Your rights when you buy digital content or services
- Introduction
- What digital content and services are covered?
- Before you buy
- What you can expect from the digital content or service
- Faulty digital content and services
- Can the seller change the digital content or service?
- More information
Introduction
The Consumer Rights Act 2022 (pdf) introduces new rights when you buy digital content and services. This page explains these consumer rights. They only apply if you bought digital content or services on or after 29 November 2022. You have different rights if you bought on or before 28 November 2022.
What digital content and services are covered?
Consumer law covers different types of digital content and digital services.
Digital content
Digital content covers content supplied by a trader in digital form.
Digital content includes
- Video files
- Audio files
- Music files
- Digital games
- e-books and other e-publications
- Computer programs
- Applications
Digital services
Digital services are contracts that allow you to create, process, store or access data in digital form or share data in digital form with other users of that service.
Digital services covers:
- Streaming services
- Cloud computing
- Social media
- Video and audio sharing
- Other file hosting
Is free digital content covered?
You can either pay a price for the digital content or digital service or provide personal data to the seller instead of paying a price. This means certain “free” content or services are also covered.
Before you buy
You have a legal right to certain information before you buy digital content or services, including:
- The seller’s name, address and phone number
- Details about the service (if not already clear)
- Total price, or how it will be calculated
- Length of the contract (if applicable)
- Any extra charges (if applicable)
- Your right to cancel (where it applies)
The information must be clear, easy to understand and given to you before you buy.
What you can expect from the digital content or service
All digital content and services you buy must meet certain conditions of quality, performance and durability to be in conformity with the contract you made when you bought it. In conformity means the product or service is as you expect it would be according to the contract you made with the seller.
Under consumer law all digital content and services you buy must:
- Be provided by the seller in line with the contract
- Work as the seller said they would
- Match any advertisement, information, trial version or preview you got
- Come with all the accessories and instructions you need
- Be installed properly (if installed by the seller) or come with the instructions you need to install it yourself
- Include information on any digital and security updates
- Be updated in line with the contract
Faulty digital content and services
Under consumer law, the seller must resolve any issue, so the digital content or service meets what was agreed in the contract.
The seller must correct the issue for free, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you. A reasonable time means the shortest possible time to fix the issue.
Get more information on what to do if you have problems with digital content or services.
Can the seller change the digital content or service?
The seller can change the content or services under the contract if the following conditions are met:
- The contract must set out a valid reason for any such change
- The change must not cost you anything extra
- You must be clearly told about the change
You must be told in writing before the change about your right to end the contract for free of charge or to keep the existing content or services.
You have 30 days to end the contract. The 30 days is either the day of amendment or day you were told about the amendment (whichever date is later).
More information
Read more from the CCPC on buying digital content and services.