The French consumer association is taking direct aim at Disney+ video-on-demand platform’s recent technical failings, and is demanding that it finally act in the interest of its subscribers, who have been harmed for several months. Indeed, if members pay €15.99 every month to enjoy Disney+ Premium, it is above all to benefit from optimal image quality, including the valuable [abc]4K[/abc] [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] and [abc]HDR[/abc] formats. Except that these high-end technical options have no longer been available for quite some time on many devices in Europe. Que Choisir firmly emphasizes that the price of the offer has absolutely not gone down, and that subscribers have received no spontaneous compensation, unless they contact customer service individually.
The patent battle with InterDigital
As a reminder, the sudden loss of these display options follows a legal dispute with InterDigital, a company that owns encoding patents that Disney+ apparently uses without authorization. “The way Disney treats its European customers ultimately falls solely under Disney’s responsibility,” said an InterDigital spokesperson. We find it regrettable and unfair that consumers continue to pay for Disney’s streaming service features that they no longer receive. We still wish to resolve Disney’s infringing use of our patented technology by signing a license, so that Disney can offer all of its customers the highest possible image quality and the best possible service”.
A formal notice and clear demands
Faced with this situation that holds the consumer hostage, Que Choisir has decided to toughen its stance. The association has sent Disney a formal notice so that the company “brings its offer into compliance or, failing that, lowers the price, clearly informs the concerned Premium subscribers of the changes made, grants them proportionate, objective and uniform compensation, and henceforth stops any commercial presentation likely to mislead consumers”.