this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2024
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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You all remember just a few weeks ago when Sony ripped away a bunch of movies and TV shows people “owned”? This ad is on Amazon. You can’t “own” it on Prime. You can just access it until they lose the license. How can they get away with lying like this?

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (4 children)

Nobody with enough money has sued... Yet...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I mean, you can "buy" stuff in Amazon Prime Video off service. Unlike Netflix or other platforms, they will let you "buy or rent" streaming movies, which is the same as finding the movie on the Amazon storefront and buying the digital copy instead of a physical copy.

Now, does that mean they won't yank it? Not really. A digital license is a license, not a purchase. Is the word "buy" or "own" inaccurate? I'm hoping not, because like the Sony thing showed, platforms are desperate to not have the courts improvise what rights they owe the buyers on digital purchases.

I'm still buying my movies in 4K BluRay, though. And working on ripping all of them for streaming at home, now that I finally have the space.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

How are you digitizing BluRays? I've not found a way yet due to the DRM on those fuckers.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Look into MakeMKV. It's "free" while in beta (in practice you need to input a new license key from their forums occasionally, so inconvenient unless you buy a real license) and can rip Blu-Rays with no issue. For ripping 4K, though, you'll need a drive that supports LibreDrive which bypasses all of the drive's built-in DRM. I personally use an LG BU40N in a Vantec external enclosure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Awesome, thanks for the pointers! I'll look into it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

This basically, which at that point rolls all the way back around to piracy, so hey, if you find an easier way to access a comparable file maybe it's all shades of grey anyway.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's very interesting. But do you always have to buy Blu-ray just to get digital copies? I wonder if there is other options to actually own the movies without the licensing bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

So far I don't know of any services that will just hand you a digital file of a movie outside of physical media.

I say that's a damn fine business opportunity, because I'd be all over it, but hey.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (3 children)

A digital license is a license, not a purchase.

Stop repeating copyright cartel propaganda.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

If they have access to remove the media from your library on their end, then it's a license and not a purchase.

That doesn't mean they don't owe you access to it, though. The fact that there isn't a word for "I've acquired perpetual access even if I can't back up the file itself" doesn't mean you shouldn't have the right to continue to access the media. Or to demand that right to be upheld in court, for that matter.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

If buying isn't owning, then you are being scammed.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 7 months ago (2 children)

It’s not digital though. When you bought any physical media you purchased a license to view the content. You never owned the media on the disk cause that is the studios IP.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

This is like saying I don’t own my car because it’s the manufacturer’s IP.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

You have always owned your individual copy of the media on the disk!

Again, quit falling for the propaganda.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That sounds more like what class action lawsuit is supposed to be for.

[–] Imgonnatrythis 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Damn straight. I want my $7.50!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Those are more to punish companies and change their behavior, which I think is what was desired here.

Of course they are a gold mine if you are a lawyer.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Ross Scott of Accursed Farms is planning a lawsuit for something similar https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-crew/servers-shutdown-lawsuit

[–] brbposting 6 points 7 months ago

“I’m getting a lot of multi-page emails about possible legal proceedings and dozens of people claiming they have receipts,” Ross says. “I do want to emphasize that if I don’t get the help I need, then there will be no fundraiser, there will be no lawsuit, and this practice will continue unchallenged, at least in the US.”

Ross needs your help, lawyers!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

This sort of blatant violation of the First Sale Doctrine shouldn't even require a lawsuit to stop; the FTC should prosecute companies for it proactively. We need to demand our government start doing its goddamn job again.