The Petushinsky District Court in Vladimir Region issued a ruling in favor of a PlayStation 5 owner against Sony Electronics JSC, the official importer of Sony products in Russia. This decision was reported by the information resource Pravo.Ru and reflects a notable example of a consumer protection outcome in the Russian market as it relates to console hardware and digital service access.
The dispute centered on the shutdown of the PlayStation Store digital games storefront in Russia in March 2022. The plaintiff argued that the cessation of the digital storefront effectively rendered the driverless, disc-free version of the PlayStation 5 unusable for key features, thereby diminishing the product’s practical value. The petitioner sought remediation by requiring Sony Electronics JSC to replace the disc-free model with a PlayStation 5 that includes a physical game disc drive, arguing that this hardware configuration better aligns with the consumer’s expectations and typical use cases for gaming hardware in markets where digital storefronts may be intermittently available.
The court sided with the plaintiff, ordering Sony Electronics JSC to exchange the driverless PlayStation 5 for a version equipped with a disc drive within a one-week period. The ruling also established a daily penalty of 500 rubles for each day of non-compliance, underscoring the court’s emphasis on timely enforcement of consumer rights and remedial action when a product’s functionality is compromised by changes in service availability.
Sony Electronics argued that it could not be treated as the proper defendant in the circumstances and noted that official deliveries of PlayStation 5 consoles to Russia had been halted based on a directive from Sony Corporation headquarters. The company defended its position by citing corporate-level decisions that influenced supply chains and product availability in the region, which it argued did not reflect a direct obligation toward the specific consumer in this case. This stance highlights the tension that can arise between global corporate policy and individual consumer claims when regional service ecosystems are disrupted.
Earlier reporting indicated that there were discussions in other courts about collective actions involving Russian consumers seeking redress from Sony Interactive Entertainment for issues linked to restricted access to the PlayStation Store. Those discussions illustrated a broader pattern of consumer concern over digital service access and its impact on the perceived value of gaming hardware in markets facing regulatory or logistical constraints. The evolving legal landscape in this area continues to shape how manufacturers approach regional availability, warranty considerations, and consumer expectations in both local and international contexts.