Amazon remotely deletes Orwell e-books from Kindles, unpersons reportedly unhappy (update)

If you're into keeping tabs on irony, check this out. Amazon apparently sent out its robotic droogs last night, deleting copies of the George Orwell novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four from Kindles without explanation, then refunding the purchase price. As you can imagine, a lot of people caught in the thick of Winston and Julia's love story aren't very happy -- and rightfully so -- the idea that we "own" the things we buy is pretty fundamental to... ownership. We're not sure exactly what happened, but it seems that the publisher of said novels, MobileReference, has changed its mind about selling content on the Kindle, and poof! Amazon remotely deleted all previously purchased copies. It's all a bit Orwellian, is it not? Good thing we "permanently borrowed" hard copies of both from our middle school library, huh? Let Hate Week commence.

Update: According to commenters on Amazon, this message was sent out from the company's customer service department:

The Kindle edition books Animal Farm by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) & Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) were removed from the Kindle store and are no longer available for purchase. When this occurred, your purchases were automatically refunded. You can still locate the books in the Kindle store, but each has a status of not yet available. Although a rarity, publishers can decide to pull their content from the Kindle store.

While that publisher's version of the book may have been removed, it appears other versions of the novels are still available.

Update 2: Drew Herdener, Amazon.com's Director of Communications, pinged us directly with the following comment, and now things are starting to make a lot more sense. Seems as if the books were added initially by an outfit that didn't have the rights to the material.

These books were added to our catalog using our self-service platform by a third-party who did not have the rights to the books. When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers' devices, and refunded customers. We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers' devices in these circumstances.

Still, what's upsetting is the idea that something you've purchased can be quietly taken back by Amazon with no explanation and no advance notice. It's a rotten policy, regardless of the motivations behind this particular move.

[Thunda Chunky @ Jul 17th 2009 4:26PM]

LOL they would delete 1894. Orwell = prophet? O_o

[Kamokazi @ Jul 17th 2009 4:37PM]

The amount of irony in this almost makes it seem like a publicity stunt. I mean seriously...delete a book without user's knowledge or control, that is all about how government takes away citizens' freedoms and control. Wow.

[Makavre @ Jul 17th 2009 4:52PM]

you're missing the point here ....

Amazon did it for the lulz ....

[ilovethewaggle @ Jul 17th 2009 4:54PM]

I'm downvoting you for your terrible mistake. 1894? You lose grandma.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 17th 2009 5:00PM]

This is double plus ungood!

[TheFlamingoKing @ Jul 17th 2009 5:02PM]

What's lost here is that Orwell's story discusses the evils of Government. There's no option with the State - as long as you live there you are subject to their scrutiny and oversight.

The Kindle is a private market device. If you don't buy a Kindle, you can buy one of a number of eReaders. You can even pick up a paperback copy. If you purchased a Kindle, you agreed to a set of terms and conditions that dictate how you can use their product. Don't like it? Don't buy it, or sell the one you have.

The point is, as a free market purchase by private individuals, you have a choice. When Big Brother, the literal overlord of government, watches over you, there's no option to turn it off because you don't want it anymore.

People water down the meaning of 1984 when they use it to describe private market purchases like this. Exercise your rights as a consumer and put the Kindle down if it's an issue.

[ilovethewaggle @ Jul 17th 2009 5:09PM]

king, is it written in the "agreement" when you purchase a kindle that they have full authority to remotely access your device and erase data from it's storage? Then it's more of a breach of contract, if one exists with this device.

[J Dogg @ Jul 17th 2009 5:41PM]

I woke up this morning and all of the Thomas Pynchon novels were gone from my bookcase and somebody had left a plate of cold sh*t in the fridge. F my life!

[Matthew @ Jul 17th 2009 8:09PM]

@ J Dogg: In your fridge, eh? It didn't happen to be replacing the 'Frying of Latke 49' cookbook, did it?

[radarskiy @ Jul 17th 2009 8:35PM]

@TheFlamingoKing: The problem with the "private market" device argument is that the sellers get asymmetric backing of the force of law via the DMCA, wherein the the government monopoly on force is used to uphold the terms of a contract which you cannot get government backing to negotiate.

