Last night I felt like watching Star Trek on bluray again, so I pop the disc into my laptop and connect it to the TV, but instead decide to grab the digital copy to put onto my XBMC PC. I insert that disc, and go through the steps the disc guides me through, inputting the code correctly to initiate the download…
All seems well, except upon clicking “Next” I’m presented with an error message that tells me my code is invalid. “How can something I’ve never used before be invalid?” I ask myself. I click on the help link, which takes me to a side scrolling carousel of bluray titles, none of which are Star Trek.
At this point I’m wondering how a company can discontinue the right to access a product that has been paid for (while the product is still relevant, and the company still exists)? Time should not be a factor in the download of something that has individual access codes.
Instead of the hassle and headache of contacting customer support just to get a file I should be entitled to, I’ve decided to just download a 1080p copy off the internet via torrent.
I’m sure many people have been in a similar scenario, where they own a product but it’s easier to “crack” it through piracy than to struggle to get the official system to work (always-online DRM in games are a prime example). It’s sad how many cases of poor products or poor usability of a product have driven users to piracy, and how many more times it’ll happen in the future.
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