Amazon introduced ads to Prime Video in January. They offered an option to remove ads for an additional $2.99 a month, on top of the $8.99 subscription fee.
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Amazon. It alleges the company's ad introduction was "deceptive" and "unfair," violating consumer protection laws.
The lawsuit states that even yearly subscribers must pay extra to avoid ads. It argues this is unfair to those who already paid for an ad-free service.
Filed in California on Feb. 9, the lawsuit claims Amazon falsely advertised Prime Video as "commercial-free." It suggests this violates Washington's Consumer Protection Law and California's Unfair Competition Law.
The complaint accuses Amazon of harming consumers and honest competition. It seeks $5 million in damages and aims to prevent similar future behavior from Amazon.
Customers expressed their dissatisfaction on social media in December. The controversy deepened with the removal of Dolby Atmos and Vision features unless the ad-removal fee is paid.
This lawsuit follows another against Amazon, alleging a "biased algorithm" hides cheaper product offers.