Do I own purchased Marvel Comics?

[Tom Creo]

Seems like a silly question but I'm assuming when I "buy" a comic using the Marvel Comics app the files are stored on whatever server Marvel is using and not my computer. Having the files would set my mind at ease and seem a little better for future proofing.

 

[Piggie]

Seems like a silly question but I'm assuming when I "buy" a comic using the Marvel Comics app the files are stored on whatever sever Marvel is using and not my computer. Having the files would set my mind at ease and seem a little better for future proofing.

Actually, and here is the con.....

I'm not really sure we OWN any eVersions of things we buy online like this.

If we OWN them, then we can do what we want and sell the items we OWN or give them away to others as they are ours.

I think perhaps you may find, unlike when we buy a real book, a real CD, a real BluRay/DVD a real computer game on a disk. We are paying, many times, the same price just actually rent the item for our own personal use.

Although the same can be argued with physical media in that we don't, for example OWN the song, we only own the right to play it.

The physical item is our property to do as we with with.

So, we are allowed to sell or give away our old Books, CD's, DVD's, Games that we no longer wish to have, and get some money back to put towards fresh purchases if we wished, or, as I say give away to charity shops.

Which is why I and many others feel that eVersions should be priced significantly lower to reflect this.

 

[Dorkington]

Actually, and here is the con.....

I'm not really sure we OWN any eVersions of things we buy online like this.

If we OWN them, then we can do what we want and sell the items we OWN or give them away to others as they are ours.

I think perhaps you may find, unlike when we buy a real book, a real CD, a real BluRay/DVD a real computer game on a disk. We are paying, many times, the same price just actually rent the item for our own personal use.

Although the same can be argued with physical media in that we don't, for example OWN the song, we only own the right to play it.

The physical item is our property to do as we with with.

So, we are allowed to sell or give away our old Books, CD's, DVD's, Games that we no longer wish to have, and get some money back to put towards fresh purchases if we wished, or, as I say give away to charity shops.

Which is why I and many others feel that eVersions should be priced significantly lower to reflect this.

If we actually owned anything, we would be able to do what we want with it.

So even Blu Ray/DVDs, if we actually owned it, it wouldn't be illegal to rip it and store it on your hard drive, imo.... but I think it technically is illegal.

It's all a bit nutty imo, seems we own nothing, and the companies that "sell" us stuff, own us, instead heh.

 

[Piggie]

If we actually owned anything, we would be able to do what we want with it.

So even Blu Ray/DVDs, if we actually owned it, it wouldn't be illegal to rip it and store it on your hard drive, imo.... but I think it technically is illegal.

It's all a bit nutty imo, seems we own nothing, and the companies that "sell" us stuff, own us, instead heh.

This is only really true of media.

If I make a chair and sell you the chair you own the chair.

But the point is, if you buy a physical container of the media. The tape, the record, the CD, the DVD, the cartridge, then you can sell this container with the media on it to someone else.

The was they are conning the public is they are trying to get us to pay the same amount for the media, but without any container for us to sell on.

In their ideal world, second hand sales and charities would not exist as every person should buy the media fresh from them at full price every single time.

 

[Night Spring]

But the point is, if you buy a physical container of the media. The tape, the record, the CD, the DVD, the cartridge, then you can sell this container with the media on it to someone else.

Then there is software -- even if you buy the container, you can't sell it on to someone else, because so many of them only allow you to install it only so many times. Heck, you can't even "sell" it to yourself. I just had to call up the company to install a certain software onto my new notebook, because it used to be on my old notebook, whose hard drive died so I couldn't get in to deauthorize the license on the copy on the old notebook.

 

[ZilogZ80]

If we OWN them, then we can do what we want and sell the items we OWN or give them away to others as they are ours.

This is one of the reasons most companies are embracing digital downloads so readily. If you re-sell (or give away) an item then they do not see any extra money.

