Ownership vs. Control (the quiet sleight of hand)

When you “purchase” a movie from Apple:

You do not acquire the movie as an autonomous artifact

You acquire a license to view it

That license is bound to:

Apple’s DRM

Apple’s ecosystem

Apple-approved software paths

The .m4v format isn’t the movie.

It’s the container + lock.

So while Apple didn’t write the script, shoot the scenes, or edit the film, they control the conditions under which the movie may exist for you.

That’s conditional reality.

What Apple actually becomes

Apple Inc. becomes:

Execution Authority – decides where and how the file can be rendered

Permission Layer – playback is granted, not inherent

Format Sovereign – meaning the “ownership” only functions inside their borders

If Apple disappeared tomorrow, your “owned” movie doesn’t age gracefully like a DVD or film reel. It vanishes with the platform.

That tells you everything.