Sony's attempted removal of "purchased" content: Difference between revisions

'''[[Sony]]''' has deleted movies & television shows that customers bought through the [[PlayStation]] Store, & has scheduled the deletion of hundreds more once its license to that content ends.<ref name="verge" /><ref name="vgc2026" /> The most recent notice came in June 2026, when Sony told PlayStation users in the United Kingdom & Europe that on September 1, 2026 it would remove 551 previously purchased StudioCanal movies & TV titles from their video libraries, with no refund.<ref name="notebookcheck" /><ref name="ign" /> PlayStation's network terms state that use of words like ''purchase'' or ''buy'' ''does not mean or imply any transfer of ownership'' of the content, & that everything bought through the store is licensed on a ''non-exclusive and revocable basis''.<ref name="psntos" />

Sony stopped selling movies & TV shows on the PlayStation Store on August 31, 2021.<ref name="beyondgames" /> It does not own the films & shows it sold through the store; it licenses them from the studios that produce them, & has said it holds no ownership of that content.<ref name="gamesindustry" />

In June 2026, Sony notified PlayStation users in the United Kingdom & Europe that on September 1, 2026 it would remove every StudioCanal movie & TV show they had purchased from their video libraries.<ref name="notebookcheck" /><ref name="vgc2026" /> The notice became public after an X user, @somatyk, posted the message PlayStation had sent; Kotaku & other outlets then reported it.<ref name="kotaku" /> The message read:

<blockquote>''Due to our content licensing agreements, you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content from Studio Canal, and it will be removed from your video library.''</blockquote><ref name="pslifestyle" />

[[File:PlayStation-UK-StudioCanal-affected-titles-notice-2026.png|thumb|center|upright=2.6|Sony's United Kingdom legal page tells buyers they ''will no longer be able to access'' their previously purchased Studio Canal content, with removal set for September 1, 2026.<ref name="psvideo-uk" />]]

Four years earlier, PlayStation had removed previously purchased StudioCanal films & TV shows from the libraries of customers in Germany & Austria, with the deletion taking effect on August 31, 2022.<ref name="verge" /><ref name="eurogamer2022" /> The regional notice blamed Sony's ''evolving licensing agreements with content providers''.<ref name="eurogamer2022" /> It covered 314 titles in Germany & 137 in Austria.<ref name="beyondgames" /> The deletion came a year after Sony had assured buyers that their earlier purchases would stay accessible.<ref name="verge" />

On December 6, 2023, the New York Times reported that purchased Discovery shows, among them MythBusters & Deadliest Catch, would be deleted from PlayStation libraries on December 31, 2023, with Sony citing its content licensing arrangements.<ref name="nyt" /> The plan reached more than 1,300 Discovery TV shows.<ref name="gamesindustry" /> The notice Sony posted on its PlayStation Store legal page read:

<blockquote>''As of 31 December 2023, due to our content licensing arrangements with content providers, you will no longer be able to watch any of your previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library. We sincerely thank you for your continued support.''</blockquote><ref name="psvideo-removal-2023" />

PCMag's Emily Price wrote that the agreement guaranteed access only for a set period, & that PlayStation owners could still lose the content around 2027.<ref name="pcmag" />

The PlayStation Network [[Terms of service|Terms of Service]] govern what a customer receives when they buy a movie from the PlayStation Store, treating the transaction as a revocable license rather than a transfer of ownership.<ref name="psntos" /> Section 10.1 addresses the storefront language directly:

<blockquote>''Use of the terms "own," "ownership", "purchase," "sale," "sold," "sell," "rent" or "buy" in this Agreement or in connection with the Content does not mean or imply any transfer of ownership of any content, data or software or any intellectual property rights from SIE, its affiliates, or its licensors to any user or third party.''</blockquote><ref name="psntos" />

Reviewing the September 2026 removal, Notebookcheck called it a reminder of ''the risks of purchasing digital content''.<ref name="notebookcheck" />

California's Assembly Bill 2426 requires sellers of digital goods to tell buyers when a purchase is only a license.<ref name="ab2426" /> Governor Newsom signed it on September 24, 2024 as Chapter 513, adding Section 17500.6 to the state's Business and Professions Code.<ref name="ab2426" /><ref name="asmdc" /> It took effect on January 1, 2025.<ref name="gtlaw" /> The statute makes it unlawful to sell a digital good using ownership language without a disclosure:

<blockquote>''It shall be unlawful for a seller of a digital good to advertise or offer for sale a digital good to a purchaser with the terms "buy," "purchase," or any other term which a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good, or alongside an option for a time-limited rental, unless either of the following occur:''</blockquote><ref name="ab2426" />

A seller can comply only by getting the buyer's affirmative acknowledgment at each transaction that they are receiving a license, with the restrictions listed & a notice that access may be revoked, or by giving a clear & conspicuous statement that buying the good is a license, with a link to the full terms.<ref name="ab2426" /> The law defines a digital good to include digital movies, music, books, codes & games delivered electronically.<ref name="ab2426" /> According to an analysis by the law firm Greenberg Traurig, a violation can draw civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation under California's False Advertising Law & Unfair Competition Law.<ref name="gtlaw" />

<blockquote>''Another instance saw Sony threaten to revoke access to Discovery TV shows in 2023, only to come to an agreement with Discovery on an updated licensing agreement following consumer outcry.''</blockquote><ref name="asmdc" />

<references>

<ref name="verge">{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Jon |date=2022-07-08 |title=PlayStation Store removes purchased movies from libraries after service shutdown |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/8/23199861/playstation-store-film-tv-show-removed-austria-germany-studiocanal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708090853/https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/8/23199861/playstation-store-film-tv-show-removed-austria-germany-studiocanal |archive-date=2022-07-08 |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=The Verge}}</ref>