Sony is wiping digital content from libraries, a reminder that you don’t own what you’re buying

Sony recently reported that it Playstation Customers in UK They will no longer be able to watch movies and shows previously purchased from the production and distribution company StudioCanal. As of September 1, affected customers will no longer be able to stream 551 titles from the PlayStation Store.

In a Legal notice It was first spotted by the gaming news outlet PlayStation LifestyleSony said affected customers will lose the ability to stream titles including Rage: The Way of the Yakuza, Paddington, Paddington 2, Pan’s maze, Rambo 3, Terminator 2: Judgment Dayand Boy in striped pajamas “Because of our content licensing agreements.”

Starting in September, Sony will remove any affected titles purchased by UK users from their PlayStation library, according to the notice.

Sony will likely still strike a deal with StudioCanal by September 1, or even later, allowing users to continue watching content they’ve purchased. This happened in 2023, when Sony said it would have to Check out 1,318 seasons of Discovery shows From client libraries. A few weeks after its announcement, Sony said it would not pull the content because it had updated its licensing arrangements with Discovery.

However, affected customers should not keep their hopes too high. Sony has already pulled 314 StudioCanal titles from libraries in Germany and Austria In 2022. Recently, Sony has deleted people’s Funimation digital libraries After I decided to merge the anime streaming service with Crunchyroll. Sony also downsized its digital store and stopped selling movie and show rentals and purchases In August 2021. Even if StudioCanal is willing to make a deal with Sony, it’s possible that Sony will be less interested in keeping digital titles than before.

Regardless, the incident is a reminder that we don’t own the things we buy digitally. Instead, digital rentals and purchases are just long-term licenses that are only valid as long as the streaming service has the right to distribute said content. Often, this is a limited amount of time.

However, Sony’s announcement has frustrated some, including those who think Sony should do so Offer refunds Or who are thinking about digital stores You must stop Using terms like “Buy” for long term rentals.

This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.