Apple Pulls Some Disney and Pixar Titles From iTunes Store and iTunes in the Cloud [Updated]

[roland.g]

Disney (presumably) doesn't have direct write access to iTunes in the Cloud; only Apple should have the ability to remove previously-purchased titles from users. Disney may have asked for the content to be removed, but ultimately Apple chose to remove it, instead of fight.

What? No.

Apple only pulls content at the direction and compliance of the studios and their contracts. Apple has no ground or need to fight in this instance. These contracts are of limited duration. And if a studio such as Disney purposely decides not to renew contracts as a designed limited availability, Apple has no real leverage.

 

[BulkHedd]

This should be a crime. Whats to stop them from next year removing those movies from the "vault" and requiring everyone to purchase again?

Can they do this with music as well? What if I subscribe to iTunes Match and deleted all my music from my computer to save space. Then a purchased album is removed from the cloud?

After decades of collecting DVDs and Blu-ray discs I have been recently buying from iTunes. I do immediately download and store them on two separate external drives, though.

 

[Bishope1999]

Which is why I still don't get why some people choose to pay the same amount, or possibly more, to buy the digital copy instead of the physical discs. Along with the fact that you pay more for less, get an inferior picture and audio quality and possibly get watered down special features, you also run into problems like this. Digital copies, Ultra Violet and Itunes copies should be a nice extra feature, but they shouldn't replace the physical disc for the same cost.

I bought the 4 disc Blu-ray version of The Lion King and it was simply the best option for the money. Got the 3D BD Disc, 2D disc, DVD copy and Digital copy. I Just can't see why I would pay the same price for only a digital copy that will look and sound worse.

Just bought Season 1-5 1/2 of Breaking Bad on Blu-ray, and it's crazy to see that I would pay more to buy the iTunes version and get an inferior copy. Call me crazy, but I love my physical media

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

Disney (presumably) doesn't have direct write access to iTunes in the Cloud; only Apple should have the ability to remove previously-purchased titles from users. Disney may have asked for the content to be removed, but ultimately Apple chose to remove it, instead of fight.

hmm, so if you own content, and you tell someone to no longer sell it in their store, you believe that they should continue to sell your stuff while they fight with you over the right to sell it? You think it should be their choice over whether or not they want to listen to you?

NO, they should stop selling your things as soon as you either tell them to, or your deal expires.

 

[xlii]

*Looks fondly at shelf full of Blu-Rays which cost no more than iTunes downloads, provide a superior image and sound, and can't vaporize into thin air*

Nope. Not feeling too much sympathy.

Edit: By the way, what they've done is not theft. People who had the films on their computers didn't lose them. They simply altered a service that they provide (the cloud) as it relates to these films.

Those that got hit by this were not only abandoning physical media (and better picture/sound quality because of it), but were relying on Apple to store their movies for them and not even keeping them on their own hard drive.

I'm with you Steve. Blu Ray, DVD and CDs are what I buy and you are correct... they are no more expensive than iTunes content. In fact they can be cheaper if you buy them used.

 

[Liberty.]

Just buy it from the Piratebay Movie Store.

 

[bsolar]

This is pretty common when purchasing any media online.

The issue is that if you want to push your cloud offers, you want to give customers the perception that it's safe to keep stuff there. If the customers start to think that their digital goods are not safe in the cloud and they have to download everything and keep it on their local storage you might have a problem with your cloud strategy...

 

[sputnikv]

it sucks, but it's not illegal. you can thank the mpaa and the riaa.

on a side, i wonder why they pulled these movies to begin with. perhaps to fix something with them? it would be a dick move for them do be putting them back in the vault

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

It's not just movies that are susceptible to this. Music and apps also! It's why Apple keeps bugging you to make your own backups.

In this case, would it matter? If you backed it up, I'm sure the next time you tried to play it, it would fail. This goes a long way towards instilling faith in the iTunes media system. In the past, content was left usable to whatever extent it was usable, but to yank it, especially something that good is just nasty...

If this turns out to be a 'Lion King' is going into the Disney Vault to come out in ten years, they might find a less receptive audience for their digital content.

I'm waiting for Apple to be forced to turn the iTunes client software into a nanny that combs through our systems looking for 'suspect' content.

You know someone at the MPAA has wood right now just thinking of it. They only have to find enough 'pliable' politicians and *POOF* there goes everything you own...

 

[Poisonivy326]

Which is why I still don't get why some people choose to pay the same amount, or possibly more, to buy the digital copy instead of the physical discs. Along with the fact that you pay more for less, get an inferior picture and audio quality and possibly get watered down special features, you also run into problems like this. Digital copies, Ultra Violet and Itunes copies should be a nice extra feature, but they shouldn't replace the physical disc for the same cost.

