It never occurred to me that once you download an ebook onto your Kindle, it might disappear for reasons other than mechanical failure. Naively, I assumed it was a one-way transaction.
Apparently Amazon keeps the connection open, as customers who purchased George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm found out. When they looked for their copy on their Kindle, nothing was there. A situation that may reoccur, according to some.
I'm sure The New York Times' David Pogue wasn't the only one to notice the irony of the situation.
As ebooks - and ereaders - gain popularity, it's an issue that will have to be dealt with through policy, if not regulation. Same for ebook piracy, a rising threat to ebook authors and publishers. One I hope will be addressed - including penalties for illegal sharing sites - soon.
