Subscription Renewal

Since when has Symantec made Norton Anti-Virus disabled if you don't renew your subscription to the virus updates?  My subscription expired today and I haven't renewed because I don't have the money right now.  Imagine my surprise when the program doesn't work anymore.  Why can't I still scan my computer for older viruses that I have already paid for?  That's like me buying a video game and being told I can only use it for a year and then I have to buy a whole new game.