I bought the 4 disc Blu-ray version of The Lion King and it was simply the best option for the money. Got the 3D BD Disc, 2D disc, DVD copy and Digital copy. I Just can't see why I would pay the same price for only a digital copy that will look and sound worse.

Just bought Season 1-5 1/2 of Breaking Bad on Blu-ray, and it's crazy to see that I would pay more to buy the iTunes version and get an inferior copy. Call me crazy, but I love my physical media

Because DVD's and blu-ray's are "obsolete" and anyone with an optical drive is an "edge" case.

But in this case this is something Apple has actively encouraged by removal of optical drives and encouraging people to download media via itunes.

 

[Small White Car]

This is why people should be afraid of purchasing content from the iTunes or Amazon digital video stores. Nothing beats a 1080p physical disk that you can keep on a shelf that the content owner can't remove from your library.

And if you break that disk, will Best Buy give you a new one?

No?

Then there's no difference here.

How can they pull content that's been paid for? This is why I don't buy movies from iTunes or anywhere else as a download. I consider this THEFT and expect a class-action suit to be filed.

Your downloaded version still works, so what have you lost? The ability to RE-download it if you lose it which is something no DVD or Blu-Ray disk ever offered.

 

[chainprayer]

...it's the circle of life.

 

[Nermal]

hmm, so if you own content, and you tell someone to no longer sell it in their store, you believe that they should continue to sell your stuff while they fight with you over the right to sell it? You think it should be their choice over whether or not they want to listen to you?

NO, they should stop selling your things as soon as you either tell them to, or your deal expires.

I have no problem with Apple pulling the product from sale. My complaint is over removing the product from the purchase history so that existing purchasers cannot redownload.

Edit: To clarify, think of iCloud like a warranty. Not allowing a redownload is a bit like your local retailer refusing to replace a defective DVD. Sure, there are a few holes in that argument but hopefully you get the point that I'm trying to make.

 

[tylersdad]

This is just one of the many reasons why I buy physical copies of my movies.

 

[roland.g]

The most famous limited release movie in the Disney vault is Fantasia. An excerpt from the Wiki page is copied below, showing that when released in video, it has always been in limited release. I don't believe it has ever been on iTunes and don't expect it to show up.

from wikipedia.org:

Fantasia has received three home video releases. The first, featuring the 1990 restored theatrical version, was released on VHS and laser disc on November 1, 1991 as part of the "Walt Disney Classics" line. The 50-day release prompted 9.25 million advance orders for cassettes and a record 200,000 for discs, doubling the figure of the previous record. The "Deluxe Edition" package included the film, a "making of" feature, a commemorative lithograph, a 16-page booklet, a two-disc soundtrack of the Stokowski score and a certificate of authenticity signed by Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt.[104] Fantasia became the biggest-selling sell-through cassette of all time with 14.2 million copies being purchased.[107] The record was surpassed by Beauty and the Beast in December 1992.[108] This version was also released as a DVD in 2000, outside of the U.S. in the United Kingdom and other countries, again under the "Walt Disney Classics" banner.[109]
In November 2000, Fantasia was released on video for the second time, this time along with Fantasia 2000, on DVD with 5.1 surround sound. The films were issued both separately and in a three-disc set called The Fantasia Anthology. A variety of bonus features were included in the bonus disc, The Fantasia Legacy. This edition attempted to follow as closely as possible the runtime and format of the original roadshow version, and included additional restored live-action footage of Taylor and the orchestra, including the bookends to the film's intermission.[110] In the 2000 and 2010 releases, Deems Taylor's voice has been overdubbed throughout by Corey Burton because most of the audio tracks to Taylor's restored scenes have been lost.[111] The 2000 UK release, however, was in the 1991 video version.[109][clarification needed]
Both films were reissued again by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in November 2010 separately, as a two-disc DVD/Blu-ray set and a combined DVD and Blu-ray four-disc (named the "Fantasia 2 Movie Collection") set that featured 1080p high-definition video and 7.1 surround sound.[112] The 2010 version of Fantasia featured a new restoration by Reliance MediaWorks and a new sound restoration,[113] but was editorially identical to the 2000 version.[114] This marked the first time the roadshow version was released in Europe. Fantasia was withdrawn from release and returned to the "Disney Vault" moratorium on April 30, 2011.[115][116]

 

[melendezest]

C'mon people, you are not paying attention. This was clarified well beforehand. If you want to play the game, learn the rules. Don't blame others for your irresponsibility (ie. not reading license agreements). This is a non-issue.

That being said, this situation just illustrates the superiority of physical media sometimes. Better picture and reliability (for the most part; I've encountered too many BDs that don't work out of the box).

But what I really want is flexibility: I.E. a built-in ability to rip my Blu-Rays, as easily as I did my music cds. Apple is killing me here. What the F is the hold up? I know, I know, it'll never happen. But they should've implemented this years ago.

