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this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2024
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ
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Here's an article that was discussed extensively on HackerNews about how Apple has the rights to remove items you've paid for from your digital library:
https://theoutline.com/post/6167/apple-can-delete-the-movies-you-purchased-without-telling-you
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17970197
Here's an example where Amazon removed books from people's Kindles, although to be fair to Amazon they did attempt to change how they handled situations like this. However, the licensing issue should have been handled before customers could buy it, yet in this instance customers were initially punished for something they had no control over (how are they supposed to know Amazon is offering ebooks without proper licensing?).
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html
Here are two separate examples of Warner Bros. canceling finished movies wholesale because it's a "wise business decision." These are completed films that will not be released.
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/batgirl-movie-shelved-dc-studios-head-peter-safran-1235506921/
https://www.theringer.com/movies/2024/2/12/24070471/coyote-vs-acme-movie-canceled-new-yorker-article-news-warner-wbd-zaslav
Lots of shows/films are being licensed to streaming services and then disappearing altogether, since there was never a "physical" copy available to begin with. Here's a short list of some that you can't find anywhere anymore.
https://www.looper.com/1333407/best-streaming-shows-you-cant-watch-anywhere/
Finally, every company has a right to not do business with you. If Microsoft, Apple, Google, or any other content providers decide to ban your account (a very effective way to choose not to do business with a person), all your digital purchases are gone with it. That alone should be proof enough that you don't and never "owned" any of it. In the "olden times" Blockbuster couldn't come into your home and take back all the movies you ever bought from them (I know they mostly did rental, but they did sales, too) and smash your VHS so you couldn't watch anything anymore.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/xbox/forum/all/do-you-really-lose-offline-access-to-all-digital/297c0f39-51ff-45f3-b0ff-7edf2a57b195
Also, I'm pretty well aware that most average people don't understand this subject at all.