As always, the paying user has the worst experience. “Purchase” a show, can only watch on a certain console of a certain brand, no transfers, no backups, then it suddenly disappears from the library and nothing can be done.

If media companies insist on draconian DRM, then they should pay for full refunds to their loyal customers when one day they decide to delist that specific show.

  • conciselyverbose@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Absolutely insane.

    I can understand extreme cases, like some sort of disputed IP where their contact to sell the content turns out not to be with the actual rights holder, resulting in no longer serving the content (with an unconditional full refund). But past that they should be legally required to host the content until the heat death of the universe.

      • flames5123@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        This is all movie/show content. It’s still BS, but it’s licensed TV/movie content that’s the problem. The dumb laws we have really are the problem.

        • Womble@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Kinda, but its not black and white. For a start steam has a much longer track record of nearly 20 years not doing this, I’ve heard of them de-listing games and not allowing them to be sold any more but never of revoking games that have been sold. Secondly there are many games on steam that stream cant just revoke, games that use no DRM or DRM that isnt integrated into steamworks they cant just delete if you back it up.

          But that being said there is the possibility of something like this happening on steam, which is why I’m glad there is still an active game piracy scene even if I dont use it any more.

            • Womble@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I dont have one, but I’m pretty sure you can drop to a desktop that you can do whatever you want with the files on the system just like any other linux distro.

      • Grunt4019@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Unfortunately it’s the same situation on steam. You are only buying licenses to games you don’t actually own it, they can be taken away at any time with no recourse. Steam might be doing good now in this regard but it’s hard to say if it will stay like this forever.

    • meseek #2982@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Give it another 10 years, you won’t “own” anything. It’ll be “licensed.” Weird tho. Digital content is endless. But you can’t consume it into extinction; physical things are finite, but we’re like here take it! It’s yours! Call a cop or shoot anyone trying to take it.

      Seems backwards to me.

      • Moonrise2473@feddit.itOP
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        1 year ago

        There was probably nothing Sony could do

        Wrong, Sony could issue full refunds to customers or ask WB the royalties back. Sony should had a clause in their contract with discovery that allowed them to host the video files indefinitely, if it was voided all the royalties to be refunded as a penalty fee.

        When Google closed their digital magazine store, they let users download the PDF or to get a full refund.

        Google again, closed stadia and everyone got a full refund even if all the devs were paid

        When a game is delisted on Steam, Valve continues to host the files for previous customers.

        But here no, they already got the money, they know that console users are used to just STFU, they saw that they can save a lot of money by deleting hundreds of TB of video content, and seized the opportunity

        At least have the decency to do a partial refund where only the royalties paid to Discovery are kept. Or if not a money refund a store credit as goodwill. Or a prorated refund/store credit according to how many times it was viewed. Never viewed = full refund, viewed once, keep the price of a rental, and so on. Or force WB to transfer the license in another digital locker.

        But no, nothing.

        Had I purchased that video content just to see it disappear from my archive, I wouldn’t ever trust them anymore for future purchases and exclusively resort to piracy. (Well I do it already but this is an example) It’s a lose-lose situation for Sony and for WB. The rightholders do extensive campaigns “please pay for movies and show, don’t steal them”, then if someone believes them and *purchases" the video content, he is the one that will actually get something stolen

      • C4ptFuture@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That, or Sony didn’t want to pay the fee to extend the licensing agreement. Sony has a history of screwing over their customers and being a cheap skate. (Removing Linux from PS3, releasing controllers without force feedback because they didn’t want to pay the license fee, installing root kit malware on PCs of buyers of their CDs)

  • the16bitgamer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Alright, what this looks like is Sony’s deal with Discovery to sell and host their TV shows has been removed. From my quick glance there are no games being removed.

    Still is BS, and beyond ridiculous. But it was inevitably going to happen at some point.

    I am more pissed that I got informed that they are doing this from here instead of being told that I am losing my Myth Busters.

    • madcaesar@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      But it was inevitably going to happen at some point.

      If you believed this, wtf would you ever give them your money to begin with???

      • the16bitgamer@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Because it was 2009, I was I kid, and I saw Mythbusters and I said yes. I learnt my lesson when they remove PlayStation Video years ago from PS3, and the PSP. I didn’t even know I could re-download it until I stumbled upon it in a menu years later.

