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Sony deletes digital content from libraries, a reminder that you don’t own what you buy

Sony deletes digital content from libraries, a reminder that you don’t own what you buy

Sony recently reported to its PlayStation customers in the UK who will no longer be able to watch previously purchased movies and shows from production and distribution company StudioCanal. Starting September 1, affected customers will no longer be able to stream 551 titles from the PlayStation Store. In a legal notice first spotted by gaming

Sony recently reported to its PlayStation customers in the UK who will no longer be able to watch previously purchased movies and shows from production and distribution company StudioCanal. Starting September 1, affected customers will no longer be able to stream 551 titles from the PlayStation Store.

In a legal notice first spotted by gaming news outlet PlayStation LifeStyle, Sony said affected customers will lose the ability to stream titles, including Outrage: The Way of the Yakuza, Paddington, Paddington 2, Pan’s Labyrinth, Rambo 3, Terminator 2: Judgment Dayand The boy in the striped pajamas “due to our content licensing agreements.”

Starting in September, Sony will remove all affected titles that UK users have purchased from their PlayStation library, according to the notice.

It’s possible that Sony could still reach a deal with StudioCanal before September 1, or even after, that allows users to continue watching the content they purchased. This happened in 2023, when Sony said it would have to remove 1,318 seasons of Discovery shows from customer libraries. A few weeks after its announcement, Sony said it would not be removing the content because it had updated its licensing agreements with Discovery.

Still, affected customers shouldn’t have too much hope. Sony has already removed 314 StudioCanal titles from libraries in Germany and Austria in 2022. More recently, Sony removed people’s Funimation digital libraries after it decided to merge the anime streaming service with Crunchyroll. Sony has also been shrinking its digital storefront and stopped selling rentals and purchases of movies and shows in August 2021. Even if StudioCanal were willing to strike a deal with Sony, it’s feasible that Sony would have less interest in holding onto digital titles than before.

Still, the incident is a reminder that we don’t own the things we buy digitally. Instead, digital rentals and purchases are merely long-term licenses that are only valid as long as the streaming service has the right to distribute said content. Often, this is a finite amount of time.

Still, Sony’s announcement has frustrated some, including those who think Sony should offer refunds or who think digital retailers should stop using terms like “purchase” for long-term rentals.

This story originally appeared on Ars Technique.

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