Sony erases digital content from libraries; reminded we don’t own what we buy

Sony is removing 551 StudioCanal titles from UK PlayStation customers' libraries due to expired licensing agreements, with no refunds offered. The incident highlights that digital 'purchases' are actually long-term licenses that can be revoked when distribution rights expire, not permanent ownership.

Teaching:
• Use this as a metaphor for practice ownership: students don't 'own' a posture after one workshop—embodied skill requires continuous renewal and practice, just as digital licenses require ongoing agreements
• Discuss the difference between accumulating techniques (collecting poses like digital titles) versus developing systems literacy that persists regardless of external circumstances
• Frame Mysore practice as building internal infrastructure rather than consuming content—what you develop in your nervous system can't be revoked by licensing changes
• Connect to the idea that showing up daily is how we maintain our 'license' to access deeper states—the practice itself is the ongoing agreement with the body

Writing seeds:
• Essay contrasting digital ownership illusion with embodied knowledge: 'You can't revoke someone's handstand—why practice beats content consumption'
• Short post on systems thinking: how understanding the licensing model (practice as daily renewal) prevents disappointment when external conditions change
• Piece on the attention economy: streaming services and drop-in yoga both sell convenience over commitment—what we lose when we optimize for access over ownership
• Reflection on Ashtanga's fixed sequence as antidote to content churn: the same poses daily build genuine ownership through repetition, not novelty

Idea map:
• Reinforces his systems literacy framework: understanding the actual structure (licenses vs ownership, practice vs poses) reveals how things really work
• Connects to embodiment theme: physical skills developed through practice can't be deleted or revoked—they're genuinely owned through nervous system integration
• Relates to attention and method: daily Mysore practice is the opposite of content consumption—it's building internal capacity rather than accessing external libraries
• Supports his critique of yoga-as-product: just as 'buying' digital content creates false ownership, attending classes without daily practice creates illusion of progress

Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/sony-erases-digital-content-from-libraries-were-reminded-we-dont-own-what-we-buy/