They are destroying them because it’s easier to scan them if you slice the binding.

eloisant 9 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I didn't fully understand why but apparently there is also a legal reason to destroy the books, it makes it them less likely to be considered copyright infringement.

	▲	beering 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Not really. Selling the book onward does seem legally dubious but legally nothing (yet) prevents you from storing the book in a warehouse. obviously it’s cheaper to dispose of them.

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cdkmoose 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

And very hard to re-assemble after you have done that. They are not in the book binding business.