Physical media and the hardware needed to play them face a growing crisis; not because everything is crumbling today, but because we are losing the ability to access, reproduce, and preserve culturally significant works over time.

Here is the reality:

     Playback hardware is failing. Lasers, capacitors, motors, belts, and custom chips have finite lifespans. Replacement parts are scarce or nonexistent. While new turntables and CD players are still manufactured in 2026, when a VCR or original classic game console dies, there is often no legal way to manufacture new ones — even when demand is high.

     Media degrades over time. While many discs, tapes, and cartridges remain playable today, they are not permanent. Disc rot, oxidation, magnetic tape shedding, and material breakdown are real phenomena that worsen with age. Proper storage helps, but it only slows the inevitable. Furthermore, legal barriers block reprints. Expired music licenses, fragmented film distribution rights, defunct studios, and orphaned works prevent the legal reprinting of countless albums, films, and games, even when rights holders no longer exist or have no commercial interest in the material.

     The hardware–media dependency is critical. A perfectly preserved CD is useless without a working player. A pristine VHS tape is unwatchable without a functional VCR. We cannot preserve one without the other. We are not claiming that all physical media will vanish by tomorrow. But we are losing access to a growing number of culturally significant works each year and, without legal reform, that loss will accelerate.

     Meanwhile, the push toward a digital-only market leaves consumers increasingly vulnerable. Consumers are at the mercy of licensing agreements that allow digital libraries to be revoked with little to no recourse. Companies like Sony are already scaling back physical disc manufacturing, accelerating the transition to a model where consumers own nothing but a revocable license. This is about who gets to decide what culture survives. Should it be corporate executives maximizing quarterly returns? Or should it be the people — the artists, the archivists, the historians, the workers, and the communities who created and cherished these works?

     But here's the thing. This isn't about picking sides. Corporations have a stake in this too. Retro media is one of the fastest-growing markets. Reprints and remasters sell out instantly. Dormant catalogs become monetizable again. This potential legislation doesn't have to be a loss for anyone — it can be a win-win. Companies gain new revenue streams. Workers gain access to preservation jobs. Consumers gain access to their cultural history. Everyone wins.

     Film, music, and video games are art. They are history. They are culture. And they deserve the same preservation protections we extend to books, photographs, and archival documents.

 

The Solution: A New "Preservation Domain"

We propose the creation of a new legal category — a Preservation Domain — that activates when a physical media work or its dedicated playback hardware reaches 25–30 years of age and is no longer commercially available. This framework would enable:

• Remanufacturing of Legacy Playback Equipment — Authorized companies could legally rebuild classic devices such as VCRs, laserdisc players, classic game consoles (e.g., Sega Saturn, Atari, NES, SNES, PlayStation 1, Nintendo 64, 3DO, etc), and early CD-ROM drives using modern components, updated quality control, and current safety standards.

• Reprinting of Physical Media — CDs, LPs, cassettes, VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-rays, cartridges, and packaging could be legally reproduced, free from barriers like expired licenses, defunct distributors, or obsolete contractual restrictions.

• Legal Preservation and Restoration — Archives, museums, libraries, and historical societies would gain clear legal authority to preserve, restore, and maintain physical media and hardware, ensuring future public access to our cultural record.

 

What We Ask of Lawmakers

We urge you to craft legislation that:

• Permits remanufacturing of legacy playback hardware after 25–30 years.

• Allows reprinting of physical media (audio, video, and interactive) when a work is no longer commercially available.

• Establishes a Preservation Domain category for culturally significant works across all media types.

• Removes outdated licensing and distribution barriers that hinder preservation.

• Protects intellectual property ownership while enabling legal reproduction for historical and archival purposes.

 

Why This Petition Matters

Music is art. Film is art. Video games are art. They are history. They are culture.

Without legal reform, we stand to lose entire discographies, filmographies, libraries, hardware platforms, and creative legacies. This petition calls on lawmakers and industry leaders to collaborate on a solution that ensures our cultural heritage is preserved — not lost to time, decay, or legal limbo.

If you believe our cultural history deserves protection…
If you believe companies should be allowed to remanufacture classic hardware…
If you believe old albums, films, and games should be legally reprinted…
If you believe preservation matters…

Sign this petition and help push for legislation that protects the past and builds a future where classic works remain accessible for generations to come!