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Amazon removes Disney Christmas special from owners' accounts Amazon accidentally removes Disney Christmas special from owners' accounts
(about 3 hours later)
Users who bought a festive cartoon from Amazon have found themselves unable to watch it in the run up to Christmas after the company removed access to digital copies from their account. Users who bought a festive cartoon from Amazon found themselves unable to watch it in the run up to Christmas after the company removed access to digital copies from their account.
Disney's Prep & Landing, a Christmas special first aired in 2009, has been available for customers to rent and buy on Amazon's Instant Video service since Christmas 2011, when its sequel was aired and also uploaded.Disney's Prep & Landing, a Christmas special first aired in 2009, has been available for customers to rent and buy on Amazon's Instant Video service since Christmas 2011, when its sequel was aired and also uploaded.
For $2.99, customers could purchase the video, which Amazon's site says lets them: "watch and re-watch it as often as you like… You may stream a purchased video while connected to the internet and access the video from Your Video Library on any other compatible device. You may also download the video."For $2.99, customers could purchase the video, which Amazon's site says lets them: "watch and re-watch it as often as you like… You may stream a purchased video while connected to the internet and access the video from Your Video Library on any other compatible device. You may also download the video."
Now, though, the company has removed access to both episodes of Prep & Landing, not only preventing new customers buying or renting the show, but also preventing those who have already paid - under the promise that they could "re-watch it as often" as they like - from doing so. This week, though, the company temporarily removed access to both episodes of Prep & Landing, not only preventing new customers buying or renting the show, but also preventing those who had already paid – under the promise that they could "re-watch it as often" as they like – from doing so.
One customer told the blog Boing Boing that the company gave him a reason: "Amazon has explained to me that Disney can pull their content at any time and 'at this time they've pulled that show for exclusivity on their own channel.'" Amazon blamed the removal on "a temporary issue with some of our catalog data" which it says has been fixed, adding that "customers should never lose access to their Amazon Instant Video purchases."
Boing Boing writer Cory Doctorow, a digital rights campaigner and Guardian columnist, said that Disney's decision is "stupid and evil". One customer told the blog Boing Boing that the company gave him a different reason: "Amazon has explained to me that Disney can pull their content at any time and 'at this time they've pulled that show for exclusivity on their own channel.'"
"But when Amazon decided that it would offer studios the right to revoke access to purchased videos, they set the stage for this," he says. "They stuck the gun on the mantelpiece in Act One, and they don't get to act all surprised now that it went off in Act Three. Anyone who didn't see this coming failed to do so because it was their job not to see it coming." It worries some that the company has the power to prevent users from accessing media they have bought and paid for. Boing Boing writer Cory Doctorow, a digital rights campaigner and Guardian columnist, says that "Amazon stuck the gun on the mantelpiece in Act One, and they don't get to act all surprised now that it went off in Act Three. Anyone who didn't see this coming failed to do so because it was their job not to see it coming."
Peter Bradwell of the UK-based Open Rights Group says that Amazon's decision is "not surprising." Peter Bradwell of the UK-based Open Rights Group says that "online service providers or rights holders often can remove access to products like this - it will be in their terms and conditions."
"Online service providers or rights holders often can remove access to products like this - it will be in their terms and conditions. It's one way that online digital products are being built to be less useful than physical copies. Nobody would come to your house and take your DVDs just because they later decide they want those films playing exclusively on their TV channel." "It's one way that online digital products are being built to be less useful than physical copies. Nobody would come to your house and take your DVDs just because they later decide they want those films playing exclusively on their TV channel."
In 2009, Amazon surprised Kindle owners by deleting copies of George Orwell's 1984 without prior notice. The company refunded users, but told them that the book was "no longer available".In 2009, Amazon surprised Kindle owners by deleting copies of George Orwell's 1984 without prior notice. The company refunded users, but told them that the book was "no longer available".
However, Orwell's dystopian classic was only on sale in the first place due to an oversight on Amazon's part, after a publisher which did not have the rights to the books began selling digital copies without permission. The removal of Prep & Landing appears to be the first time Amazon has removed access to content which users legitimately purchased.However, Orwell's dystopian classic was only on sale in the first place due to an oversight on Amazon's part, after a publisher which did not have the rights to the books began selling digital copies without permission. The removal of Prep & Landing appears to be the first time Amazon has removed access to content which users legitimately purchased.
Amazon and Disney were contacted for comment, but neither had responded at time of publication. Disney was contacted for comment, hadn't responded at time of publication.
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Updated 18:05 GMT with Amazon's response.
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