the conflict opponent Ukraine to the Russia continued for more than a month now, and many companies have limited or even suspended their services in the country of Vladimir Poutinein protest against the decision of the russian government to invade Ukraine. However, the Russian population, deprived of more and more services, has begun to fight on its side, in order to assert its rights with the companies in question, as this recent example shows us with netflix.
russians rebel
Last month, we brought you this gesture of Netflix in support of Ukraine, with the publication on its YouTube channel of the 2014 documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom. The streaming platform later confirmed that it was suspending its service in Russia, as a sign of disapproval against the invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s government. Netflix has also paused all of its projects and acquisitions in Russia.
Before pulling out of the country, Netflix refused to carry 20 Russian state-funded media channels it was required to host under Russian law, fearing that his platform could be used to spread propaganda messages.
Russian state media RIA now reports that 20 people (the minimum required in Russia for class action) have already joined to legal action against the streaming platformand that a hundred other people asked to join.
As reminded variety, Netflix has amassed around a million subscribers since its launch in Russia in 2016. A Russian Netflix subscription costs around 799 rubles per month, or just under 9 euros.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Moscow-based law firm Chernyshov, Lukoyanov and Partners. According to RIAthe firm believes that Netflix “has entered into a public contract with its subscribers which does not provide for the possibility of unilaterally refusing to fulfill its obligations”. They therefore claim that the suspension of the service by Netflix violates the rights of users and constitutes a violation of the civil code of the Russian Federation.as well as consumer rights laws.
The Russians who initiated this legal action then claim 60 million rubles compensation for moral damage suffered, which represents approximately 663,000 euros. In addition, they demand that Netflix be sanctioned with a fine equal to 50% of the amount awarded by the court. Further penalties could be imposed if Netflix loses the lawsuit and refuses to comply with the compensatory orders.
