Editing VitalSource "Lifetime" false advertising

<!--{{Incident
|title=VitalSource "Lifetime" Access Controversy
|company=VitalSource
|date=2024-12-18
|tags=digital ownership, licensing, misleading advertising
}}-->[[File:Vitalsource calculus textbook.png|alt=Screenshot of vitalsource' product page for a calculus book|thumb|Screenshot of vitalsource' product page for a calculus book as of 2025-02-18 <ref>https://www.vitalsource.com/products/calculus-james-stewart-daniel-k-v9798214339221</ref> - Notice that there is noplace that a user can go to read that the license is not a lifetime license. The only item that links to a disclosure page is a "details" link next to "This is a digital license"]]
[[File:Vitalsource calculus textbook CA disclosure.png|alt=Screenshot of vitalsource' "details" page [1] that is clickable from the bottom of the product page for a calculus book as of 2025-02-18|thumb|Screenshot of vitalsource' "details" page <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20250126183825/https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/28012656781847-CA-Disclosure-Support-Page</ref> that is clickable from the bottom of the product page for a calculus book as of 2025-02-18 - In the middle of the page it mentions two important points.]]
'''VitalSource "Lifetime" Access Controversy''' is in reference to a practice by VitalSource, a large digital textbook & course material provider for college educational markets in the United States, whereby they market some digital products as having ''"lifetime"'' access; while defining this term as a '''limited 5-year period'''.<ref>https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/28012656781847-CA-Disclosure-Support-Page</ref> 

==Background==

VitalSource operates as a significant provider of digital educational materials, serving students and educational institutions. The company offers various access durations for their digital products, including what they term "lifetime" access.

==Definition and Implementation==

According to VitalSource's documentation, they define "lifetime" access as follows:<ref name="vitalsource">VitalSource Technologies LLC. (2024, December 18). "CA Disclosure Support Page". VitalSource Support. Retrieved January 31, 2025.</ref>
*Five years of online platform access
*Ability to download content to supported devices during this period
*Support limited to device compatibility at time of download

This definition appears in their California Digital Goods Disclosure documentation, published December 18, 2024, in response to AB 2426 compliance requirements with the new law.<ref name="ab2426">California State Legislature. (2024). AB 2426 Consumer protection: false advertising: digital goods. Retrieved January 31, 2025.</ref>

==Overarching problem==

This practice is a perfect demonstrator of the key issue in modern digital goods ownership:

===Redefining Common Terms===
*The term "lifetime" is commonly understood to mean the entire life of either the purchaser or the product
*VitalSource's use of the term to mean a fixed 5-year period is a departure from traditional consumer understanding of the word [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifetime lifetime]

===License vs. Ownership===
*Products marketed with "lifetime" access remain under licensing restrictions
*Access can be revoked or limited based on platform support & device compatibility
*Downloads are contingent on maintaining "supported device" status

==Regulatory Response==

California's AB 2426<ref>https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2426</ref>, effective January 1, 2025,  addresses this type of false advertising by requiring companies to:<ref name="ab2426" />
*Explicitly disclose when digital goods are licensed rather than owned
*Clearly communicate access limitations & conditions
*Obtain affirmative acknowledgment from consumers regarding license terms

==Current Status==

As of January 2025, VitalSource has updated their disclosure documentation '''but continues to use the term "lifetime" in their marketing, with the 5-year definition disclosed in their terms of service and support documentation'''.<ref name="vitalsource" /> Even though they have complied with the regulation, consumers still must dig further to learn that what is marketed as "lifetime" is anything but. 

==References==
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[[Category:Incidents]]
[[Category:VitalSource]]

[[Category:Digital ownership]]
[[Category:License terms]]
[[Category:Educational materials]]