Google will be discontinuing paid rentals and downloads five days from now. Not only will videos no longer be available for rental or download, but previously purchased videos will no longer be playable. By way of apology, Google is offering $2 coupons for Google Checkout (or at least that’s the amount on the notice we saw; see below). Continue reading
…and that is why DRMd audio and video that requires a key verification (as they probably all do) suck rocks, to use the term of art.
Why do you think Google did this? To consolidate some of their video offerings? Will youtube have some new features to replace this? I never used the service, but it seemed like it sucked anyway.
Scary… and we’re supposed to trust Google with all of our data? :-0
That’s a pretty raw deal: “…previously purchased videos will no longer be playable”
I think the $ credit is equal to the original purchase price of the content. I bought an NBA game featuring Kobe’s 81 point explosion at $4.95 and am now getting a $5 google checkout certificate.
This is horrible precedent in a fragmented digital media marketplace where we are trying to get consumers comfortable with non-physical goods…should help Apple by comparison. (where your purchases will always work..stop experimenting with the other guys)
A whole bunch of consumers just got an object lesson in the perils of DRM.
So I no longer own the product I purchased, they are taking it away from me without my permission? Isn’t that called stealing? Or at least an unreasonable seizure?
Another reason I buy music/film/software on discs or immediately burn-to-disc anything purchased over the Internet.
DRM – same reason I don’t buy from Itunes and never will. Treat your customers like criminals and you won’t get to keep those customers.