So far, I've encountered no easy, elegant way to do this and had to rely on a lengthy and (relatively) cumbersome MakeMKV/Handbrake combo to get the movies I bought into my iMac. Hell, I cannot even watch the blu-rays I own natively, using an external BD drive.

Until they do this, the physical and digital download are both justified, unlike Apple's approach to music. I have to keep both the physical (because of quality) and digital (for convenience). This is why a lot of new BDs come with a "digital download" as well.

 

[ryanmcv]

I'm trying to see if my Disney titles have been removed, but I cannot sign in to the iTunes Store at the moment. Is anyone else having issues?

 

[AndreyCo]

Seems like too many of your are freaking out without understanding what actually happened. If you bought and downloaded the movie, you're fine. Your local copy is yours. Nobody is going to delete it from your library except you. If you depend on Apple to store everything for you on their servers, you're going to experience this over and over again. This happens all the time with apps. Not too long ago, you weren't even allowed to redownload your purchases, so relax a bit would you?

 

[Icaras]

Disney, however, sees that as "renting" also in the future. Even if you purchase it, if its a streaming file, they see that as "renting" in the future.

They don't want that. It goes against the philosophy of Disney Vault.

Thankfully, Disney movies that I purchased through iTunes still has not been stored into the "vault", so as I type this, I'm downloading the file (including iTunes extras "DVD content") and putting those files into the Cloud Storage Drive and my external hard drive, so in event these files gets put into the "vault", I can re-add the movies to my main hard drive and iTunes library.

You may be correct. Disney is different in that regard to other studios. Lets see how this turns out in the next few days.

I find this disturbing if it's a permanent move, but I think people should hold fire until we actually know what is going on...

...But again, let's maybe chill out a bit until we actually know they meant to act like the villains it seems like they have(!).

I agree. Let's wait it out a bit first.

I'm sure 90% of your content will be in the cloud for a long time..but this is how it goes. Contracts expire and occasionally licenses are revoked. If you are happy with the risk, I can accept that. If not, buy discs, download and keep your iTunes purchases locally or use Ultraviolet (provided UV doesn't go belly up).

For the last 2 years at least, ever since the inception of movies and TV shows on iCloud, 99.9% of my content has remained there, even after several of these titles were pulled from these store. This so far, has been strictly a Disney thing, so we'll see where it goes.

 

[sputnikv]

disney vault

so, FYI guys, disney puts their movies into the disney vault and releases them every 10 years. not sure if this is coincidence or not, but lion king was released in 1994. 2014 marks the 2nd time the movie has been released post its initial showing. disney might be putting the movie back into the vault. this is an interesting precedence because i don't think such a thing has happened yet with the current state of itunes. now, this would mean that in 2024 they would probably try reselling you the movie when it comes out of the vault again

 

[Nickerbocker]

Well, I haven't purchased or rented any movies off of iTunes because of the prices. Now I have a 2nd reason to not purchase anything off iTunes. Can't believe they won't refund existing customers...maybe they are in the process of renegotiation.

Christ, this is worst than a network pulling their shows off of a cable network because of fee negotiations.

If they don't do something about this, I suspect there will be class action law suits coming...

 

[keifer.street]

What About Apple TV Users?

did you even read the article??

the terms clearly state that your item may or may not be available at any given time, and apple has no liability to you if you can't re-download a movie, so how do you expect a class action suit?? On what grounds?

You claim apple took something from you... umm no they did not. They did not delete the movie from your computer. They did not come into your house and take away any movies you downloaded.

*DISNEY* removed the movies from the iTunes store, and so it is unavailable for RE-DOWNLOAD. Big difference. Apple does not promise you will forever be able to download everything you ever purchased. If a content provider decides to pull their content from the store, how do you expect apple to be liable for providing it to you??

Amazing how people will try to claim apple stole something from you and that they owe you money and you should sue them, when it clearly states they owe you nothing in this case because they do NOT promise ANY content to be downloadable FOREVER. Not to mention, disney pulled the content, not apple. I guess you expect best buy to keep the tv model you purchased in 1985 in stock for the rest of your life as well in case you need to exchange it right???

There's only one problem with this - Apple TV customers 'purchase' movies directly from their Apple TV with no capability to download the content. I understand the legalese and how Disney is trying to get away with it in an overbearing effort to control the market and get more $$$, but this IS like stealing the content from Apple TV users because they do not have the capability to download the content permanently. What message does this send to Apple TV users? "Please, don't ever 'purchase' movies from your Apple TV (even though we're going to allow you to do so). It is unwise to purchase content from your Apple TV because the content providers can prevent you from viewing the content at any time"

Again, I understand that Disney wants to 'vault' these titles to prevent any new customers from purchasing them (I think the whole vault business is absurd and greedy to begin with), but there should be a mechanism for people that previously purchased the content EXCLUSIVELY FROM AN APPLE TV to view it later - they should not revoke the capability to view the content for Apple TV owners because they don't have a way to download the content.

