Studio Canal Movies purchased on PlayStation Store removed without refund

Nature of Digital “Purchases”

• Strong disagreement over calling these transactions “buying” when access can later be revoked.
• Many argue this is effectively renting under an “indeterminate term,” despite a “Buy” button.
• Some say consumers reasonably assume “buy” means permanent access; others say by now it’s well-known that digital “purchases” are conditional licenses.

Licensing and Sony’s Responsibility

• Removal is attributed to expiring content licensing agreements with StudioCanal.
• Several argue Sony should have negotiated perpetual rights for already-“purchased” titles.
• Others note contracts can be open-ended or revocable, but still think Sony could at least refund customers.
• A minority suggest Sony likely covered itself legally in the terms of service, even if it feels unethical.

Legal / Consumer Protection Questions

• Multiple comments describe this as fraud or “smelling of fraud,” since customers thought they were buying.
• Some discuss small-claims suits; skepticism that it would be economically worthwhile or enforceable.
• Debate on whether hidden T&Cs should be sufficient to allow such removals; many think they should not.

Why People Buy Digital Anyway

• Main reasons: convenience, no physical media to manage, especially for kids’ content and rewatchable films.
• Price gap between renting and “buying” is often small, nudging users toward purchase.
• Some lack the time/skills to run ripping and self-hosting setups, even if they understand the risks.

Piracy, Self-Hosting, and Physical Media

• Many say this behavior pushes them to piracy, which offers better, more durable access with fewer restrictions.
• Others emphasize buying DVDs/Blu-rays and ripping to local servers (Jellyfin, etc.) to avoid rug-pulls.
• GOG-style DRM-free models are praised; Steam is seen as relatively trustworthy compared to console stores.

Broader Industry Critique

• Framed as part of a wider “enshittification” of digital media and overreaching copyright/DRM.
• Some see this as evidence the industry still hasn’t adapted business models to the near-zero marginal cost of digital distribution.