One bargains only with equals or near equals. Also, damn you MobileReference for making me take the Marxist view.

[George @ Jul 31st 2009 4:29AM]

kinda like from the movie "I, Robot" where the personal bots you think you owned was upgraded remotely without the owner's knowledge.

so, when will SkyNet jump in?

[Bryan @ Jul 17th 2009 4:27PM]

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH."

[breedalot @ Jul 17th 2009 6:00PM]

Bryan @ Jul 17th 2009 4:27PM

"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH."
Kindle is s**t

[Gabe @ Jul 17th 2009 7:12PM]

Constant conflicts (economic or warfare) is necessary to maintain stability stability in our society. Capitalism necessarily expands to avoid collapse. It's what Joseph Tainter called a "runaway train".

The amount of attention given to, dogmatization of, and religious adherence to the idea of "freedom" might as well be philosophical slavery - anything that does not conform to an arbitrary set of criteria that defines "freedom" is automatically "evil" and rejected, regardless of any practical benefits it may have.

Knowing half of the truth and thinking you know the whole is far worse than knowing nothing at all. We can at least acknowledge and deal with our ignorance in the second case, whereas in the first case we become so secure in our biased perception of the truth it "becomes" the truth.

[ED @ Jul 17th 2009 10:22PM]

capslock is annoying

[William A McGuire @ Jul 18th 2009 10:46AM]

@Gabe: War is not Peace. In military warfare you "create" through the destruction of your enemy. In economic warfare you "destroy" your enemy through the creation of better products for the consumer.

How do you define "Freedom" is it the traditional "freedom from oppression", "from extortion", "from the unlawful rule of another"? Or is it the new age Marxist speak of "freedom from worry", "from need", "from the oppression of responsibility"? The quotation "Freedom is Slavery" is in my opinion, a perversion of truth.

While knowing half the truth might be worse then knowing nothing at all, nobody is fully ignorant of anything anymore.

[Rob @ Jul 18th 2009 2:25PM]

William A McGuire: Obviously you haven't read the book. I recommend it, but in paperback.

[Dr. Spaceman @ Jul 17th 2009 4:27PM]

How fitting.

[Esteban @ Jul 17th 2009 5:10PM]

Its bullshit is what it is... Just look at where this is leading. Its scary stuff.

[iRoc @ Jul 17th 2009 7:07PM]

I will state this again since so many need to have it spelled out. A corporation CAN NOT legally enter into a contract (ie. user agreement, licensing agreement, or EULA) with a individual that has no legal representation. That means when they force you to sign or click agree to use their product the agreement is null and void. The contract was drawn up by professional lawyers for aforementioned corporation, which means it can only be a legally binding contract if you had a lawyer with you when you signed it! Amozon can not legally steal back something just because they refunded the purchase price. IF you steal something you don't just have to pay for it. You also have to serve your time for committing the crime.

Sorry Dr. Spaceman to have to use your comment as a reply, but most people only read the first few.

[jpdjpd @ Aug 12th 2009 7:01PM]

@iRoc do you have any sort of competent citation to support your claim?

in the US, unrepresented individuals enter into contracts with American Express all the time. doesn't American Express sue borrowers who don't pay it back?

[Tony @ Jul 17th 2009 4:27PM]

Ouch. So does this have the ability to turn off wireless? Not that it'd matter, you can't live without wireless forever.

[J Dogg @ Jul 17th 2009 4:28PM]

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

[Shiver}

[crescentdavid @ Jul 18th 2009 5:16PM]

If you want a picture of the future of kindling ... go to www.toorgle.com. It's all about decentralized access. It's out there ...

[Slaytan @ Jul 17th 2009 4:28PM]

reasons why I love my Sony e-reader

[Eddie @ Jul 17th 2009 4:46PM]

Well, this is annoying. I have Sony ereader as well, but what's to stop any company from doing the same thing to Sony? The fallout is gonna be interesting.....

