A Bavarian court has dismissed a class action brought by nearly 324,000 consumers against Amazon over advertising on its Prime Video streaming service, dealing a blow to one of Germany's largest consumer lawsuits.
The Bavarian Supreme Regional Court ruled on July 17, 2026, finding the damages claim inadmissible for subscribers who paid an extra 2.99 euros monthly for an ad-free option. The Consumer Centre of Saxony, which led the suit, demanded either a refund of the surcharge or a 50 percent cut to the standard subscription price. The group has announced plans to appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.
Amazon began serving ads to its roughly 17 million German Prime subscribers in February 2024, offering the ad-free tier at the additional cost. A separate injunction case won at first instance by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations remains pending on appeal. The consumer centre also filed a parallel disgorgement claim seeking repayment of the fees.