iTunes idea: own the DVD - get the download free

February 13, 2007 / Filed under: Consumerism, DVD, iTunes

So Apple wants you to pony up $14.99 for Pixar's Cars when you already own the DVD? Nuh-uh. Don't think so. Seems like you should be able to copy that DVD right to your iPod.

Alpha Geek: Copy DVDs to your iPod.

I agree. Why should we have to pay twice for the same video, from the same company?

What they should do is let people input the ISSN of the DVD, and receive a free download, since they've already purchased it. After all, a digital video file costs nothing to reproduce.

I imagine there'd be some issues with people sharing ISSN's, but it wouldn't take much work to set up a system to protect against such things.

It could be built right into iTunes.

Of course, this would never happen, because the music and movie industries know that they only way they make money is by forcing people to keep buying new copies of the same thing, ie: VHS is replaced with DVD; cassettes replaced with CD's; etc.

Comments/Mentions

# Tim Crowe at 2/14/2007 2:02 pm cst

Plus, ISSN is unique per publication not per item. Every copy of Cars has the same ISSN. Thats the appeal to RFID, there are enough numbers to give a unique ID to every item.

# Matthom at 2/15/2007 7:26 am cst

Ah, ok. I didn't know ISSN is not unique per item.