You're a sly one. Mr.........Disney?

[40hz]

First it was Orwell's 1984. Now it's a Christmas movie?

You Don't Own What You 'Bought': Disney And Amazon Play The Role Of The Grinch In Taking Back Purchased Film
from the ownership...-wazzat? dept

We've discussed many times before how, in the digital age, you no longer really seem to own what you've "bought." Instead, you're getting a temporary license, and at times that means that the copyright holder and partners can remove it. In a story making the rounds this week, it appears that Amazon pulled the film Prep and Landing 2 just in time for Christmas! The issue came up when Bill Jackson settled down to watch the video -- which he "bought" last year -- with his two kids, aged two and eight. It didn't work and he contacted Amazon to find out what was up. Despite the fact that when he paid the $3, he was told it was to allow him to "watch and re-watch as often as you like" Amazon told him that Disney had asked them to pull it, and they did so:

   Amazon has explained to me that Disney can pull their content at any time and 'at this time they've pulled that show for exclusivity on their own channel.' In other words, Amazon sold me a Christmas special my kids can't watch during the run up to Christmas. It'll be available in July though!"

Amazon did give him a $25 credit as an apology, and then when the story started making news, Amazon changed its story claiming it was something else:

    Amazon blamed the removal on "a temporary issue with some of our catalog data" which it says has been fixed, adding that "customers should never lose access to their Amazon Instant Video purchases."

"Should" never lose access is quite different from "will" never lose access. Just the fact that Amazon has the power to take back what you've bought should be a pretty big concern for those who think that they're actually buying what they've been told. As some have noted, Amazon's terms of service appear to give it the right to do exactly what the original version described:

    Availability of Purchased Digital Content. Purchased Digital Content will generally continue to be available to you for download or streaming from the Service, as applicable, but may become unavailable due to potential content provider licensing restrictions and for other reasons, and Amazon will not be liable to you if Purchased Digital Content becomes unavailable for further download or streaming.

While it is true that buyers can download copies and this only impacted the streaming versions, it still seems rather troubling that people who thought they were buying something found out that they weren't. This is one of the many reasons why people are so concerned about these kinds of offerings. They know that you're no longer really "buying" anything, but getting a (very) limited license.

I don't know which part is more annoying, the evolving and contradictory "explanation" of why it happened, or the fact it happened at all.

And Amazon's 'terms' appear to have more weasels than a mink farm.

So...anybody still think digital downloads from Amazon are the way to go?

[app103]

Downloads, yes...streaming, no.

In streaming, it stays stored on their servers and you don't get a copy of it.

Pretty much, if you don't get a DRM free copy to download, you are only renting it, or putting a deposit on it till they decide to take it back.

I have dealt mainly with music from them, and it would be rather difficult for them to take back the DRM free MP3's that I have acquired from them, considering they don't have access to any of my computers to do so.

Recently got into some of their digital books (freebies) and it did bother me that I could not download them and have to store them on their servers, only given online access in my browser. I would have been much happier if they had given me the epub files to use in the software of my choice.

Glad I didn't pay for that, and it's very unlikely that I ever will, considering what I would not be getting. Amazon isn't going to make a dime off me with books, unless they decide to do things differently. I am not about to take the risk, if they don't.

[Deozaan]

I've purchased books and music from the Google Play Store that includes DRM-free downloads of MP3s or PDF/epubs, etc. Not of all them (the books) include the free epub option, but it gives me greater confidence that I'm actually buying (read: attaining some semblance of ownership of) something when they do.

By the way, what's your source for that story and quote, 40hz?

[wraith808]

Techdirt, it seems.

And that's why I never got into the Amazon thing.  They burned me once, when they bought mobipocket, and what they did with the format.  Not again.  At least epub is open, even if some sellers put DRM in it.

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/MOBI

[40hz]

@Deo - source = Techdirt

http://www.techdirt....purchased-film.shtml

I'll fix my OP to include it as soon as I have something better than an iPhone to post with.

Apologies. Thought I had included it. 


---------/

@Wraith: thx!

[IainB]

First it was Orwell's 1984. Now it's a Christmas movie? ...

-40hz (December 18, 2013, 05:53 AM)

This would seem to be unsurprising.

[J-Mac]

The fact that it was a Disney movie is not surprising at all. After all, Disney releases most of their movies on DVD for a set time frame and then pull all copies and you can't get it again until they decide to have a "limited release" again in the future.

Shrewd marketing, I guess... but nasty IMO.

Jim

[Innuendo]

It's shrewd marketing because there's a certain segment of the population who keep falling for it over and over and over again. If people would wise up and vote with their wallets then companies wouldn't feel cocky enough to pull stunts like this.

However, as a wise man once said, "You can't fix stupid."

[Renegade]

And this is how pirates add value to content. They make content usable.

If you can't use the content, what good is it?

+1 for piracy. They improve products and make them usable.