MOVIES on Amazon Prime that you buy to “own” could vanish at any time without warning or a refund.

That’s because the content you spend your hard-earned cash on isn’t actually yours to keep, the US streaming app has claimed.

Movies or TV shows you buy on Amazon could vanish from the platform without a refund

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Movies or TV shows you buy on Amazon could vanish from the platform without a refundCredit: Alamy

Instead, films and TV series purchased by users are long term rentals that Amazon can remove due to third-party rights’ holders.

The Seattle tech titan made the claims this week in a court filing against a customer who is suing the company for false advertising.

In April, Amanda Caudel of Fairfield, California, filed a lawsuit alleging that Amazon “secretly reserves the right” to block user’s access to content purchased through its Prime video service.

Amazon filed a motion on Monday to dismiss her complaint, arguing that it could not stand as she had not been injured.

Content bought through Prime is distributed through a 'limited license' that's effectively a long-term rental

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Content bought through Prime is distributed through a ‘limited license’ that’s effectively a long-term rentalCredit: Alamy

The company also highlighted that Amanda has bought 13 titles through her Amazon Prime account since she filed her claim.

“Plaintiff claims that Defendant Amazon’s Prime Video service … misleads consumers because sometimes that video content might later become unavailable if a third-party rights’ holder revokes or modifies Amazon’s license,” attorney David Biderman wrote in the motion.

“The Complaint points vaguely to online commentary about this alleged potential harm but does not identify any Prime Video purchase unavailable to Plaintiff herself.

“In fact, all of the Prime Video content that Plaintiff has ever purchased remains available.”

Amazon also pointed to Prime’s terms of service, which are presented to users every time they purchase content.

Prime explains that users are buying a limited license that provides “on-demand viewing over an indefinite period of time”.

“The most relevant agreement here – the Prime Video Terms of Use – is presented to consumers every time they buy digital content on Amazon Prime Video,” Biderman wrote.

“These Terms of Use expressly state that purchasers obtain only a limited license to view video content and that purchased content may become unavailable due to provider license restriction or other reasons.”

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Amanda’s lawsuit was filed on behalf of herself and other California residents who bought content on Prime from April 2016 to April 2020.

Amazon argues that she did not bother to read the fine print of Prime’s terms of service.

It doesn’t matter either way, the company says, as anyone who buys streaming content is bound to the terms of use.

“An individual does not need to read an agreement in order to be bound by it,” Amazon says in its legal filing.

“A merchant term of service agreement in an online consumer transaction is valid and enforceable when the consumer had reasonable notice of the terms of service.”

Amazon unveils Always Home Cam flying drone that autonomously patrols your house

In other news, Amazon recently added a new feature to Prime that lets you watch movies with your pals remotely.

 TikTok and 50 other iPhone apps have been accused of spying on users by cyber experts.

And, live-streaming service Twitch is being sued by a man who blames the company for injuring his penis.

What do you think of Prime’s Licensing rules? Let us know in the comments!


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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk

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