July 21, 2026, 6:54 am | Read time: 2 minutes
The Bavarian Supreme Court has dismissed the class action lawsuit filed by the Saxony Consumer Center against Amazon in the dispute over advertising on Prime Video. About 330,000 affected individuals had hoped for a landmark decision. However, the Consumer Center does not accept the ruling and plans to take the case to the Federal Court of Justice.
Court Rejects Consumer Center’s Demands
The central issue of the case was whether Amazon was allowed to change the terms of Prime Video during an ongoing subscription. The Saxony Consumer Center argued that introducing ads in existing contracts was impermissible.
Since February 2024, movies and series on Prime Video are shown with ad interruptions by default. Those who wish to continue watching content largely ad-free must subscribe to an additional option for 2.99 euros per month.
The Consumer Center therefore filed a relief action seeking damages for the registered subscribers. About 330,000 people joined the proceedings, hoping for a fundamental judicial clarification.
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No Assurance of Ad-Free Use
According to the Bavarian Supreme Court, Amazon’s contract terms did not contain an explicit promise that Prime Video would be offered ad-free permanently. Furthermore, the court found that it could not be proven that the streaming service was definitively advertised as an ad-free offering.
Therefore, the later introduction of ad interruptions does not constitute a claim for damages. This assessment applies regardless of whether customers paid the monthly surcharge for largely ad-free use or opted out of the additional option.
For customers who paid the surcharge, the court cited an additional formal reason. The class action was deemed inadmissible in this regard because the bundled claims were not essentially similar, according to the judges, and therefore could not be pursued jointly in a relief action.
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Consumer Center Announces Appeal
Amazon welcomed the decision and saw it as a confirmation of its legal position. However, the legal dispute is not yet over.
The Saxony Consumer Center announced plans to appeal to the Federal Court of Justice. In their view, the court interpreted the requirements for the similarity of claims too narrowly. Such an interpretation could significantly hinder consumer associations from jointly enforcing the claims of many affected individuals in the future.