Sony is advancing the argument that purchasing a game is not the ownership of software, but rather a license for the right to use it.
Sony Argues That Purchasing Games Is a License, Not Ownership
This article is a translation. Read the Japanese original
According to Video Games Chronicle, the company has presented arguments in a lawsuit to the effect that "players know that their purchase is a license."
Sony has expressed the view that software cannot be sold because it is not a finite object. Their reasoning is that if software were a physical possession, the first person to purchase it would have exclusive control over that copy, making it impossible for subsequent purchasers to obtain it.
The company provided a specific example, stating that if someone were to purchase "Resident Evil Requiem" on 2026-02-14, subsequent purchasers should theoretically be unable to obtain the game.
In response, some argue that purchasing software is not the purchase of a single physical unit, but rather the purchase of a replicated copy (a right to use).
On the other hand, there are arguments that it is a legitimate right for consumers to expect that software remains playable for a certain period in exchange for the price paid.