In case of non-compliance with the ruling, the service faces a fine of 700 euros per day.
An Italian court has deemed several price increases for Netflix subscriptions in the country illegal and has ordered the streaming service to refund users for overpayments spanning several years. This could amount to 500 euros.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Interesting Engineering.
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According to the court’s ruling, Netflix violated consumer protection laws by raising prices without clearly stated reasons in the user agreements. The case was brought by the Italian organization Movimento Consumatori.
Under Italian law, companies must explicitly state the reasons for changing contract terms – the ruling states that the service failed to do this.
Compensations will reach 500 euros
The court declared the price increases from 2017 to 2024 legally invalid. According to lawyers Paolo Fiori and Corrado Pinna, the illegal increases for the premium plan amounted to just 8 euros per month, while for the standard plan, it was 4 euros.
They explained that a premium subscription user who has been paying since 2017 could receive approximately 500 euros in compensation, while a standard user could receive around 250 euros.
The court also ordered Netflix to notify all affected subscribers via email and public announcements within 90 days. Otherwise, the service will have to pay a fine of 700 euros per day.
Additionally, the service was required to reduce current prices considering the illegal increases. For example, a premium plan user who signed up in 2017 and is currently paying 19.99 euros is entitled to the same services for 11.99 euros.
Netflix will appeal the court’s decision
The company stated that it will appeal this ruling. A Netflix representative noted that the service takes consumer rights seriously and is convinced that all terms complied with Italian law.
The company updated its terms of use in April 2025. They specify the circumstances under which prices may change – particularly due to technical or regulatory reasons.
Recall that the streaming service Netflix raised prices for all subscription types starting March 26. The cheapest now costs 8.99 dollars per month, while the premium plan is 26.99 dollars.
RBC-Ukraine also reported that just a few days after winning the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Skydance head David Ellison announced the fate of HBO Max. According to him, the two media giants will merge into one streaming service.
The merger of the two platforms will give the company over 200 million subscribers, allowing it to compete with other market leaders.
