it's still terrible business practice to come out and tell the customer that they don't actually own shit.

It's the only business practice. Trying to be quiet about the terms of an agreement and then spring them on people later is the worst possible thing you can do. A business ideally wants to make it as clear as possible so if it goes to trial there is no question at all. Being vague does not benefit them; the terms being crystal clear but inconvenient to read does.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks. You can even sell it and transfer the media's license to someone else.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

The software running in your car probably is licensed somehow. But no, tangible goods and digital media are different beasts. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.

Anyway, my point is that these articles should be talking about license terms and the fact that they shouldn't be revocable. Or that in the case of revocation, the customer is made whole. But people constantly finding out for the first time that digital media is licensed is tedious.

it's still terrible business practice to come out and tell the customer that they don't actually own shit.

It's the only business practice. Trying to be quiet about the terms of an agreement and then spring them on people later is the worst possible thing you can do. A business ideally wants to make it as clear as possible so if it goes to trial there is no question at all. Being vague does not benefit them; the customer not reading the terms does.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks. You can even sell it and transfer the media's license to someone else.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

The software running in your car probably is licensed somehow. But no, tangible goods and digital media are different beasts. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.

Anyway, my point is that these articles should be talking about license terms and the fact that they shouldn't be revocable. Or that in the case of revocation, the customer is made whole. But people constantly finding out for the first time that digital media is licensed is tedious.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks. You can even sell it and transfer the media's license to someone else.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

The software running in your car probably is licensed somehow. But no, tangible goods and digital media are different beasts. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.

Anyway, my point is that these articles should be talking about license terms and the fact that they shouldn't be revocable. Or that in the case of revocation, the customer is made whole. But people constantly finding out for the first time that digital media is licensed is tedious.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

The software running in your car probably is licensed somehow. But no, tangible goods and digital media are different beasts. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.

Anyway, my point is that these articles should be talking about license terms and the fact that they shouldn't be revocable. Or that in the case of revocation, the customer is made whole. But people constantly finding out for the first time that digital media is licensed is tedious.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

It is not, because a car isn't a duplicatable good. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.

Anyway, my point is that these articles should be talking about license terms and the fact that they shouldn't be revocable. Or that in the case of revocation, the customer is made whole. But people constantly finding out for the first time that digital media is licensed is tedious.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

It is not, because a car isn't a duplicatable good. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.

Anyway, my point is only that these articles should be talking about license terms and the fact that they shouldn't be revocable. Or that in the case of revocation, the customer is made whole. But people constantly finding out for the first time that digital media is licensed is tedious.

This is just a really strange argument, though.

It's not. It is the way it's been at least as far back as I can remember. You own the physical disc, but only a license to access the content stored within it. Yes, you can keep using it (within the terms of the license) until it breaks.

as is everything on them.

This is where you're wrong. If I owned the data on a DVD, I'd be free to copy and distribute it however I, the owner, wanted to. But you cannot. Public presentation, file sharing, etc. can violate the license.

That's like saying your car is a license, or something.

It is not, because a car isn't a duplicatable good. Though, Ferrari has tried some weird contract shit.

Anyway, we're mainly talking about games. Here's the text that appears along the top edge of Tomb Raider II for the PS1:

Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console.

Now we can get into Fair Use and enforceability, but it's still a license. One that aims to keep you from doing anything with the media therein that the PS1 itself does not enable you to do. And yeah, things were less explicit before the disc era. The 16 bit era only had copyright notices from what I saw in my collection. It was only once you could read the media with a home PC that they got touchy about it.