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MLB Fans Who Bought DRM Videos Get Hosed

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the digital-restrictions-management dept.

Billosaur writes "Major League Baseball has just strengthened the case against DRM. If you downloaded videos of baseball games from MLB.com before 2006, apparently they no longer work and you are out of luck. MLB.com, sometime during 2006, changed their DRM system. Result: game videos purchased before that time will now no longer work, as the previous DRM system is no longer supported. When the video is played, apparently the MLB.com servers are contacted and a license obtained to verify the authenticity of the video; this is done by a web link. That link no longer exists, and so now the videos will no longer play, even though the MLB FAQ says that a license is only obtained once and will not need to be re-obtained. The blogger who is reporting this contacted MLB technical support, only to be told there are no refunds due to this problem."

18 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Translation? by phalse+phace · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "....there are no refunds due to this problem.""

    It's your problem, not ours.

    1. Re:Translation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      If the product is defective by design, and you buy it, and it turns out to be defective, the product is working as intended. I don't see what the problem is.

    2. Re:Translation? by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There may yet be a chance to settle it.

      If you can dig up the credit card bills, you might still be able to do a charge-back. I know it's kind of pushing it, but my mom does the CC transactions for the family business, and she says that in some cases, there is time limit for a charge-back. It's really brutal for the merchant though, $15 fees per transaction on top of losing the money. Normally, I'd say doing a chargeback two years after the purchase is pretty dickish, this situation is ridiculous. I'd check your card's policies first, but once you know for sure, I suggest that you take it up with the customer service and threaten to do a charge-back before going through the procedure.

    3. Re:Translation? by Intron · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Seems reasonable. You got to use the video for two years. They got to use your money for two years. They take the video back, you take your money back. Fair is fair.

      --
      Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  2. Yea that's a shame... by Wolvie+MkM · · Score: 5, Funny

    Excuse me while I enjoy my NHL feed on YouTube :)

    --
    I Like Pie...
    1. Re:Yea that's a shame... by sm62704 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Excuse me while I enjoy my MLB feed on Morpheus. Oh wait, I forgot - I stopped watching baseball the year they cancelled the world series.

      My point, thoough, is that the only ones with functioning videos got them illegally.

      -mcgrew

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    2. Re:Yea that's a shame... by Bert64 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In any case, those people who obtained pirate copies often have a superior experience to legit buyers. All this does is encourage more piracy.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
  3. One more reason... by capt.Hij · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is one more reason not to pay money to watch grown men sweat a lot and scratch themselves. A few more of things like this and I am going to just give it up completely.

    1. Re:One more reason... by phalse+phace · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Correction. This is another reason why you shouldn't pay money for DRM'ed content.

  4. Whoa now... by Chairboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to talk about this without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.

    1. Re:Whoa now... by trb · · Score: 5, Funny

      They gave me express written consent, but it's in this document that I can't read any more.

  5. EULA? by finnw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Depends whether anyone saved a copy of the EULA they signed when they downloaded the videos.
    If it favours MLB they'll find a copy. But if it doesn't, it would be quite easy for them to say "We've lost all copies of that EULA but our policy back then was to put in a 1-year time limit" and given the small numbers involved, probably no-one will be able to prove otherwise. I think I'll get in the habit of saving a copy before clicking on "I Agree" from now on.

    --
    Is Betteridge's Law of Headlines Correct?
  6. Yes, but... by n0dna · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's MLB.

    The videos already wouldn't play if it was Cold. Or Raining. Or Night. Or Outside.

  7. Re:A Slow Death by Dachannien · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Digital TV and the assault on the VCR/DVR is going to be the telling moment in the fight against DRM. Everybody's got a TV, and just about everyone has either set their VCR or DVR to record a show or movie for them or gotten their nine-year-old child to do it for them. When the media companies finally get their way and Joe and Jane Sixpack can no longer freely re-watch "It's a Wonderful Life" to their heart's desire every holiday season, there will be outrage. Of course, by that time, the technology will be so entrenched that it will be next to impossible to remove it.

  8. People keep forgetting what DRM stands for by Alzheimers · · Score: 5, Insightful

    DRM - Digital Rights Management.

    It's about THEIR rights, not yours.

  9. Easy for society to fix this by Sloppy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Don't give copyright protection to publications that use copy protection. DRM -> PD. Let publishers (and their markets) decide which mutually-exclusive way to go.

    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  10. Re:A Slow Death by mike260 · · Score: 5, Funny

    When the media companies finally get their way and Joe and Jane Sixpack can no longer freely re-watch "It's a Wonderful Life" to their heart's desire every holiday season, there will be outrage. Angry mob: "Hey! Where are those digital rights we gave you to manage? We want them back!"
    Jimmy Stewart: "Well I don't have your rights here, they're in Bill's house, and in Steve's house..."
  11. I work for MLB.com... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    ...and as an employee can honestly tell you that this latest DRM snafu is just that, a snafu. When the old DDS system has been taken offline, many people within the company predicted that this would happen, but this project has slipped due to technical difficulties. I for one feel really badly about how we're basically screwing the fans out of their money. As much as this is sad, however, I'd like to ask everyone to bear with us and let us work out a solution to this issue. We're not doing this on purpose, and a solution will be found.

    I hope at least some of you would believe me, even though I have to post anonymously. I'm really just another geek working for a big corporation, trying to make ends meet.