\n<\/p>\n
\n\tA Rome court has ruled that Netflix<\/a> price hikes in Italy<\/a> are illegal. The decision sides with a consumer advocacy group which claims the streaming giant broke local rules by raising prices to its service between 2017 and 2024 and said customers are entitled to a refund.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Rome ruling comes days after Netflix announced on March 26 that it was raising prices for its three plans in the U.S. for the second time in a little over a year.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a statement, Netflix said it will appeal the April 1 Rome court decision that does not have any immediate effect.<\/p>\n \n\tItaly\u2019s Movimento Consumatori consumer advocacy group said in a statement the Rome court had ruled in its favor because it considered Netflix\u2019s price increases in Italy between 2017 and 2024 as a breach to the country\u2019s national consumer code. That code states that price changes cannot be made unilaterally without stating a valid reason in advance. Italy\u2019s consumer protection laws place a limit on the discretionary power companies have to raise prices to ensure it is fair.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Rome ruling also said Netflix Italia subscribers are entitled to a reduction in \u200btheir current subscription price and should be refunded for unduly paid past subscription costs.<\/p>\n \n\tIt ordered the \u200bruling to be published \u2060on Netflix Italia\u2019s website and in the country\u2019s top newspapers to inform consumers that their current contractual clauses were void and that they were entitled to a refund.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFor the Premium Plan, the unlawful increases applied in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 amount to \u20ac8 ($9.22) a month, while for the Standard Plan the total is \u20ac4 a month,\u201d said lawyers Paolo Fiorio and Riccardo Pinna, who represented consumers in the case. \u201cA \u200bPremium subscriber who has \u200bpaid for Netflix continuously \u2060from 2017 to the present day is entitled to a refund of about \u20ac500 ($577), while a standard subscriber is due a refund of \u200babout \u20ac250 ($288).\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe Rome court said Netflix now has 90 days to comply with the ruling, after which a penalty of \u20ac700 ($800) will be imposed for each day of delay. <\/p>\n \n\tHowever, the streamer\u2019s appeal is likely to either delay or stop that process.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Rome ruling could become a landmark case in Europe where similar legal action against the streamer\u2019s price hikes has been taken in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, to little or no consequences so far.<\/p>\n \n\tIn May 2025, a single Netflix\u00a0customer in Germany won a case against Netflix price increases in a Cologne regional court that ruled he should be refunded. But that case has so far not had wider implications.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAt Netflix, our members come first. We take consumer rights very seriously, and we believe our terms have always been in line with Italian law and practices,\u201d Netflix said in a statement.<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to latest numbers from Italy\u2019s media watchdog, Netflix had just over 8 million unique users in Italy in 2024, while subscribers \u200cstood \u2060at 5.4 million in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n