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Kickstarter Success Story Nearly Ruined By DRM'd 'Reward'

Posted by: , 21:16 AEDT, Sat March 22, 2014

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Warner Bros' choice of UltraViolet/Flixster for the digital download of the Kickstarter funded Veronica Mars movie has angered backers
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Image/Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

The Kickstarter campaign for the revival of cult favorite TV show Veronica Mars was one of the most successful ever, raising $1 million in just four hours, but a potential mis-step has left backers frustrated.

One of the levels of the campaign rewarded users with a digital download of the movie. But when the studio responsible for releasing the Veronica Mars movie, Warner Bros., went with their preferred UltraViolet/Flixster platform for the digital download, backers were disappointed on the decision. The DRM protected download unfortunately is not supported by iTunes or by devices such as Roku or Apple TV, meaning users were left with a digital download that couldn't be used on their preferred devices.

Even those that tried to use Flixster found it cumbersome and "unreliable", as the complaints piled up on the Veronica Mars Kickstarter page.

The problem has become so much of a PR nightmare for Warner Bros. that they have started issuing refunds to backers that became so frustrated that they gave up and purchased the movie again on iTunes and Amazon. Users have to first report a problem with using Flixster before providing proof that they've purchased another copy of the film, to receive the refund.

This is not the first time Warner Bros. have had to pay out for frustrated UltraViolet/Flixster users, with the company having to provide iTunes vouchers for irate customers when UltraViolet was first launched as a platform.


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