What are my rights on apps, games and downloads?
10 quoted answers, each with its source
The short answer
From 1 November 2019, the amendments made by Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 apply to gift cards supplied on or after that date. The Australian Consumer Law's definition of goods expressly includes computer software as of 2026-07-01, but Steam's stated position as of 2024-05-31 is that its content and services are licensed, not sold, and confer no title or ownership; the claims do not settle how that conflict affects a consumer's rights or which of repair, replacement or refund applies to a particular digital product failure. A documented ACCC position as of 2024-05-31 is that contracts allowing a business to unilaterally change consumer arrangements may raise unfair contract term issues, and as of that date Telstra Box Office customers wanting to keep their collection had to pay $396 upfront or a minimum of $16.50 per month to access movies they already paid for. BIG W's returns page lists e-gift cards as not eligible for change of mind returns as of 2026-08-16, and as of 2026-07-27 the ACCC states that repairs to electronic products can result in lost stored data.
Every part of this comes from the quotes below. How we write these.
What the rules actually say2
Quoted straight from the ACCC, the Australian Consumer Law or a state consumer regulator.
The Australian Consumer Law's definition of goods expressly includes computer software.
2 quotes from 1 source
goods includes:
(d) gas and electricity; and (e) computer software; and
Digital products have a documented position that an ACCC spokesperson told CHOICE that contracts allowing a business to unilaterally change the arrangements consumers have entered into may raise unfair contract term issues.
1 quote from 1 source
Contracts that allow a business “to unilaterally change the arrangements that consumers have entered into” may raise unfair contract term issues, especially if you have to pay more to keep what you already paid for, the ACCC spokesperson says.
Practical effect3
What is observed to happen in practice, as distinct from what is documented.
The ACCC states that when electronic products such as mobile phones, computers and car navigation systems are repaired, consumers can lose data they have stored.
1 quote from 1 source
When electronic products, such as mobile phones, computers and car navigation systems, are repaired, consumers can lose data they have stored.
- Repair notices | ACCC accc.gov.au
Telstra Box Office customers wanting to keep their collection would have to pay…
- $396 upfront to buy the Fetch box.
- a minimum of $16.50 per month to access movies they already paid for.
1 quote from 1 source
But the real kicker for those wanting to hold on to their Telstra Box Office collection is that you’ll now have to pay either $396 upfront to buy the Fetch box or a minimum of $16.50 per month to access the movies you already paid for.
Changed on1
A dated change. This is where advice quietly stops being true.
The Australian Consumer Law provides that the amendments made by Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 apply to gift cards supplied on or after 1 November 2019.
1 quote from 1 source
The amendments made by Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 apply to gift cards supplied on or after 1 November 2019.
Disputed between sources1
Sources that do not agree, presented without picking a winner.
The Australian Consumer Law includes computer software within its definition of goods, while Steam states that its content and services are licensed, not sold, and confer no title or ownership.
3 quotes from 2 sources
goods includes:
(d) gas and electricity; and (e) computer software; and
The popular US-based video game platform Steam makes a similar claim, saying its content and services “are licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the content and services”.
Often said, but we could not find it in the rules3
Lots of people say this. We went looking for an official source that backs it up and could not find one, so treat it as something people repeat rather than something settled.
- Steam states that digital products (content and services) are licensed, not sold.
- Steam states that the licence for digital products (content and services) confers no title or ownership in those digital products.
1 quote from 1 source
The popular US-based video game platform Steam makes a similar claim, saying its content and services “are licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the content and services”.
BIG W's returns page lists e-gift cards among the items that are not eligible for change of mind returns.
2 quotes from 1 source
The following items are not eligible for change of mind returns:
e-gift cards