Apple Removing Purchased Movies

[ack_bak]

https://comicbook.com/movies/2018/09...nes-libraries/

And this is why I still buy discs. Not only are they the better value but you actually own the content and can control distribution.

If you think that you own materials you purchase digitally, such as music, movies, or books from Apple's iTunes store, you might want to think again -- or at least pay closer attention to the user agreement. It turns out digital ownership isn't so cut and dry as the internet is now learning.

A Canadian Twitter user named Anders G da Silva recently posted a screenshot of the response he received from Apple when he discovered that three movies he purchased from iTunes had disappeared from his library. As you can see in the Tweets below, the content was removed from the iTunes store due to no longer being available and, thus, was removed.

Read the story for more detail.

[Naiera]

LOL.

This story has already been explained away DAYS ago. The guy moved from Australia to Canada; that’s why he lost his movies.

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by Naiera

LOL.

This story has already been explained away DAYS ago. The guy moved from Australia to Canada; that’s why he lost his movies.

That may be the case, but I think there are concerns here in terms of who actually owns the content. The person who bought the content from Apple or Apple? Not trying to get into conspiracy theories here but I am not convinced that Apple, or another company like them, cannot yank content and the user would then have to fight to get a refund.

I still don't see the value in buying an iTunes movie vs physical copy (that almost always contains a digital download, UHD/Blu-Ray, and possibly a DVD). Most of the time the physical copy is less.

But we all know where this whole thing is heading (look at music). It will be pushed down our throats as an all you can stream subscription model and you won't buy/own anything anymore. Content will come and go and you will stream what is available that particular month.

[bluRazor]

Originally Posted by Naiera

LOL.

This story has already been explained away DAYS ago. The guy moved from Australia to Canada; that’s why he lost his movies.

And why would that be a valid reason for losing his movies anyways? Lol.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by ack_bak

That may be the case, but I think there are concerns here in terms of who actually owns the content. The person who bought the content from Apple or Apple? Not trying to get into conspiracy theories here but I am not convinced that Apple, or another company like them, cannot yank content and the user would then have to fight to get a refund.

I still don't see the value in buying an iTunes movie vs physical copy (that almost always contains a digital download, UHD/Blu-Ray, and possibly a DVD). Most of the time the physical copy is less.

But we all know where this whole thing is heading (look at music). It will be pushed down our throats as an all you can stream subscription model and you won't buy/own anything anymore. Content will come and go and you will stream what is available that particular month.

It’s not as straightforward as the music industry. Nowhere near.

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by bluRazor

And why would that be a valid reason for losing his movies anyways? Lol.

Licensing.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by bluRazor

And why would that be a valid reason for losing his movies anyways? Lol.

Originally Posted by Naiera

Licensing.

^ What that person said. Folks need to read their TOS for digital content. Bottom line, for digital content the studio(s) can remove content at any time and without notification or they may charge you more money to continue access to any given title(s). When you use any of the digital services you agree to those terms. Furthermore, you agree those terms can be changed at anytime. I always say, “No First Sale Doctrine protection = No Sale.” Well most of the time, I have converted a few DVD titles to HDX titles.

[bluRazor]

Originally Posted by Naiera

Licensing.

Maybe you think that's valid. I'd be pissed. Considering your post was in response to somebody offering a cautionary tale to potential buyers of digital media that they may not actually own their purchases, I fail to see how you knowing it was DAYS old news & due to licensing issues has any relevance.

[Naiera]

If you want to make sure to NEVER lose your collection, BUY PHYSICAL RELEASES.

This story was more complex than what the user originally let on. Licensing restrictions are a very valid reason, and Apple can’t do anything about them. I honestly think the guy should be happy he only lost three movies.

[veritas]

Originally Posted by bluRazor

Maybe you think that's valid. I'd be pissed. Considering your post was in response to somebody offering a cautionary tale to potential buyers of digital media that they may not actually own their purchases, I fail to see how you knowing it was DAYS old news & due to licensing issues has any relevance.

People who have digital have a serious bias for stories like this. They cant get the money they already spent in digital back so they go oh this would not happen to me or well sure iTunes did it but vudu wouldn't or even I'm OK with losing some titles as long as I had them for 5 years. In the end it turned into oh well its that guys fault for moving. The end result was digital buyers looking for a reason to let digital providers off the hook because they don't want to think they could be next.

[Luke Dodge748]

Originally Posted by ack_bak

But we all know where this whole thing is heading (look at music). It will be pushed down our throats as an all you can stream subscription model and you won't buy/own anything anymore. Content will come and go and you will stream what is available that particular month.

