If You Can't Hold It, You Don't Own It

When you "buy" digital content, you're typically purchasing a revocable license rather than owning a file, meaning the content can disappear if a store shuts down, licensing agreements expire, or companies decide to remove it. Unlike physical media that can be kept, resold, or used offline indefinitely, digital purchases are account-dependent and subject to companies' changing terms—as demonstrated by numerous cases where Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, and others removed titles from user libraries without refunds. This fundamental difference means digital "ownership" is fragile and contingent on corporate decisions and licensing arrangements.