Just imagine if the many ancient books and scrolls currently on display in the museums of the world, were distributed/created with the current Terms of Use
Empty showcases and shelves containing nothing but blank paper/vellum
Bare walls or plinths because estates must Destroy all
works of art upon the passing of the original purchaser
Until there was a pure digital format, these kinds of
transactions were impossible to enforce without physically repossessing the item.
Greed
A rental period is typically way less than full purchase price, even in the crazy real estate market found in many bigger cities. Not e-books