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Amazon quietly changed some wording on their site, and it’s kind of a big deal for anyone who cares about Kindle ebook ownership.
Now, when you go to buy a Kindle ebook, there’s a little disclaimer under the “Buy Now” button that straight-up says: “By placing your order, you’re purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.”
Basically, they’re finally saying out loud what a lot of people still don’t realize—you don’t actually own the ebooks you buy. You’re just getting permission to read them. It’s pretty much like a long-term rental, except they still call it “buying,” which feels… misleading.
What’s weird is that this change seems to only be happening in the U.S. I checked Amazon UK and Canada, and they still have the old message that just says, “By clicking the above button, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.” No mention of an Amazon Kindle ebook license at all.
Of course, if you actually dig into Amazon’s Kindle Store Terms of Use (which, let’s be real, no one does), they’ve always made it clear that Kindle books are licensed, not owned. But now, for whatever reason, they’re putting it right on the product page—at least for U.S. customers.
Apparently, a new California law requires companies to clearly disclose when digital content is just a license rather than an actual purchase. That’s probably why Amazon changed the wording. But it’s interesting that other ebook stores aren’t exactly rushing to do the same. Kobo still just links to their terms of sale at checkout. Apple? They don’t say anything about digital book ownership at all when you buy an ebook. Google? They don’t mention it on the product page, but they do sneak in a “you’re purchasing a license” note before you confirm payment.
And honestly, a lot of people still don’t understand how this works. When you “buy” an ebook, you’re not really buying the file itself. You’re just buying the right to access it under whatever conditions the company decides. If Amazon ever removes a book from their store or shuts down your account? Poof your books are gone. In fact, Amazon has been known to lock Kindle accounts and revoke access to purchased content.
It’s wild that we don’t have an option to actually own digital books. Wouldn’t it be nice if publishers offered lifetime licenses or let us download DRM-free versions? Instead, they charge us full price for something we can’t resell, lend, or even guarantee we’ll have forever. Meanwhile, libraries—one of the only decent alternatives—get absolutely gouged by publishers. A book that costs us five bucks might cost a library several times that, and some publishers even put a limit on how many times a library ebook can be borrowed before they have to repurchase it. In fact, some libraries are now struggling with e-book waitlists due to restrictive licensing.
Anyway, I think it’s good that Amazon Kindle licensing is finally being disclosed upfront. But let’s not pretend it changes much. It still says “Buy Now,” even though you’re really just renting.
