InsideGoogle

Google Video Store Turns Off The Lights

Google has announced it is closing down the Google Video Store, which sold videos to a very small audience for the last year and a half. Users who paid for the videos will not only not be able to buy new ones, but because of Google’s use of a proprietary DRM format, will have their videos stop working entirely and never, ever play again.

Clearly, this is part of Google’s plan to undermine others’ DRM strategy by making consumers so angry, they’ll never buy DRM music and video from Apple or Microsoft, right? Because no company could be this stupid?

As of Wednesday, DRM video will stop running (Google stopped selling them a month ago. Google is giving previous purchasers a Google Checkout coupon based on how much they purchased to sorta make up for it, but the coupon expires in 60 days. Presumably the coupons are 100% refunds, since anything else would be tantamount to robbery and back up Boing Boing’s call for a class action lawsuit. As Profy says:

Also, it should provide full refunds for the amount users spent in the marketplace, at least for purchased videos. When you buy a DVD from a store, you get to keep it, unless it is defective in which case you are offered a full refund or exchange. A store does not simply say, “Sorry, we will take that movie back and give you a $5 store credit.” Just because the content is digital does not mean that it should not be subject to the same terms that apply to retail purchases.

Ars explains how Google just made a great anti-DRM argument:

Yet now Google Video has given us a gift—a “proof of concept” in the form of yet another argument against DRM—and an argument for more reasonable laws governing copyright controls. How could Google’s failure be our gain? Simple. By picking up its marbles and going home, Google just demonstrated how completely bizarre and anti-consumer DRM technology can be. Most importantly, by pulling the plug on the service, Google proved why consumers have to be allowed to circumvent copy controls.

Poor Charlie Rose. It seemed like he was the only one really using the damn.

I suspect this is the last post in the Google Video Store category. Where do I retire dead categories?

In memory of the Google Video Store:

Google Video Upload Program - April 2005
Google Opens Video Store For VOD - January 7, 2006
Google’s Copy Protection Technology - January 7, 2006
Google Video Updated - January 9, 2006
Google Video Store Updated - January 10, 2006
Unimpressed With The Google Video Store - January 11, 2006
Movie Debuts On Google Video - January 11, 2006
Google Video Home Gets Redesign - January 25, 2006
CBS To Sell TV Shows, Cutting Out Google Video - February 2, 2006
Google Video Store To Open For More Sellers - March 2006
Google Video Loses NBA, Gains Free NHL Videos - November 5, 2006

Such a shame. All those posts in the beginning, and then it fades away. Will we be writing the obituary of Google Video soon? Don’t be surprised.

August 13th, 2007 Posted by Nathan Weinberg | Store, Google Video, Services, General | 2 comments