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this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2023
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Sony isn't in a position to demand refunds, though. Discovery pulling their content means there's no negotiation happening.
As for demanding perpetual use rights, yes, that'd have been nice, but that wouldn't have been granted and then that content wouldn't have been in the store at all. No company will ever sign an agreement to license their content in perpetuity like that.
That's the crux of the issue with digital content. When it was physical media, companies had no choice but to release their media with perpetual licenses because there was no means of revoking it later. They weren't compelled into doing this, they had to because the only other option was not releasing that media at all. Digital content has removed this issue for them, and they have no reason to ever willingly go back to the old method of content distribution.
This is something that has needed regulation for a very long time. If there's no incentives for companies to do something, it won't happen, unless they're forced to do it.
No company should ever buy the rights to something if they aren't willing to provide a proper consistent experience to the user.
In the case of streaming services where you pay an ongoing subscription, specific content being removed is fine. In the case of a store where the user is presented with the idea that they are "buying" the content, being able to view that content in perpetuity should always be expected. Sony is to blame for not requiring this.
They don't have to keep access to the content for new purchases forever. If Discovery wants to pull their content so anyone who hasn't already paid for it can access it, fine. But if they're able to say "you paid for this already, but too bad", Sony and Discovery are both equally to blame and deserve the harshest criticism.