A court in Rome has declared the price increases implemented by Netflix on its Italian subscribers over the past seven years unlawful. The ruling requires the U.S.-based streaming giant to reimburse affected customers, as confirmed by a consumer association on Friday.
The consumer group Movimento Consumatori announced that the court upheld its lawsuit against Netflix Italia, finding the contractual clauses permitting subscription price hikes from 2017 through January 2024 to be unfair. Netflix responded by stating it intends to appeal the decision, emphasizing its commitment to consumer rights and asserting that its terms comply with Italian laws and industry standards.
In a significant development, the court found that these clauses violated the national Consumer Code by allowing price changes without providing a valid contractual reason. As a result, subscribers are entitled to a reduction in their current subscription fees, reimbursement of amounts paid in excess, and, where applicable, additional compensation.
Data from Italy’s communications authority indicates that Netflix had just over 8 million unique users in Italy in 2024, with subscriber numbers reaching 5.4 million in 2025. Legal representatives Paolo Fiorio and Riccardo Pinna, who represented the consumers, detailed that the unlawful price increases for the Premium Plan occurred in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2024, totaling 8 euros ($9.22) per month. For the Standard Plan, the total increase was 4 euros monthly.
They further explained that a Premium subscriber continuously paying since 2017 could claim a refund of approximately 500 euros, while a Standard subscriber would be entitled to about 250 euros. The court also mandated that Netflix publish the ruling on its Italian website and in major national newspapers to inform consumers about the invalidity of the clauses and their right to reimbursement.
Netflix, the world’s largest video streaming platform, offers films and television series in numerous languages across more than 190 countries. Listed on the Nasdaq, the company had a market valuation of roughly $420 billion in early April 2026 and boasts over 325 million paid subscribers globally.
