The case for physical media ownership
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Digital purchases are often revocable licenses, not ownership; physical media offers lasting access.
The article argues that digital purchases (movies, games, books) from stores like Amazon, Sony, and Disney are usually revocable licenses, not ownership, citing lawsuits over Amazon's "Buy" button and the 2018 ReDigi ruling. Content can be removed: Disney+ removed over 50 titles in 2023 ($1.5B impairment); Sony erased 1,318 seasons of Discovery content in 2023 (reversed after outcry); Netflix has removed over 250 originals. Digital stores shut down: Google Play Music closed in 2020; Nintendo's 3DS/Wii U eShop shut in 2023, losing ~1,000 digital-only titles. Physical media (Blu-ray, game cartridges) can be resold, lent, or used offline without account dependence.
Streaming quality is lower: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray runs at 50-128 Mbps with lossless audio, vs. Netflix 4K at 15-30 Mbps with compressed audio. Subscriptions keep rising: Netflix Standard went from $9.99 (2015) to $15.49 (2022).
What commenters are saying
Top commenters overwhelmingly endorse piracy as the practical solution, arguing pirated copies are often superior to purchased versions-DRM-free, higher-quality (pixel-perfect 4K rips), multi-audio, with accurate subtitles, and never remotely removable.
A minority argues piracy is unethical and illegal, with one commenter stating "paying creators for things I want" is a social contract. Others rebut that the industry fails to offer the superior product at any price, citing region locks, poor streaming quality, and content removal as making piracy the only way to get unencumbered, lasting copies.