A lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission charging that Amazon billed parents for in-app purchases their kids made without parental approval will go forward, following a federal judge’s ruling.
In July, the FTC filed a lawsuit against Amazon seeking refunds for consumers and an order requiring parental approval for in-app charges.
In many apps used by children, users are invited to accumulate virtual items that help them advance in the game, but the lines between virtual money purchases and real money purchases can be blurred, the FTC lawsuit said.
Judge John C. Coughenour, who didn’t dismiss the lawsuit, said it’s Amazon's responsibility to prove that the charges were authorized, and it hasn’t done that, according to The Washington Post article “The FTC Just Scored a Victory in Its Suit Against Amazon.”
Coughenour also said Amazon may have violated federal laws against unfair billing, whether the charges were authorized or not, the article said.
