Comments on: Amazon recalls (and embodies) Orwell's '1984'

In a widely criticized move, the retailer has reportedly taken back copies of two electronic books after the publisher decided it no longer wanted to sell the e-books.

[gggg sssss]

Don't tell Apple that this can be done - no wait - please tell Apple so that people will shy away from that DRM / mothership controlled iTunes POS.

ROTFLMAO

[Perry_Clease]

Grow up

[skellener]

Considering you can find a used paperback of 1984 or Animal Farm at any used bookstore for probably $7-$10 I'd say stick with paper. No device needed except your eyes and maybe a pair of glasses. Save some dough and keep big brother at bay all at the same time.

[play7]

But people dont read books? The pretend they do..... To look smart.

[jmans1212]

This is the reason I don't like Amazons Kindle's setup. Everything has to be purchased thru them. Sony's setup you have to download to your pc and transfer it to your reader. With a download you are able to save a copy. Or like my online magazines I pull in a download and save off to external hard drive. I could load either to Sony and read at my pleasure. Sony just needs to make a larger screen model for better magazine, text book, computer manuals reading.

[markdoiron]

Is anyone really surprised? The trouble with digital content is that it allows for control of the content by the content owner, trumping the rights of the legal content user. Whether it's restricting music so that it plays on only limited devices (even if those devices should be replaced by a competitor's device), software that can only be used on one computer (even after that computer should fail) or, now, recalling digital content after it's been sold, it's all about the expansion of control by the digital content owners above and beyond what's provided for in copyright law. This is just more of the same. --mark d.

[sparrowhyperion]

THIS is why I will NEVER trust electronic media!

It seems like everyone today is putting things online, and trusting online services for important and sometimes critical data and applications. This is a great example of why people should NEVER put their personal or business in anyone or any service on the web. Mickeysloth, Yahoo, Google etc, all want online apps to replace our normal client application. A lot of businesses are falling into this trap. They fail to realize just how much control they are giving up. The kindle is a bad idea. You are NOT purchasing a book. You are renting one... It's like the moronic idea of the condominium. Essentially, you are buying a home, but in addition to paying the mortgage, you are paying rent to soe greoup of fellow morons for the privilege of living there... D U M B... Hopefully people will get the idea and stop playing into this trap.

[SkydiveGuy]

I just dont understand why DRM and stolen eBooks are such a big deal in this day and age.

I love my Kindle. I buy adn read eBooks all the time. I love not having to build a new wing on my house for all my books. But....

I can walk into a library and read these books FOR FREE!

Amazon: get your $&!+ together soon or you will destroy your entire business model and force me back into a library to read books (plus I will support my local community).

[ideahunter]

I **was** thinking of buying a kindle. This is outrageous.

[MikeCissp]

Those Media types are always looking for a new publicity angle

[fondy]

My question is how do we know that this policy is restricted only to ebooks? What if Apple recalls the iPod or HP the laptop that was purchased from Amazon's website? Does it give Amazon the legal right to sneak into one's home and take back those items?

[Dave_Land]

Want to read 1984 (and understand what the fuss is all about)?

It (and Animal Farm and the complete works of George Orwell) are here: http://www.george-orwell.org/

Afraid of "the cloud"? Download it locally, and nobody can take it away from you.

And you don't have to buy stupid Kindling to read it.

[Weudel]

I think Amazon should use this as a promotional tool... When you finish reading "Fahrenheit 451", we burn all your books... yeh, that would be sweet...

[mst5000]

Read Cory Doctorow's take on this here: http://linkthe.com/2009/07/20/amazons-orwellian-deletion-of-kindle-books/

[bmeacham]

It depends on how you parse the contract. If you parse it this way, Amazon is within its rights:

the non-exclusive right to
[(keep a permanent copy of the applicable Digital Content and to view, use, and display such Digital Content an unlimited number of times, solely on the Device)
or
(as authorized by Amazon as part of the Service)]

and
solely for your personal, non-commercial use

So Amazon quit authorizing it and you don't have a right to it any more. You did read the contract didn't you?

[licht1]

Six months ago bloggers (notably Stephanie at UrbZen) warned about this kind of thing.

See:

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/kindle-see-we-told-you-so/

[herz108]

I have enjoyed reading on pocket digital devices since 1999 when I used a Sharp (can't recall the model)
later moved to palm pilots and read most of the Harry Potter series on various Palm devices over the years. recently moved from Treo 650 to iPhone 2G and although they have a Kindle app I prefer Stanza for access to free books and magazines. It is great not to need a reading light for a backlit screen at night and fantastic to be able to carry a large collection of texts complete with bookmarks and other features around with me. The issue of DRM and recalling with refund is outside my experience as regards legality but I agree heartily that it should be ringing alarm bells for Amazon customers and especially Kindle enthusiasts.