More than 300 purchased content will be removed from video library
In a short notice, PlayStation informs its users on its website that from August 31, 2022, they will no longer be able to access their previously purchased Studio Canal content due to licensing agreements and that it will be removed from the video library. The affected films and series, to which buyers will no longer have access in the future, include well-known titles such as “Apocalypse Now”, “Daredevil”, “Deepwater Horizon”, “La La Land”, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, “Saw” and “The Hunger Games”. PlayStation stopped selling the content last year. According to heise, the reason for the step was the increasing popularity of streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, which can also be used on the console. Despite the stop on sales, it has so far been possible to play back films and series purchased earlier without restrictions. But this is apparently about to change.
How can Sony delete purchased movies?
This announcement about the loss of the purchased films and series comes as a surprise to many PlayStation users. What is particularly amazing is that the parent company can easily withdraw access to the content from Sony, even though it was purchased through payment. The ownership of the files should therefore actually lie with the customers. According to heise, the fact that deletion from the video library is still possible is due to Sony’s terms and conditions. The fine print says that you don’t buy the films and series directly, but only acquire a “personal license” to the content. Since, as already mentioned, there are apparently changes to the license agreements from August 31, 2022, both Sony itself and the PlayStation users will probably lose the rights to the titles. According to heise, Sony has already covered this scenario in the terms of use. In these, the group writes: “Under certain circumstances, a video may have to be removed from Playstation Video. In these cases, downloading and/or streaming purchased videos is no longer possible. Purchased or rented videos that you have already downloaded are not affected.” Buyers who download their purchased content before August 31, 2022 could possibly avoid a loss. However, this is not certain.
Sony does not provide any information regarding compensation
Since Sony will soon withdraw its customers’ access to films and series they have purchased, the question arises as to whether the people concerned can expect a certain amount of compensation. However, PlayStation does not provide any information about compensation for the deletion of the content and the withdrawal of the possibility of retrieval in the communication to the public. The announcement simply reads, “We really appreciate your continued support. Thank you.” So it remains uncertain whether the users will somehow get the money they paid for the content back.
Nicolas Flohr / Editor finanzen.net
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