California Automatic Renewal Law (2010)

Earlier this month, California introduced Assembly Bill 2863, proposing amendments to the state's Automatic Renewal Law (ARL). If passed, the amendments would impose stricter requirements on disclosures, consent, and cancellation processes. Businesses would be mandated to obtain a consumer's affirmative consent separately from other contract terms for any automatic renewal or continuous service offer, and keep records of this consent for at least three years, or one year after contract termination. The amendments would also prohibit businesses from employing dark patterns in contracts and misrepresenting material facts related to the transaction or the underlying goods or services.