Damaged media means I no longer have the right to listen to the music or watch the movie.
Now you may ask what happened to the CD but have you ever seen what can happen to a CD if left on the dash of a car on a hot summer day. I suppose I could keep the damaged CD and case somewhere.
I sympathize with the consumers on this issue.
However, the "My dog ate my homework" rational is weak.
If I have any other product and break it I go buy a replacement.
To me, it is a simple matter of the industry has gotten a fine environment to push their agenda. Radio is ok, though I can (and have) record songs off the air. They fought the VCR and lost, but that was before nearly every politician turned into full time fund raisers. Cassette tapes were ok quality and they didn't like those either. Thing was, there was no 'easy' way to defeat copying onto a cassette and the goverment was not in the mood to outlaw them.
The US goverment is not going to turn a deaf ear to those who give millions to their election campaigns. And, the entertainment industry has one of the last products that is exported. Well besides the Treasury bonds that finance the deficit.
The 'broadcast flag' will go live later this year. All new hardware has to honor it. You know, no recording, etc. The same fine capabilities will be brought to the BIOS in your system soon enough.
Meantime, enjoy being able to create an entertainment library that suits your ears and eyes. Not the wishes of doddering old men in an executive suite somewhere.
Yes, yes, I've seen the "I live outside the US I don't have to worry." posts. Funny how the US gets other countries to enforce things.
Canada used to have an industry built on pirating satellite signals. It was upheld over and over by the Canadian courts. It fell to pressure.
I see that UK ISPs now have to turn over subscriber info to the entertainment industry so they can sue pirates.
The list of countries that enforce US policy is a long one. If there were a 'safe haven' don't you think there would be sites in those places?
If (a BIG if) I could get music at a reasonable price in a reasonable format with reasonable usage rights, I'd be happy to download from a record company.
Getting a 128 K WMA that only plays on one system and won't play at all if I have to reinstall isn't quite what I have in mind though.
Thankfully I live in China where information isn't quite free, but it is really really cheap!
Sorry for the LONG rant, but I'm really tired of people being screwed for the sake of a few geting their extra pennies.
Were I the original poster, I'd take the CD back to where I bought it and get a refund. If I didn't get a refund, I'd dispute the charge with the credit card company.
When I last lived in the US I always bought software using my credit card. A few times when a game simply was not compatible with my system I was shown the "No refund on software" sign. I always did a dispute and always got my refund. Credit card companies don't really care to make their customers angry. The sellers have little recourse, they need to accept credit cards.
Beat them with their own system. Get your money back. Or don't complain about it...