Bill

Bill > S08952


NY S08952

NY S08952
Prohibits a seller of a digital good from advertising or offering for sale a digital good to a purchaser with the terms "buy," "purchase," or any other term which a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good, or alongside an option for a time-limited rental, unless the seller receives at the time of each transaction an affirmative acknowledgment from the purchaser, or the seller provides to the consumer before executing each transaction a


summary

Introduced
01/21/2026
In Committee
01/21/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2025-2026 General Assembly

Bill Summary

AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to disclosures by sellers of digital goods

AI Summary

This bill amends the general business law to require sellers of digital goods, which include things like digital applications, games, music, movies, books, and codes to access these items, to provide clearer disclosures to consumers. Specifically, if a seller uses terms like "buy" or "purchase" that imply full ownership, or offers a time-limited rental, they must either get an explicit acknowledgment from the buyer confirming they are receiving a license with specific restrictions and conditions, or provide a clear and noticeable statement before the transaction explaining that the "purchase" is actually a license and offering a way to access the full terms and conditions. This requirement aims to prevent consumers from mistakenly believing they own digital items outright when they are merely licensed to use them, though it does not apply to subscription services, free digital goods, or digital goods that can be permanently downloaded for offline use without the seller being able to revoke access.

Committee Categories

Business and Industry

Sponsors (1)

Last Action

REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION (on 01/21/2026)

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