Imadethisaccounttopost
18745
546
7
Original Post - https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/1vhh8vg/google_took_away_my_lotr_extended_editions/
(The mods even deleted his original post, which was on Mildly Infuriating)
Article: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/man-refused-refund-after-digital-lord-of-the-rings-movies-disappear-from-his-library-3396193/
Twitter: https://x.com/TolkienWorldG/status/2085528092119027879
YongYea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8AgX2TumTc
Summary/TLDR:
User/Customer bought LOTR: Extended Trilogy in 2022.
Google removed LOTR:Extended Trilogy from their catalog, now the user no longer has access to the movies they purchased.
They contacted customer support, and are told why they can't access their movie anymore.
The user then asked for a refund, and is told that it is outside the refund period.
(There is even discussions that they user/customer didn't even speak to a real Customer Support, but just an AI Bot. To me, it just looked like canned response)
This is theft, they literally stole these movies from this customer/user.
TheVillageGrouch9000
Google was never your friend. Stop "googling" already. https://noai.duckduckgo.com/
theguythatisme
GET ON THE CLASS ACTION BUS! TOOT TOOT
AlmightyElephant
In Australia, the government is currently sueing Amazon over them adding ads to people's ad free subscriptions a year or so back.
So hopefully this kind of bullshit will see court resolution as well
Imadethisaccounttopost
NGL If I pay for any type of subscription or product, there should not be adds in it!
hotaru251
Like cuban cigars...if you bought something prior to a deal making em no longer available..stop selling but let the ones who paid keep em :|
If you paid for soemthing and have it take naway due to nothing you did wrong...that shouldnt be legal.
blerft
That customer can expect torrents of sympathy from other regular folks. Yarr.
TheVillageGrouch9000
Aye!
MySushi
There would be a deluge of support incoming from their peers, matey. Ho-ho-ho
ontheotherone
Transmission… things…
sarahsaurroar
Here. Buy our movie. Oops. We no longer carry it! Give it back now. A refund? No! Gift card? No! It was never technically yours in the first place, you just paid to hold onto it for us! But don't you dare pirate it! That's stealing!
Lonewolfing
And don't you worry! If you want to watch it again you just need to subscribe to HBO while they have it!
BananaForScaIe
You licensed it from our license. Now we don't have license to give, sorry! Sigh
trinxter
I will never pay a cent to these scam buckets: "I'm sorry. Our terms of service have changed and you no longer have access to your files." If they hold the files they will never be secure.
oblimo
Corporate America's acceptance of cloud computing mystifies me. Putting your business secrets on a hard drive belonging to surveillance companies like Amazon just seems dumb.
Unfortunate500
The irony that Google doesn't own it and that's why they can't sell it appears to have been lost here.
hotaru251
irrelevant.
If I bought (example) a cuban cigar when you could buy them, but then the law says you cant buy em anymore....I am still allowed to keep what I had already bought prior to that becasue my purchase was done under the prior agreement.
A purchase should not be removed due to post deal issues.... just dont sell NEW copies of it but those who already bought it should still have it.
acme64
You didn't buy the cigar, you bought a license to hold onto the cigar
seriously9
Sounds like a class action.
bourbonandbaddecisions
ziralien
If a purchase isn't ownership, then piracy isn't theft. Fuck the corpos.
oblimo
It's never been theft. Media companies got Congress to pass the DMCA precisely because media piracy wasn't theft, so they had to invent a new law for it to be treated it as such.
AdmiralButtStuff
It's not fair. They just don't care, and they won't care until someone makes them. As others have said: if buying isn't owning, then pirating isn't stealing.
MrSatisify
If you don't own a physical copy, you don't own anything
CallMeCourierSix
I own a digital copy that's sitting on my NAS. No one can delete it except me.
fyrekitten
Need to go back and buying DVDs
Martellus
And these fuckers are wondering why people rely on piracy?
spontaneous9
Glad I kept my dvds & videocassettes. Also I kept both machines, and have a backup VCR & DVD player so the library is still playable, at least for now. I only have the Fellowship on tape but the rest are on dvd so I can watch them on my PC if necessary. I bought an external disc drive while they were still readily accessible.
monkeyfly
Yo ho.
TheGodlySka
We tried to warn everyone.
OutspokenHBW
And that's why I got MY 4k HD copy of Sense and Sensibility on disc! That and it made me laugh, .....I'm terrible with money.
ChadMaxxington
Who TF buys movies through Google?
SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem
Plex, or Jellyfin. I'm done with all this bullshit.
anononanonanona
My strategy has been, stream/rent stuff I’m unsure about, super-rent (“buy”) stuff I like and will watch occasionally, repeatedly, and buy/create long term copies under my control for the stuff I love the most. Hoarding tons of stuff isn’t great. Waste of space, wears on your soul. So I won’t go full hard copy, but there’s room for some blu-rays, and digital storage of lossless music, etc. just remember to regularly ensure your archives are backed up, backups are working, and the short term
anononanonanona
Storage (most media besides burned discs and spinning metal drives) are used regularly to ensure longevity. Kinda tedious. Kinda why I don’t save everything for forever.
