It’s not just video retailers. Last month the Sanbornton Public Library in Sanbornton, N.H., put an article in its local paper inviting the public to sign out DVDs via the library’s Netflix account, effectively piggybacking the town’s 2,900 residents on a single account. Right now the library is using Netflix’s $16.99 three-discs-at-a-time membership, but “if we get a lot of requests, we might go up to the next level,” says librarian Martha Bodwell.
Netflix, aware of the practice, is not a fan. Spokesman Steve Swasey says the Netflix customer agreement clearly states that DVDs are to be used only for personal enjoyment, not for renting or loaning to others. However, with 1.8 million DVDs shipping from Netflix warehouses every day and no obvious way to catch rental bandits, Netflix has limited ability to police it. Swasey says anyone caught doing it will receive a reminder that they’re breaking the terms of their contract. How about sending a copy of “There Will Be Blood”?
