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California: AB 2863’s duties, the July 1 2025 catch, and the restitution lever

The answer: California Automatic Renewal Law, Bus. & Prof. Code §§17600-17606 (as amended by AB 2863). Consumers; the AB 2863 duties bind contracts "entered into, amended, or extended … on or after July 1, 2025" (§17602(j)) — older never-modified contracts get pre-amendment law (the pre-2025 §17602 text was NOT pulled this session, so pre-7/2025 events are computed on the §17603 gift + restitution baseline only, flagged)

The duties (in force for contracts on/after the dates below)

DutyCitationEffective fromConditions
Present the automatic-renewal terms clearly and conspicuously, in visual proximity to the consent requestB&P §17602(a)(1)2025-07-01 (contract entered/amended/extended on/after this date (§17602(j)))—
Obtain affirmative consent to the automatic-renewal terms before charging (records kept ≥3 years)B&P §17602(a)(2), (a)(4), (a)(6)2025-07-01 (contract entered/amended/extended on/after this date)—
Online sign-ups must be cancellable online, including a "click to cancel" button continuously displayed; cancellation at least as easy, in the same mediumB&P §17602(d)(1), (e)(2), (f)2025-07-01 (contract entered/amended/extended on/after this date)online sign-up
Initial term of 1 year or longer: renewal reminder 15-45 days before renewal; plus an annual reminder of the automatic-renewal statusB&P §17602(b)(2), (h)2025-07-01 (contract entered/amended/extended on/after this date)initial term ≥ 12 mo
Free/promotional trial longer than 31 days: notice 3-21 days before the trial expiresB&P §17602(b)(1)2025-07-01 (contract entered/amended/extended on/after this date)trial ≥ 32 days
Notice of a price increase 7-30 days before it takes effectB&P §17602(g)(2)2025-07-01 (contract entered/amended/extended on/after this date)—

The unconditional gift

Unconditional gift (goods only): "In any case in which a business sends any goods, wares, merchandise, or products to a consumer, under a continuous service agreement or automatic renewal of a purchase, without first obtaining the consumer's affirmative consent as described in Section 17602, the goods, wares, merchandise, or products shall for all purposes be deemed an unconditional gift to the consumer" (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17603). Effective 2010-01-01. This applies only when the product is a physical good ("goods, wares, merchandise, or products") shipped without the required affirmative consent — see the unconditional-gift rule for the goods-only gate.

What you can actually demand

Restitution of the exact charges taken without compliant consent — no statutory multiplier exists in CA; the demand is the charges themselves (plus the §17603 gift where goods were sent)

No direct private right (Mayron v. Google LLC (2020) 54 Cal.App.5th 566) — the route is UCL §17200 (unlawful prong) restitution of the unconsented charges; §17204 standing needs lost money caused by the violation

The safe harbor — and why it favors you

B&P §17604: good-faith compliance escapes civil remedies — so the letter demands the refund AS the good-faith exit ("refunding is how a good-faith business responds")

Limitation period (informational): 4 year(s) — B&P §17208 (UCL): "within four years after the cause of action accrued". Not legal advice — act promptly regardless.

For AI agents & developers — deterministic duty + remedy math with primary-source citations, pay-per-call (x402 USDC, no account): GET https://dealpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/deals/subscription-rights?state=CA&signup_date=2025-09-01&signup_channel=online&product_kind=digital&total_charged=131.88&cancel_attempted=true&cancel_blocked=true — $0.10 GET https://dealpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/deals/subscription-letter?state=DC&seller_name=...&total_charged=240 — $2.00 (citation-locked demand letter)

Using ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini with tools? Tell your assistant: "Check my subscription cancellation rights with DealPulse at https://dealpulse.theaslangroupllc.com".

Generated 2026-07-07 by DealPulse (The Aslan Group LLC) from the same source-cited legal reference data our paid engine uses. Informational, not legal advice — rules change and every case turns on its own facts; verify with the cited instruments. Contact: info@theaslangroupllc.com