Morality Police: Digital Movie Codes

[Dave Gray]

You can go to thrift stores and find used movies for sale that include an insert with a code to download the movie to own digitally.  These codes often came with the movie on a digital disc that had to be transferred over.  And these codes are almost always expired by several years.  Sometimes they've already been redeemed.  And many of the systems used to download the codes in the first place have dissolved.

However, they often still work anyway.  Even though you're supposed to have the disc to transfer, some sites have simplified it just let you download the movie.

I have been photographing these codes and trying them and have built up a pretty decent collection of movies.  They work more than half the time, in my experience.  I have to put in some leg work and try multiple outlets to redeem, because even though they're not supposed to work, some of the sites will allow it anyway, whereas others will not.

What are your thoughts on the morality of this process?

[Spider-Dan]

If it works, it works.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

If you PURCHASE a movie at a thrift store that has a code and it works that is fine, the movie was transferred to you.

If you take a photo of a movie code that is on the shelf at the store but don’t purchase the movie and use the code, that is piracy.

[Phishfan]

You do you. I don't care. Piracy has happened since people learned to connect two VCRs. No one thought twice until Metallica sued Napster.

[Denver2]

I have zero problem with piracy tbh and I am skeptical of intellectual property as a concept.

[Dave Gray]

It's funny, because even though I'm doing it, I recognize it's kinda sketchy and if you were to consider it theft, it's theft from the eventual purchaser of the disc, if anyone.  I definitely don't consider it theft from the studio or any kind of piracy.  It can only be used once -- it's just a matter of who cashes it in.  Since I think that any reasonable expectation of the code working died with the original owner of the disc, I have no moral issue with it.

[masterfins]

Although it's technically piracy, in Dave's scenario I don't see a problem with it.  By the time a DVD gets to a thrift store it's pretty out of date and has little to no real value.

[Phishfan]

Although it's technically piracy, in Dave's scenario I don't see a problem with it.  By the time a DVD gets to a thrift store it's pretty out of date and has little to no real value.

With streaming as it is now I don't even own a DVD player since I don't have any gaming consoles.

[Brian Fein]

i don't see it as theft, per se, because the person buying the DVD should not expect that the digital code hasn't already been redeemed.  If anything its found goods that the donator left behind.  Its no more theft than it is to find a $20 bill inside a purse on the shelf.  How many of you would leave the $20 bill there because they think its part of the purse that the eventual purse buyer would expect?

[Pappy13]

It's cringeworthy at best and morally reprehensible at worst. I mean come on Dave. Have some self respect and pay for the movie. You being a movie buff and all this is really beneath you. Pay for the movie and support the entertainment industry that you love.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

i don't see it as theft, per se, because the person buying the DVD should not expect that the digital code hasn't already been redeemed.  If anything its found goods that the donator left behind.  Its no more theft than it is to find a $20 bill inside a purse on the shelf.  How many of you would leave the $20 bill there because they think its part of the purse that the eventual purse buyer would expect?

Had something extremely similar happen to me.  I noticed a $20 dollar bill hidden in a secret pocket of a wallet.  I immediately purchased the wallet. Taking the $20 and leaving the wallet would have been stealing.  Instead I was up $18 and had a wallet.

[Spider-Dan]

Pay for the movie and support the entertainment industry that you love.

It should be made clear that buying used movies does not "support the entertainment industry" at all.
It supports the thrift store/used goods reseller industry.

[Pappy13]

It should be made clear that buying used movies does not "support the entertainment industry" at all.
It supports the thrift store/used goods reseller industry.

Fair enough, perhaps I was a little quick to judge, but I still wouldn't do this. My wife uses these thrift stores a lot and everything is already discounted tremendously. Just buy the movie if you want it or don't.

[Dave Gray]

It's cringeworthy at best and morally reprehensible at worst. I mean come on Dave. Have some self respect and pay for the movie. You being a movie buff and all this is really beneath you. Pay for the movie and support the entertainment industry that you love.

I go to the movies all the time.

Besides, I'm never going to watch any of these movies in my life, most likely.  It's really just an exercise in collecting stuff.  Or MAYBE if I have to be in a car trip or something where I won't have Internet for a while.  And half of these are things I owned through non-sketchy means.

Also, for what it's worth, the odds of me paying for these movies is absolutely zero, so nobody is losing money on me.

[Phishfan]

I have to question why collect it if you doubt you will ever watch it? That feels different to me then. It feels like someone is buying your dinner and you ordered more than you knew you could eat just because it was available and free.