Vexingmang3
I still have my copies atm of 2 of the 3 wasn't able to buy the extended two towers and I'm sad about that i own them physically but its easier to watch them without a DVD player on my pc
DeakVanNyke
Report it as theft/online-shopping-scam and bring them to court. Sure they are infinitely bigger and richer than you, but reputation damages and bad press would scare them more than whatever you paid for the movies and they will decide just to give you back the amount. (ofc. as store credit lol)
unluckyandbored
You will own nothing and be happy
Kilo11
This is why im repurchasing all my favorite movies on Blu-ray, you want them? Welcome to the thunderdome bitch
Imadethisaccounttopost
This is why I never bought Digital Movies.
Kilo11
I did for the convenience, regretting it now
Regeny
Also, BluRay experience is way better than stream. Dolby Atmos, 4K, fluent fast scenes. the current state of streaming is kinda sad and embarrassing, considering it's 2026.
Imadethisaccounttopost
My only issue, is sometimes I buy a movie and forget to watch it and the disc is bad.
(The Flash Movie, Batman Beyond Season 3 disc 2, etc etc)
chumpacabra
When purchases aren't ownership, piracy isn't theft.
ToenailClippingsJar
TheMomaw
This argument works a lot better for video games, where often there IS no real ownership option. Any movie that exists as physical media can simply be purchased as physical media. Got my LOTR trilogy right here on the shelf. If artists don't get paid for their work, they can't keep making art, so "virtuous piracy" should be a plan B only if the market refuses to sell you what you want.
WeMistbornsNeedNotMakeSense
Technically, digital piracy was never theft. Nothing was ever removed.
TheOneFreiman
You would download a car.
SergeyPrkl
And I am vcurrently printing one.
Gibleteousjack
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1YW9xMHR2cno3aDlhYTRnZzcxcWljYTd5aWV5M3FzZHQwZTloeXNzaiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/FGbeYTiFyLYmQ/200w.webp
MinimumContributor
In a just world this would be true. But they would steal it from you and turn around and sue you for it. Back in the day, it was “okay” to rip a digital backup of any media you owned. Does that still apply to a digital purchase?
notmyrealface
It may not be factually true but it's morally true.
Whitebeardthepirate
then when they sue us, go to court, and Luigi the fuck out of them.
Lordenki40
They've made it illegal to rip your own media now. They know exactly what they're doing.
NotAGarbageCant
Lol. Good luck catching me.
dffksh
In corporate dystopias maybe.
fibbertitgibbet
If I buy my movie disk, who's gonna stop me from ripping it?
dffksh
If I borrow DVD's or CD's from library, making a private copy is 100% legal.
If I rip Readium LPC from a book I borrow from e-library and save a private copy to my Calibre library, it's legal (although perhaps against terms of use, but that's a civil matter). If I copy media from Finnish Broadcasting Company's website for personal use - also legal.
nicelyvillainous
So, the problem is that it’s legal to rip a copy of a physical media that you own, BUT the Supreme Court has ruled that while that IS legal, bypassing any kind of copy protection intended to stop that is not legal. So it’s the same kind of thing where using illegal drugs is legal, but buying or making or possessing them is not, so it’s effectively the same thing.
For digital, you never owned it, the license to watch it is what you bought. It’s like buying the right to watch a movie for free
Comet260
Ban DRM.
vilikke
In my country the courts ruled that "effective" protections can't be bypassed, but if the protection can be bypassed with the simple click of a button in a computer program, that protection is simply not "effective"
nicelyvillainous
From blockbuster, you can check it out for free whenever it’s available, but once they pull it from the shelf it’s useless. So people who buy digital movies are getting suckered from the beginning, it’s just an indefinite lease/rental period. IMO, the play is lawsuits for deceptive marketing for even calling it buying a movie, if enough people sue in small claims over it they will go bankrupt defending it, but they put in binding arbitration in contracts to prevent that. But those can also be
nicelyvillainous
Pretty expensive for the company, just not public record etc, so if you are annoyed, check the terms of service and escalate to that asking for a refund based on deceptive marketing.
MinimumContributor
They should legally have to rename it as “pay for your indeterminate lease of the movie!” Should be illegal to advertise “buy/purchase digital version”
Corrodias
So, has anyone else experienced this? I notice that all these posts refer to the same, single user that reported this happening. Surely at least one, other person in the world also uses social media, also "bought" LotR on Google Play, and can corroborate that their access is also gone without any compensation?
DorkJedi
are you saying you believe only this one person bought the extended trilogy from Google?
