreement. As a result, the post-nuptial agreement didn’t require Bruno to transfer those rights to her. He could do whatever he wanted with them.
She ended up owning almost the entire LLC but without the ability to initiate distributions. The control of distributions resided indirectly with the happy couple’s three sons.
In negotiating any LLC agreement and planning for the death or divorce of any of the members, or any other transfers within the family, the Bich saga underscores the important of understanding exactly what rights exist within the LLC. Then the business understanding and the documents themselves must carefully distinguish between economic rights and managerial rights. Sometimes those rights should end up in the same place. Sometimes they shouldn’t.
ORLANDO, Fla., February 20, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– Past and present Digital Rights Management systems have repeatedly failed consumers, content creators, and distributors. In the face of these struggles, the need for such systems has never been more necessary. Emerging technologies, such as Spatial Computing, rely on the creation of high-value digital assets in order to support the booming demand in Augmented Reality. Unfortunately, modern technology had not presented the tools required to protect and facilitate the transfer of such content…until now.
NeoWare Inc. is creating a decentralized and democratized platform for digital content management and distribution via public blockchain networks. The blockchain will be optimized specifically for the secure ownership and access management of any digital asset using a non-fungible based token, giving users and content creators methods to securely initiate, store, and manage access permissions to their content and IP.
“With Web 3.0 on the horizon, blockchain technology has the ability to cure the symptoms that have plagued the current iteration of the Internet: the absence of security and rapidly disappearing privacy. Data is quickly becoming the most abundant resource on the planet and our DCM tools will empower every user to protect and control their digital assets.”
-Caesar Medel, CEO
Components of the NeoWare DCM System include major advances and improvements on present-day technology. The ZIP file standard was conceived in 1991 to provide a standard method of packaging files and directories into a single file primarily for distribution over the Internet. NeoPak will build upon this functionality by introducing blockchain supported secure Public Key Encryption, Identity Management, Digital Rights Management, and Zero Knowledge Proof support. These capabilities are important for support of a decentralized web (Web 3.0) where user information and proprietary data is directly controlled by the user.
NeoWare Inc. specializes in the creation of Spatial Computing software and Digital Content Management systems. White labeled applications utilizing augmented reality facilitate the creation of 3D-digital assets that serve as the initial use case for all blockchain-based content management systems. These Custom AR-Applications drive engagement, build brand loyalty, and boost consumer education through immersive augmented reality interactions.
