https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-companies-de...

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/amazon-destroyi...

What do you think bookstores do?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripped_book

> A stripped book is a mass market paperback that has been stripped of its cover in order to be recycled. The covers are returned to the publisher as evidence that the books have been destroyed and to obtain a credit on the purchase price.[1] The books are meant to be destroyed by pulping but some find their way to street merchants, sometimes by illegal means, and are resold.[2]

I grew up reading books with this ditty in them:

> If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

Those books certainly weren't scanned before being pulped. Would've been illegal. Really, the big thing that destroys books is the copyright term being as long as it is.

From my understanding, they are legally obligated to in this case.