The comparison to physical books is not apt. Physical books cannot be easily and for almost no cost reproduced and distributed the way ebooks can. In the end,

The comparison to physical books is not apt. Physical books cannot be easily and for almost no cost reproduced and distributed the way ebooks can. In the end, did Nook Media have the only license to distribute some of these books? If not, the customers actually come out ahead here: they got to read the books for free, as many times as they wanted, as their leisure, since purchasing it. They are now free to use that money to repurchase the same title at a competitor, if they like. Or a different title. Having said that, a better way to make this right for customers would be to offer them either a refund OR a DRM-Free copy.