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Originally Posted by wodin
In which case Amazon should be held liable for any damages done to the publishers and heirs of the works in dispute. That does not give them the right to log onto their customers private property and delete any files.
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It does not give them the right to delete any files... that you procure through other sources, e.g. public domain.
However, if you purchase it through the Kindle Store, you have not purchased tangible property, you are licensing content. "Provision of content" is a service, not a tangible good. As far as I can tell, they are within their rights to revoke that license.
Since there aren't thousands of complaints about deleted Harry Potter books (and, it seems, Amazon isn't even aware of books on your Kindle unless you receive them via the Kindle Store), I believe Amazon will only police their own licensed content.
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Originally Posted by wodin
Just because I bought a computer (which I have) from Amazon, does that give them license to remote into it and delete any files they want? I think not!
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Correct. But that is not what Amazon has done. They have revoked access to improperly licensed content for which they are responsible.
It's more like the cable company turning off specific signals if they figure out that you're receiving channels you haven't paid for. Or, Blizzard removing a virtual weapon from your World of Warcraft player because the admins realized it's too powerful.
Or, like having a Rhapsody subscription, filling your portable music player with subscription content, and then losing access to that content when you cancel the subscription.
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Originally Posted by poohbear_nc
Sort of electronic "breaking & entering" - as if police broke down your door to remove an item that was stolen, that you had bought in good faith at a reputable store - without asking your permission to enter your premises.
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...except that you are constantly inviting them into your premises, letting them fix and change and update your device, and storing your stuff at their property to boot. And again, your access to an e-book is actually a service and a license, not a tangible object. I.e. the metaphor, while understandable and based on previous scenarios, is slightly flawed.
Again, distaste for the approach is reasonable, and I think Amazon would be wise to make this more explicit in the TOS. If you don't like it, though, don't buy a Kindle -- or any other device that has an integrated store, including the iPhone (as Apple can remotely disable apps). There is, and will be for the foreseeable future, plenty of alternatives.