Xbox gamer wins lawsuit against Microsoft to restore account and digital library
Microsoft also has to pay roughly $400 in damages to the user.
A sole Xbox gamer has seemingly won an important judgement against Microsoft, which requires the tech giant to restore the user's suspended Xbox account and accompanying video game library. In a post on Reddit, Ordo_Liberal said that a Brazilian court has ordered Microsoft to reverse its decision to revoke access to the user's account and library after it was hacked. Engadget has reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
The saga began three months ago according to Ordo_Liberal, who detailed the situation on Reddit, explaining that Microsoft froze their account after there was "unauthorized access" and said that the "only option we have is to permanently suspend this account to prevent any further use." Instead of making a new account and creating a digital library from scratch, Ordo_Liberal filed a lawsuit against Microsoft.
The gamer explained on Reddit that hiring a public defendant to sue Microsoft came at no cost thanks to Brazil's stance on consumer protection cases. According to the judgement, Microsoft has 15 days to restore access to Ordo_Liberal's account or it will face a penalty of 150 reais, or about $30, a day, until resolved, with a cap of 1,500 reais (roughly $300). The court also ordered Microsoft to pay 2,000 reais, around $400, to Ordo_Liberal. This case may not have as much monetary impact as similar class action lawsuits, but it could offer a glimmer of hope for many consumers who are becoming increasingly concerned about companies switching to digital-only libraries.