A very recent development with Amazon Kindle is the ability to "lend" e-books to your friends. Apparently, they will have 2 weeks to read the book and it is inaccessible on your device until it is "returned". It will be very interesting to see how successful this feature is. Will we ever see similar "lending" of iPhone/iPad apps?

 

[gnasher729]

This is one of the reasons most companies are embracing digital downloads so readily. If you re-sell (or give away) an item then they do not see any extra money.

It's not just re-selling. Apple has sold well over 10 billion or so songs so far. Millions and millions of these songs have been sold to people who have since died and should be inherited by the rightful heirs.

 

[darngooddesign]

The was they are conning the public is they are trying to get us to pay the same amount for the media, but without any container for us to sell on.

The digital file is the container for the message, and yes I do believe that an e version should be cheaper.

It's not just re-selling. Apple has sold well over 10 billion or so songs so far. Millions and millions of these songs have been sold to people who have since died and should be inherited by the rightful heirs.

Assuming the heir has the computer then those songs can be inherited.

 

[Tom Creo]

I buy the comic Magazine "Back Issue" digitally in PDF format. I like the fact that I have a digital copy on my HD (and backed up)and can read it on a variety of devices including the iPad. After purchasing a few "comics" through the Marvel app, I feel hoodwinked. $2 per issue with no files to see. I wish there was some guarantee that these purchased issues will be compatable with future incarnations of Apple OS and devices.

 

[sandman42]

It's not just re-selling. Apple has sold well over 10 billion or so songs so far. Millions and millions of these songs have been sold to people who have since died and should be inherited by the rightful heirs.

Assuming the heir has the computer then those songs can be inherited.

Non-DRM'ed songs could be "inherited", but for any DRM'ed content you'd have to inherit the original purchaser's Apple ID, or the rights to it, to really own it (as much as we do, anyway). Although the computer would be authorized, the DRM'ed content could only be played on iOS devices that were sync-ed to that computer, and wouldn't work on your other computers (authorized on your iTunes acct).

 

[jonnymo5]

Sounds like with Marvel you get the file but it stays within the app. I have no idea what DRM they may use. You can see if it streams or downloads by putting your iPad in airplane mode and see if you can read your comic.

Either way you don't own it

They should really sell you a paper comic and give you a code to have access to the electronic format. That way you can keep your comic mint but still read it over and over.

 

[nawoo]

By buying and downloading the comic on lets say an Iphone using your Marvel account, does it mean that I would be able to download the same comic if I were to use an Ipad, logged in to the same account?

 

[e²Studios]

Physical or digital, with games, software, and movies you never own the content or any part of it. You own a license to play the movie or game in a legal and approved fashion.

I think this is a huge misconception with people, just because you have the game/software/movie disc in your hands you own a license to use it as per the EULA, nothing more. You have never owned the movie or game, the content has always belonged to the studio/publisher.

 

[Tom Creo]

I guess it's all about perception. Through the app, instead of purchasing a comic (file), your only purchasing the ability to read the comic. Marvel should clarify that you are not downloading anything. Another thing that really bothers me about this app is when you go into the apps settings/preferences and select "storage management", the options are when you reach your storage limitations(whatever that is) it asks which one do you delete first, least read comic or oldest "downloaded" comic. So It doesn't matter that I paid good money for these issues, when space runs out I lose a comic.

 

[e²Studios]

I guess it's all about perception. Through the app, instead of purchasing a comic (file), your only purchasing the ability to read the comic. Marvel should clarify that you are not downloading anything. Another thing that really bothers me about this app is when you go into the apps settings/preferences and select "storage management", the options are when you reach your storage limitations(whatever that is) it asks which one do you delete first, least read comic or oldest "downloaded" comic. So It doesn't matter that I paid good money for these issues, when space runs out I lose a comic.

You should be able to redownload them again for free, I know it works that way for manga purchased on the Viz Media app.

 

[Tom Creo]

Thats good to know.