• _number8_@lemmy.worldEnglish
    60·
    2 years ago

    i really hate how they call it a ‘library’, very disingenuous if it’s all on their servers and predicated on their fucking license agreements

    what if real libraries had to throw away books because harpercollins got pissy. would anyone stand for it? (probably yes)

    • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
      27·
      2 years ago

      Not only that, but they think people are dumb enough to keep paying (and sometimes they’re not wrong).

  • CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.worldEnglish
    44·
    2 years ago

    They exist to fuck over artists and the viewers as much as they can get away with.

    I just decided I’m perfectly comfortable fucking the media companies over first.

    • Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      25·
      2 years ago

      The reason they aren’t is because methods for cracking DRM like Widevine are kept extremely secret so that the exploits don’t get patched. It does mean that a lot of content is locked to whatever the scene decides is worth their time to crack and distribute, but if anyone made the methods they use public, they would stop working very quickly.

      • Something Burger 🍔@jlai.lu
        13·
        2 years ago

        This happened with a version of Denuvo. Someone leaked an unobfuscated cracked version of a game (I think it was Need for Speed), giving Denuvo the opportunity to study how their protection got cracked.

      • RmDebArc_5@lemmy.mlEnglish
        5·
        2 years ago

        What does Widevine actually do? You may not be able to download directly but you can just use OBS

        • Something Burger 🍔@jlai.luEnglish
          5·
          2 years ago

          You’ll get worse quality. Widevine doesn’t let you play 4K content on unapproved systems. It’s also way less convenient. Obviously, pirates are not affected because they can just download Star.Wars.XII.Galactic.Boogaloo.WEBRIP.4K-DarkNaruto69.mkv, it’s only an issue if you try to watch content legally for some reason.

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
      22·
      2 years ago

      There absolutely needs to be a law that forces companies to make this abundantly clear and make the usage of “buy” illegal in those cases. It should be “rent” or “purchase temporary license.”

      • starman2112@sh.itjust.works
        12·
        2 years ago

        Yuuup. It’s basic consumer protection. Imagine if a car dealership were allowed to do what we let media companies get away with. You go to the dealership, sign a contract that you didn’t fully read, and then ten years later Toyota shows up to steal your car because clause 78 of section G(4) says that the manufacturer reserves the right to repossess anything they made at any time. They wouldn’t be able to finish stealing that car before a thousand hungry lawyers ate them alive. Why do we let media companies do that?

        • Olgratin_Magmatoe@startrek.website
          8·
          2 years ago

          They wouldn’t be able to finish stealing that car before a thousand hungry lawyers ate them alive. Why do we let media companies do that?

          They would probably actually have a decent shot at getting away with it, at least at first.

          And to answer your question, it’s because the anger that companies generate by doing this shit ends up turning into piracy. Why would you try to punish a corp for doing this (likely wasting your time) when a cheap VPN and basic tech literacy gets you what you want?

          The effort ratios are way out of wack when it comes to digital products. It’s easy to get around digital bullshitery, not so much in the real world where we are all car dependant.

    • Corroded@leminal.spaceEnglish
      201·
      2 years ago

      There should almost be a “buy a license to…” distinction like how some games are free versus free to play.

  • bitwolf@lemmy.one
    28·
    2 years ago

    There is an easy fix here:

    Require mergers to refund customers impacted as part of the merger.

  • Diplomjodler@feddit.de
    11·
    2 years ago

    This kind of shitfuckery has been going on for as long as DRM has been around and yet people still fall for the scam.

    • starman2112@sh.itjust.works
      9·
      2 years ago

      Buying it illegally is what some people do. I wish I could find the article I read, but pirate cable is definitely a thing in some places

      Stealing legally is what the cops do when they commit robbery civil asset forfeiture

      • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 years ago

        Every house on my street gets pirate cable. When I found out my ancient neighbor was paying for cable with her social security I was like check this out. Disconnect cable box connect TV straight into coax. Saved her a lot of money when she cancelled cable.

        Any time you move to a new house or apartment just plug the coax into a TV, you might be surprised.

    • reev@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      8·
      2 years ago

      You can pay for illegal content and you can take something without permission, legally.