Next month Sony will remove hundreds of purchased movies and shows from user libraries

[Cal Jeffrey]

A hot potato: Although Sony stopped selling movies and TV shows on the PlayStation Store over a year ago, customers could still watch content they had already purchased. However, now that seems to be changing.

According to notifications placed on the German and Austrian versions of the PlayStation website, Sony is removing hundreds of titles from its servers, so even those that have bought the movies and shows will no longer have access to them. On August 31, Austrian customers are losing 137 titles, and Germany is losing a whopping 317, including Apocalypse Now, John Wick, Robocop, and the entire Saw series.

Sony said it has to remove the content "due to [its] evolving licensing agreements with content providers." To be specific, anything distributed by Studio Canal is getting canned. More likely than not, Sony just decided to discontinue paying licensing fees as it is probably moving to sunset movie distribution. This summation stems from the fact that the company ceased selling content in March of last year.

Streaming content providers often remove content over time for various reasons, ranging from licensing issues to making room for newer shows. Subscribers to these services have accepted this since it's a monthly subscription to continuous VOD programming. However, in this case, users purchased the content digitally with the understanding that they could watch it whenever they pleased.

Sony doesn't mention whether or not it will issue refunds for items taken from users' libraries. If it doesn't, there is likely to be severe blowback. To some, removing purchased content might feel like a bait and switch — and in all practical terms, it is — but Sony's service agreement likely indemnifies it from legal action in instances like this. It would be unusual if the lawyers of one of the most prominent players in the entertainment industry overlooked such a contingency. I just goes to show that you should always read the fine print.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/95234-next-month-sony-remove-hundreds-purchased-movies-shows.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me

This is why digital libraries are bullshit. Never, EVER pay full price for a product digitally.

 

[terzaerian]

Every chance I get on articles dealing with centralized digital libraries, I've been warning about something just like this happening, and here we are.

Not your files, not your discs? Not your library.

 

[SpatulaCity]

This just makes the case stronger for pirating.

 

[winjer]

This is a great way to convince more people to piracy. Great job Sony.

 

[BadThad]

Leave it to Sony, they have a way of sucking! Not to mention, my failure rate for Sony electronics FAR exceeds any other brand. I stopped buying their products long, long ago.

 

[brucek]

If it is true that there is currently no consumer recourse for this, I would not be surprised if this is the catalyst for there being some in the future.

It would be pretty short-sighted for Sony to try to strong arm customers over this. The total numbers affected are probably small but the precedent set could be large in impact - assuming "sales" vs "subscription streaming" are still in their future plans at all which actually I'm not sure about.

My guess: they are likely to do something at least for those who reach out to complain. Maybe they won't go out of their way to offer first though.

 

[sac39507]

Am I the only one who thinks this could be a foreshadowing of the future of digital currency? Sure someone's going to reply that digital currency works differently and it is safe and secure...blah blah blah blah blah...

 

[terzaerian]

Am I the only one who thinks this could be a foreshadowing of the future of digital currency? Sure someone's going to reply that digital currency works differently and it is safe and secure...blah blah blah blah blah...

Digital currencies arose precisely because of situations like this; the need for decentralized finance to combat the abuses of centralized finance, which can rob you with the flip of a switch (just as Sony is doing here), and the ethos of cryptocurrency (at least with its ideological wing, rather than the gain locusts) is of self-ownership and custody of money and goods. Stop letting the media do the thinking for you and look into it.

 

[captaincranky]

Hey, y'all practically begged to have the 5 1/4" drive bays removed from the front of your cases, deal with it.

"Who needs that DVD crap"? .Um, you do maybe?

 

[PEnnn]

Hey, y'all practically begged to have the 5 1/4" drive bays removed from the front of your cases, deal with it.

"Who needs that DVD crap"? .Um, you do maybe?

That's why I insisted on having one - and any new PC I get will inherit one as well!!

 

[scavengerspc]

A shame this isnt the 90s.
People would already be gathering wood, gasoline and paper bags full of poop.

They can do this now though. People had spines in the 90s.

 

[sac39507]

Digital currencies arose precisely because of situations like this; the need for decentralized finance to combat the abuses of centralized finance, which can rob you with the flip of a switch (just as Sony is doing here), and the ethos of cryptocurrency (at least with its ideological wing, rather than the gain locusts) is of self-ownership and custody of money and goods. Stop letting the media do the thinking for you and look into it.