        I am just hoping and praying that this will not extend to their games. Sony’s been pretty good about game ownership to this point, look at those who bought the PT Demo and can still play it.

  • MonkderZweite@feddit.ch
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    1 year ago

    “But you only ever owned a usage-license, which we now suspended” strawman argument incoming.

    Well duh, then i don’t have “buyed” but rented it. Usage of those terms by platforms should be sued as misleading.

  • CaptObvious@literature.cafe
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    1 year ago

    And this is why I never “buy” media online. If I can’t own the media and enjoy the content whenever and wherever I want, it’s rented. I may be ok with that, but I never let them claim that it was a sale.

      • MajorTom@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s one reason I’ve ordered a few titles from PlayAsia recently. For example, the NTSC switch edition of the Metal Gear Solid collection requires downloading the titles. With the PlayAsia edition, lo and behold- everything is on the card, and multiple languages to boot.

        • JokeDeity@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Never heard of that before today, that’s fucked, why even is that a thing?

          • psud@aussie.zone
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            1 year ago

            Some places have crappy internet, so they need it

            You and I can download a 1300MB game, it’s not necessarily so in Brunei

      • CaptObvious@literature.cafe
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        1 year ago

        Hence “and enjoy it whenever and wherever I want.” If they maintain control, it’s not sold. It is, at best, rented.

        Fortunately, there are often tools to enforce the first sale doctrine.

    • Crit@links.hackliberty.org
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      1 year ago

      Buy it for the convenience and for the good Devs, pirate it after if they try taking it away. You already paid for it

      • CaptObvious@literature.cafe
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        1 year ago

        Exactly.

        It’s much the same as creators in Second Life who don’t want to sell in the Opensim metaverse. I get where they’re coming from in terms of protecting a recurring revenue stream, but if the customer has already paid for the product once, under first sale doctrine, they have the right to continue using it.

  • DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    God, I hope these bastards get sued 'cause little doubt they won’t be refunding the poor schmos who’ve just been robbed of their property.

    • Stretch2m@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I’m sure they covered this in the terms of service that they know no one ever reads.

      • tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        In many countries that wont work. The Terms of service need to only include reasonable and expectable clauses, as they are not negotionable.

        And “purchase doesnt mean ownership, we take it from you anytime we want” is neither reasonable nor expectable.

        Also this should run under criminal fraud imo. The customers were deliberately deceived by the term “purchase” into believing they would be granted ownership.

        • prole@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          That argument might fly in the EU, but in the current US political climate? Not so sure. Hopefully they’ll keep making laws with actual teeth to drag these multinational corporations to change things that may lower their bottom line

  • Tygr@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    If I’m to believe I own the crap I buy that’s digital delivery, then if they want to take it back, they need to buy it from me at my price.

  • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This won’t change until someone sells a yacht to a Senator with fine print that it’s only a perpetual license. Then comes back 3 years later and takes the yacht citing the fine print in the contract.

  • AceBonobo@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Discovery Entitlements Affected Titles

    As of 31 December 2023, due to our content licensing arrangements with content providers, you will no longer be able to watch any of your previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library.

    We sincerely thank you for your continued support.

    Thank you,

    PlayStation Store

    • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Turns out you people didn’t actually purchase it.

      I wonder if anywhere in the “purchase” terms they included “while Sony holds the license to distribute.”

      I hate that “purchases” people make are restricted per platform. If I “purchase” a specific title it should be available on any and all platforms that serve that content. No one should be asked to purchase it on Sony. Apple, Netflix, Amazon, or whatever other shitty streaming service comes out.

      As much as I think nfts are fucking retarded, this could be one of the few cases where that stupid digital receipt might make sense.

      • Chetzemoka@startrek.website
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        1 year ago

        My understanding was this was the actual intended use case for NFTs. To allow you to properly own a digital item. The fact that it got applied to a stupid fad right out the gate doesn’t change the fact that it should actually be used to allow us to own things again.

        • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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          NFTs don’t solve the actual problem, which is that paying money doesn’t legally come with a warranty for accessability of the thing you bought. The law should guarantee the right to access anything purchased or marketed similarly for a given period of years with the right to either a Refund or a DRM free download option if said access is no longer offered for any reason, and mandatory cultural preservation of said media as a precondition to legally profit off of it or enforce copyright using the court system