Corrodias
Quite the opposite. What I find surprising is that none of the other buyers have confirmed that they're in the same position.
Imadethisaccounttopost
it HAS been removed
Not sure how wide spread this is.
https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_3_Film_Collection_Extended_E?id=o8WClgEvnCA&hl=en_US&pli=1
Corrodias
At least that demonstrates that you can't buy a new license. I can't tell from here whether that means those who already bought one can't watch it (I didn't buy one) nor that they can't get refunds.
FlyByGRider
I still have Fellowship in Google TV but it not the extended version so I cant verify it. I do have all 3 Hobbit extended still showing.
Imadethisaccounttopost
I have no experience with GOOGLE.
I know when Amazon loses the license, you lose access, and Sony did the same shit last month with over 500 titles.
qtRaven
hotaru251
keep list of your purchases..if ever removed you legally can pirate them as you already paid them so they arent losing anything.
sabrinadiesatdawn
That is not even remotely true.
AtmaDarkwolf
It actually has merit and (though sadly i cannot find the articles anymore due to them being 2010ish) has legal precedent. Folks who bought the game(s) and lost the physical medium, had pirated the game and it was legal since they had receipts showing the purchase of the license for said software. Sure they can ATTEMPT to take u to court(And likely would win since they rely on people losing evidence of purchases made) but if u have that proof, u can use it as owners right.
ElbowDeep
It's morally just, I did it for Photoshop after they refused to honor my owned copy, they tried to get me to subscribe after, nah.
shorey66
Morally just indeed but still not legal
hotaru251
from legal & corpo standpoint? no.
However piracy issue is theft and if you paid...you arent stealing as you paid them. How you obtain and use it doesn't matter (so long as you only use it for personal use)
oblimo
Not when what you bought was a revocable license, it's not. Now, the prices companies like Google are charging for such media licenses? That's highway robbery. And the best way for media companies to prevent piracy is to finally charge what people are actually willing to pay to own a revocable license.
sabrinadiesatdawn
if you're trying to claim that pirating something you own is ethically and morally correct, I agree with you. But you said "legally" and that is factually incorrect.
TlsGrz
There might be precedent with emulating games. AFAIK you are allowed to emulate a console game you own on different hardware, so you could make that case.
JaceTiger
As an exception, I do trust Steam since when they removed a game from my library, they did give me a refund to my digital wallet. Not as good as a refund to my bank account, but I'll take it.
Also, they did it automatically. I didn't have to submit a ticket
MeestowKitty
I can't even use Steam anymore because they randomly changed the way the games are downloaded and older OSs can't use it anymore.
Nephalem
Steam is only viable as long as it remains Gaben's private kingdom. The moment he steps down, user trust regarding licensing and ownership goes out the window. Every man has his price, and Newell is no exception. His just happens to be a fleet of superyachts to cosplay as a pirate in search of the One Piece.
Woogyface
this. it's one of my biggest "fears". my account is as old as steam itself. i really don't want to loose all that
Nightchime
I'm considering setting up an offline machine with my library fully downloaded. Problem is the damn price of a new computer or even storage now.
ButtscratchMcPherson
I just wish someone would find his price to ****ing make HL3 or Portal 3.
Staddi
He is only the boss of Valve on paper. He already has his successor and everyone working at Valve knows exactly what they have with their current model.
ThisIsYourLifeNow
I guess he can still step in if Valve tries to turn it into a casino. Thats a huge difference to uncontrolled corp behavior.
Druidhunter77
We really need another Gaben for when he steps down from steam. It’s like one of the only spaces I still have for games that I trust, and I know I’m not alone in that.
spookyu
Steam is arguably the only "benevolent monopoly" since it's privately owned (and a dubious premise, I agree), I'd argue it has less to do with Gabe overall at this point and more to do with the internal culture of the company and lack of need to satisfy shareholders. It parallels Costco in that regard, but in both cases it only takes one shithead high enough up to push for an IPO and that's all gone. That being said....gamer's wrath is legit a little scary at times, so there's that.
Toqom
But it's not a monopoly in any way. There are dozens of gaming stores. Epic, GOG, legacy games, Microsoft store, just to name a few of the largest.
spookyu
....sure, just like Amazon and Wal-Mart "aren't" monopolies. The only real difference between those companies and Valve is that Valve is still a private company, so they don't have that innately corrupting fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, thankfully. To head off any pedantic discussion on the phrase "monopoly" ...it still a monopoly even if there are other sellers/buyers - it's understood now to mean a functional lack of market competition. Those other stores don't actually compete lol.
spookyu
That's to say, Steam being a monopoly in this case works two ways, they are equally dependent on a user base who can/will flea to a new platform (and there are alternatives, they just aren't as competitive *because* steam has been relatively decent to its customers) if things tip too far. I think the company is still in the clear so far though, especially with seeing them back Linux support (that will go a long way to keeping gaming viable vs enshitification)