No one is listening to media here. Never have. Never will. It's common sense. If you don't have something physical where you can have in your possession guarded by your arsenal of weapons, how can you be 100% sure you really have it? People talk about digital currency as if they truly know how it all works but can't explain how billions of uninsured digital currency have been stolen and/or "lost."

 

[kiwigraeme]

Sony Vs The E.U

Just the lawyer fees and please explain will be costly
I do assume Sony has an exit strategy

The whole thing is weird - Seems Sony didn't follow old banking rules - Current assets matching current liabilities , fixed vs fixed etc
So Sony gets movies cheap through yearly fee - sells movie to punter at much higher price .
Even given that- a companies' internal rate of return should work that income to easily pay for fees

Secondly Sony owns a crap like of movies - so swapsies ?? - Plus you would think Studio Canal needs Sony Movies more than Sony needs Studio Canal productions .

Maybe all these movies are Sony movies and Sony sold distribution rights to Studio Canal for a silly long time in Europe - so Sony can't distribute without paying Studio Canal

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Digital currencies arose precisely because of situations like this; the need for decentralized finance to combat the abuses of centralized finance, which can rob you with the flip of a switch (just as Sony is doing here), and the ethos of cryptocurrency (at least with its ideological wing, rather than the gain locusts) is of self-ownership and custody of money and goods. Stop letting the media do the thinking for you and look into it.

I'm pretty sure the near constant stream of pyramid schemes, scams, rug pulls, 90%+ value drops, exchange shutdowns, and shady characters behind these systems does a pretty bang up job of showing how utterly gross the crypto market is. An unregulated "not currency" "not asset" "not security" THING that has robbed many of their life savings and investments to enrich the 5% pissed they were not the 1%.

A shame this isnt the 90s.
People would already be gathering wood, gasoline and paper bags full of poop.

They can do this now though. People had spines in the 90s.

In the 90s there was general hope that technology would make things better and that the future was bright.

Technology today is used as the oppressive boot it was supposed to fight, and has shed a light on how frankly *stupid* the swarms of NPC tier rejects are that inhabit our cities, businesses, and ruling class.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Makes a good case for high percentage of torrents to return.

 

[RudyBob]

Nothing like a disc, eh? RoboCop was a groundbreaker. Good movie. Made me very sad at times

 

[Rocky4040]

Yep remember those days when you bought a VHS movie or a DVD movie or Blu-Ray movie what they all has in common was once you bought them they were yours for life no one could take them away from you. I guess this is the perks of the digital age you are at the mercy of these companies and when they say they think you don't need something no more of coarse they no best and are just looking out for you. /s

 

[amghwk]

Steam may pull out your games soon too, all you Steam hardcore supporters. Stay tuned.

How I missed the days of physical games in floppies and CDs in boxes complete with manuals and paraphernalia. At least you can touch and feel them whenever you want, and they are always with you. Physically. Offline. All the time.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

Could just store HD movies on USB sticks, 4/8GB sticks are very cheap.

 

[comnut]

Hey, y'all practically begged to have the 5 1/4" drive bays removed from the front of your cases, deal with it.

"Who needs that DVD crap"? .Um, you do maybe?

yes it is finally happening.. all those guys who say "digital is better, why waste space storing lots of DVDs???" - a lot of those movies are on DVD / bluray from amazon for a fiver or so...

 

[comnut]

Could just store HD movies on USB sticks, 4/8GB sticks are very cheap.

AFAIK, it is not the movie that is 'not available' BUT the *licence* to play that movie...
Have you ever tried to play a 'stored' movie when you cannot get a TV signal? (heavy weather, so no signal on satellite) it cannot verify the license, so cannot play it..

 

[dangh]

That's how xaas works. Paying full price for digital, or for a services, leads to you have no money and no goods.

 

[yRaz]

That's why I insisted on having one - and any new PC I get will inherit one as well!!

I miss IDE ports, those cables were very stratifying to plug in

 

[Endymio]

Those cables were very stratifying [sic] to plug in

There's a Vizzini from 'Princess Bride' quote in there for someone to find.