[Precurse @ Jul 17th 2009 4:50PM]

I have the PRS505.. It doesn't have a wireless card, thus nobody (except myself) has access to the flash memory

[chasles22 @ Jul 17th 2009 4:50PM]

hear hear!~

[Cris T @ Jul 17th 2009 4:51PM]

Thats why I don't read books! ;)

[ilovethewaggle @ Jul 17th 2009 4:57PM]

The Kindle is a Telescreen....

[Jamar @ Jul 17th 2009 5:18PM]

Not me. I wish they just sold the Librie in America instead of creating a new, worse (IMO) product.

[John Bailey @ Jul 18th 2009 12:49AM]

@Eddie

One major thing different with the Sony. (and most other readers). The device you buy is yours. Sony can not put stuff on it or take stuff off it without your expressed permission.

[Wwhat @ Jul 18th 2009 8:01PM]

The times sony installed crap DRM services and tried to install rootkits on my system to control my property doesn't make them exactly someone to mention in a positive way at this juncture IMHO.

[The_Steven @ Jul 17th 2009 4:30PM]

That is so "Life Follows Art".

Choco rations up 20%, Doubleplus Good!

[gittenlucky @ Jul 17th 2009 4:29PM]

I really would like a Kindle, but I would like to do what I want with the books I buy, such as sell them, trade them, etc. I can't do that with how they have it set up. Heck, it looks like I can't even keep the book if they don't want me to.

[Justin Paulson @ Jul 17th 2009 5:01PM]

You don't have to buy your books from amazon. You don't have to turn on your wireless either. These books were being sold by a publisher that didn't have the legal right to do so. People are getting way too ridiculous over this issue. Plus it was a $0.99 purchase...wow big loss!

[Israel @ Jul 17th 2009 6:04PM]

Amen...I have purposely put off buying a kindle or any other e-reader until the book industry learns the same lesson that the music industry has learned in part - If I buy it, it belongs to me. This only reinforces that I shouldn't buy a Kindle until they get their hands out of my purchases.

I do see however that the company didn't have the right to sell it. But, in the process I learned how much control they have over my stuff.

[Poo_and_Wee @ Jul 17th 2009 6:02PM]

I imagine you're only purchasing the licence to view those books, not the book itself. You should probably check out the EULA.

[Ian @ Jul 17th 2009 6:15PM]

The difference is, with music, you can't own a sounds. With movies, short of having it on film, you can't own the recording. With a book, you own the paper, and you own the words. There is a fundamental different of 'licensing' the contents of a book, and licensing the sounds or motion video on a disc. The fact that they didn't have the right to sell it doesn't mean they have the right to take it away from you after the fact. If you buy a bootleg CD, and the guy gets busted, the cops don't usually come busting down the door of everyone who legitimately bought it. They just stop them from selling anymore.

I would be super pissed if I bought these books and had them deleted automatically because SOMEONE ELSE fucked up.

[Josh Bryant @ Jul 17th 2009 4:30PM]

"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating?" George Orwell

[Shaun @ Jul 17th 2009 4:31PM]

2+2=5?

[Ryan @ Jul 17th 2009 4:35PM]

Good song....

[Spiny Norman @ Jul 17th 2009 4:55PM]

Yes, 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2.

[cromas @ Jul 17th 2009 5:10PM]

pi ~= 3

[Maikel @ Jul 17th 2009 4:31PM]

Wow!!! Btw, Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of my favorite.

[CT @ Jul 17th 2009 4:31PM]

Aren't they public domain yet?

[Taylor. Yes, Taylor. @ Jul 17th 2009 5:08PM]

We've got copyright for 75 years in the US (ugh, yeah, i know) so we've got another 15 years before it goes out of copyright.
-Taylor

[TJ @ Jul 17th 2009 5:52PM]

Well not in the US but some countries like Canada or Australia it is public domain.

[Amun @ Jul 17th 2009 4:32PM]

I'm going on soma holiday. Wake me up when books are books again.

[Spooka @ Jul 17th 2009 4:38PM]

Aren't you thinking of Aldous Huxley?