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Disney Pulls a Reverse Santa, Takes Back Christmas Shows From Amazon Customers
Sockatume writes "Since 2011, Amazon Instant Video has sold a series of Christmas shorts from Disney called 'Prep and Landing'. Unfortunately this holiday season, Disney has had a change of heart and has decided to make the shorts exclusive to its own channels. The company went so far as to retroactively withdrawn the shows from Amazon, so that customers who have already paid for them no longer have access. Apparently this reverse-Santa ability is a feature Amazon provides all publishers, and customers have little recourse but to go cap-in-hand to a Disney outlet and pay for the shows again."
how this isn't theft?
Take back what you sold me, I take back the money I gave you.
No, you don't rent it either.
When I rent a movie from the local rental place (yeah, we actually still have one), they can't come to my house and take it back whenever they damn-well please, much less within the specified rental period.
Disney et al, on the other hand, can revoke any privileges you've already paid for because of the one-sided, bullshit clickwrap "agreements" that you "accepted" when you signed up for the service.
This is not a rental, this is ... shit.
Been there, done that.
Walked out of a Best Buy some 17 or 18 years ago with a bunch of CD's I had intended to purchase. They sent us to get a keyboard for the PC we brought in (Who knew they wouldn't have any any AT keyboards or AT/PS2 adapters on hand?).
We got to the car and realized we'd skipped right through the anti-theft devices with nary a beep; went home and got the keyboard; and walked right back in with a cart full of CDs. We sure as heck got a really hard look from the guy at the entrance but when we told him what happened he laughed his ass off and turned on the anti-theft devices.
This is why I smile and torrent whatever I like. If that option goes away, back to sneakernet which worked nicely in the analog tape days before the intarwebs.
The masters have no moral obligation to me in their own eyes, so I consider none whatever to them.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
I just spoke with an Amazon rep. He admitted that purchased content can and has been blacked out at any time without warning. I got him to refund every digital purchase I made (only about 3 movies).