If you’re a Roku user, you may have noticed the new User Agreement popping up on your screen over the past few days. If for some reason you don’t adhere to this agreement, you may not be able to stream from now on.
TechCrunch noticed If you want to keep using your TV, it’s nearly impossible to avoid signing Roku’s new deal. The other day, I clicked on the agreement myself without thinking, thinking it was something unimportant.In fact, the popup is A legally binding agreement not to sue Roku at any time in the future.Instead, the agreement forces users to agree to forced arbitration, which many legal experts consider a different kind of dispute resolution process Greatly favors businesses over consumers.
For companies, the benefit of forced arbitration is the avoidance of class action lawsuits, which can obviously be quite costly. Roku’s new agreement sounds pretty draconian, forcing users to engage in what the company calls an “informal dispute resolution” process. This process forces anyone with legal concerns to contact Roku’s attorneys before taking any further action. As mentioned earlier, the policy also prohibits users from suing the company.
Thankfully, there’s a way to opt out of Roku, but it sounds like a hassle.The only way to avoid this unfortunate agreement is to Send a letter to Roku’s legal team Tell them you don’t want any part of it. You only have 30 days to do this, after which anyone who hasn’t spoken out will automatically be included in Roku’s new legal arrangement.For more information on how to do all of this, you Can access Roku’s website.
Gizmodo reached out to Roku for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
I don’t know why you need to sue Roku. Maybe your TV recently caught fire.Maybe you hate all the ads they shove in your face or their Less than the best privacy protocols. Maybe you’re annoyed that they don’t want you to sue them. Regardless, it’s always good to have options, right?