Ridibooks to compensate purchased content if service ends from November 3
The e-book platform's revised terms rename its refund clause and explicitly cover e-books and subscription passes, following a Korea Consumer Agency recommendation.
Ridibooks will apply revised terms of service from November 3 that explicitly provide compensation for purchased content if the service shuts down, the company told members by email on October 27, according to techm.kr.
The revision renames Article 22 from "Refunds upon suspension of service" to "Compensation upon termination of service". Under the new wording, Ridibooks compensates members for purchased content when it can no longer provide the service because of a change of business, abandonment of the business, or a merger of companies.
The terms now explicitly define purchased content as digital content including e-books and subscription passes, making it subject to compensation. The standards, methods and application procedures for that compensation will be announced separately to users or through the customer center.
Ridibooks said the change follows recommendations from the Korea Consumer Agency. In August 2026, the agency surveyed major Korean webtoon and web novel platforms and urged them to set out compensation standards for purchased content when a service ends; of the seven platforms surveyed, five did not provide specific standards for service termination.
Naver Webtoon and Naver Series treat purchased permanent content as usable for 365 days after purchase and compensate proportionally for the remaining period if a service terminates. In May 2026, Yes24 shut down its webtoon and web novel platform Story24 and migrated users' paid purchased content to its e-book platform, excluding some works withdrawn over copyright and distribution issues.
Quick answers
When do the new Ridibooks terms take effect?
The revised terms of service apply from November 3.
What counts as purchased content under the revised terms?
Digital content including e-books and subscription passes.
Why is Ridibooks changing its terms?
The company said the revision follows recommendations from the Korea Consumer Agency.