In 2009 Amazon really did remove the ebook version of 1984 from customers Kindles, quietly.
Turns out, the supplier of the ebook edition to Amazon, did not own the copyright. Amazon removed the ebook version from the store, then did some magic and those electronic editions of 1984 were also removed from those customer's devices who left them online.
Amazon quietly removed 1984 at some point, fun fact
Fake news: https://www.amazon.com/1984-Signet-Classics-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25UBYUEEKAWFT&dchild=1&keywords=1984+george+orwell+paperback&qid=1609041962&s=books&sprefix=1984%2Caps%2C192&sr=1-1
Come on, man!
Nope.
It was real.
In 2009 Amazon really did remove the ebook version of 1984 from customers Kindles, quietly.
Turns out, the supplier of the ebook edition to Amazon, did not own the copyright. Amazon removed the ebook version from the store, then did some magic and those electronic editions of 1984 were also removed from those customer's devices who left them online.
Websearch for: "kindle 1984 removal" or https://io9.gizmodo.com/amazon-secretly-removes-1984-from-the-kindle-5317703
Amazon may have gotten a new ebook version for sale in June of 2021.
Can confirm. I remember searching for it at the time and not being able to find it.