Perhaps it's because I grew up in America in the 1980s but I like to own physical copies of my music, books, movies, et al. I love the idea of listening to any song or watching a movie at any given moment if I feel up to it, but you will never truly own these downloaded or streamed things. At the end of our time we're not taking any of it with us, but at least I want to "own" these things I love and enjoy and simply not license to use.

I don't want to talk too much about things I don't know much about, but I'll be damned if streaming doesn't feel like a socialist concept...

I think that's why I joined this forum, because so it seems many of you enjoy the same thing. Collecting and displaying our movies.

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by Luke Dodge748

Perhaps it's because I grew up in America in the 1980s but I like to own physical copies of my music, books, movies, et al. I love the idea of listening to any song or watching a movie at any given moment if I feel up to it, but you will never truly own these downloaded or streamed things. At the end of our time we're not taking any of it with us, but at least I want to "own" these things I love and enjoy and simply not license to use.

I don't want to talk too much about things I don't know much about, but I'll be damned if streaming doesn't feel like a socialist concept...

I think that's why I joined this forum, because so it seems many of you enjoy the same thing. Collecting and displaying our movies.

I agree. I have been collecting movies since the late 90's on DVD and then moved to Blu-Ray and now UHD. I do stream content from Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, etc. I like streamed content, especially for TV shows.

But when it comes to buying movies/TV shows I am not sold on the digital model, especially movies that I watch every other year or so. With digital, some movies are not always available to watch when I want and the pricing model makes no sense to me.

In most cases a movie on iTunes cost more than the Blu-Ray/Digital/DVD combo.

Makes zero sense and with the fear that you could lose that movie if the provider changes terms or the streaming service itself goes away makes it even more illogical to buy movies digitally.

For me, I look at digital as a rental platform only.

[stonesfan129]

If studios wanted to, couldn't they remove the licenses from players so that you cannot watch the discs anymore, rendering them useless? Or is it once the decryption keys are on your Blu-ray player, they can't be taken off? All it would take is an update and your collection could be rendered useless. Of course then you could just use any number of free programs to rip them onto a NAS and watch that way. Digital is fine for renting, but I would never stake a purchased collection on a cloud service that can be pulled at any time because I don't really own it.

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

If studios wanted to, couldn't they remove the licenses from players so that you cannot watch the discs anymore, rendering them useless?

MAYBE with UHD BD. Not regular Blu-ray Disc. You don't have to go online to play discs and the players can get firmwarely updated via USB and such.

[HarcourtMudd]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

If studios wanted to, couldn't they remove the licenses from players so that you cannot watch the discs anymore, rendering them useless?

.... exactly why my HT as a whole is closed circuit. There is no way that a studio can reach my players to remove the so-called "licenses" - once I hand over my credit card on a purchase, the proverbial umbilical cord is cut and cauterized. Outside of copyright law, the studio no longer has any say whatsoever as to when, where, how many times, or with whom I watch the disc, and will never see another penny from me with regard to that title. With physical purchases, there is no "license" as much as the studios would like you to believe, which is why they want to do away with ownership... they have no control.

[bruceames]

My players are not connected to the internet and I only update when I know it's "safe" to do so (some updates do more harm than good, take away features, etc.) So zero chance that they apply a UHD disabling feature on my players. Also zero chance that they would attempt to do it, so it's a moot point.

[Steedeel]

Digits is the pits.

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Digits is the pits.

It works well for me as a rental or subscription based model, especially for TV shows and rental type movies along with original content.

As collectors/ownership model I just don't see the point right now when physical media offers better quality, more of a collectors feel, often has special features and bonus content, a digital copy anyway, and is almost always the same price or cheaper.

If studios were serious about people collecting digital movies they would slash the price. Make a new release 4K copy $12-15 and a standard 1080 release $10.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

If studios wanted to, couldn't they remove the licenses from players so that you cannot watch the discs anymore, rendering them useless? Or is it once the decryption keys are on your Blu-ray player, they can't be taken off? All it would take is an update and your collection could be rendered useless. Of course then you could just use any number of free programs to rip them onto a NAS and watch that way. Digital is fine for renting, but I would never stake a purchased collection on a cloud service that can be pulled at any time because I don't really own it.

no.

with BD a disk could be created with an exclusion list (like DVD) but it can't be added later, it would be newer pressed disks only.

with UHD BD the disk key can be on the disk or the server. If it is on the disk a connection is unnecessary and it works like normal BD. If the disk key is on the server (don't know of any title that used it) the BD player will need to connect to DL the key but once DLed to the player the key is used off the player so it would only need to DLed it again if
- it got deleted off the player to make room for something else
- something went wrong with the player
- you want to watch it on a different player.