In June 2023, a California man named Wilbert Napoleon renewed his yearly subscription to Amazon Prime at the recently increased price of $139. Part of that deal, as heavily advertised, was Amazon’s promise of “unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming” of entertainment through its Netflix competitor, Prime Video.

But by January, Amazon had reneged on part of the deal. It announced that Prime Video would no longer be commercial free unless subscribers — even existing ones who had paid for a yearly plan — paid an extra $2.99 a month.