Mark my words, this is a huge problem and I do think there is credible cause for a legal battle. I think it is disgraceful that Disney would stoop so low.

 

[Small White Car]

But what I really want is flexibility: I.E. a built-in ability to rip my Blu-Rays, as easily as I did my music cds. Apple is killing me here. What the F is the hold up? I know, I know, it'll never happen. But they should've implemented this years ago.

Write your Congressman, then. The laws for movie protection make it illegal. There was never a law against getting music off CDs because they have no DRM so there's no "ripping," it's just copying.

All Hollywood DVDs have copy-protection, though, and it's a crime to circumvent that protection.

Either the laws have to change or Hollywood has to start putting out DVDs without protection on them. Guess which will happen first?

In either case, Apple is not responsible for either of those things.

 

[iSRS]

Unfortunately I can confirm this. Both titles now gone from my library.

Come on Apple and Disney. Work it out.

If it is no longer on your hard drive iTunes Library, you never had it there to begin with. You may have bought it and never downloaded it, but Apple/Disney did not hack into your iTunes Library, delete the file, then empty your trash, then pull the copy on your time machine...

Especially when they don't bother to auto-send you an email.

"Sorry Customer, due to licensing, your movie is no longer available and has been deleted from your library and iCloud."

I'm sorry, but this business model is flawed. So they get to keep the money even after the pull the titles? Class action suit.

I agree that an email could go out, similar to how I get emails from Disney saying "The Lion King is going back in the vault! Pick up your copy before it disappears"

Maybe work with Apple on this in the future. "Hey! We noticed you purchased "The Lion King" through iTunes. On October 24, 2013, this movie will no longer be available in iCloud as it is returning to the Disney Vault. In order to continue to enjoy "The Lion King" on your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple TV after October 24th, we suggest you download a copy from iCloud to your Mac or PC today."

Done. Covered. You don't act? Can't claim you didn't know.

I don't expect this was done intentionally. Steve Jobs was a massive shareholder of Disney stock after the Pixar buyout and Disney and the networks it owns (ABC, etc) were the first to hit the iTunes Music Store when they launched movies and tv shows.

Disney doesn't have a track record of screwing with Apple. In fact Disney has a track record of doing anything Apple asks of them, so either they'll be back shortly, or there is another reason outside of Disney's control stopping them.

This is very abnormal behavior for Disney...as the article stated Disney owns the content, so if they want to remove it Apple can't stop them.

Right, It is the Disney Vault. And it is 100% Disney.

Can you still watch them even though you downloaded the file? I think the OP says the files were delete from his library AND the iCloud.

Then the OP never had it on or personally removed it from his hard drive.

The issue isn't that they pulled it from the store, the issue is that they pulled it from the cloud for people who already purchased it without any warning.
I can't download content to keep on my Apple TV.
Why would I ever "buy" a movie on it again?

No, you can't download to your Apple TV, but you can to a Mac or PC and still watch on your Apple TV.

Maybe you should be saying "Come on Disney".

DING DING DING!

It's is absolutely ridiculous that Apple has allowed this to happen! On their site it specifically says all purchases will always be available! What about people that just use Apple TV or their iPads to buy movies.

Quote:
With iCloud, all the music, movies, TV shows, and other iTunes content you’ve purchased are always available to download to your devices. And with iTunes Match, you can take music you’ve purchased elsewhere and store it in iCloud for just $24.99 a year.1

Way to build up the trust of digital media Tim, you've failed!

Not sure where on apple.com you got that quote (I was looking) but from what you copied, I am guessing the 1 after "just $24.99 a year." is a footnote that has some legal jargon.

Well. This is a huge invitation not to buy or rent any Disney movies in the future.

Happens with others as well. Usually during the "HBO window" I had a Harry Potter movie disappear for a time because it was no longer available in iTunes, hence, not available in the iCloud, while it was on HBO.

Only the copies stored in the cloud are gone--what is on your drive stays on your drive. I don't blame Apple or Amazon--this sounds like something Disney would do--probably figured they were not making enough money from Apple or Amazon on these titles.

It has been going on with Disney since they first embraced VHS. Nothing specific to Apple/Amazon.

 

[alent1234]

And if you break that disk, will Best Buy give you a new one?

No?

Then there's no difference here.




Your downloaded version still works, so what have you lost? The ability to RE-download it if you lose it which is something no DVD or Blu-Ray disk ever offered.

i've had hundreds of DVDs and blu rays and it takes A LOT of effort to break them