it is sad but this is true It has happened to me several times with IDevice apps too, I brought (when they were available) some apps like Duke Nukem 2, Wolfenstein RPG, Dead Space and others that were removed from the market and my apple ID, It's worth mentioning that even if you done a backup it can not be installed on the device again...

DRM is a cancer, they can remove all your content without notice and you can't back up all your stuff because it has any kind of Drm on it.

well done apple...

You'd think so. Which basically sits as near-pure company jargon for "refunds don't extend in perpetuity", which is reasonable to a degree (otherwise the potential for abuse of such a policy would be damaging to any vendor's sustainability).

The least they (Apple, Amazon, etc.) could be doing is informing their customers of pending removals of "purchased" content. While it's not lessening the whole feeling of having the rug pulled out from under them, it at least prepares them for the fall.

Well this is a perfectly fine example why DRM can be dangerous or well not really customer friendly to say the least :D and well also that it can "hit" you when it's unexpected (meaning buying from a big trusted vendor) - so ya not even the "ya steam will never will bankrupt" so nothing will can/ever happen group might find this a bit worrysome.
(btw i use steam as well but i definitely dislike the drm and always buy on GOG if possible).
Would be quite interested as well if something like that also has happened at google video store or at amazon

sure why not? when youre a trillion dollar company you can stick your hand up a diety's backside and work its mouth like a puppet.

Is there an automatic way to backup the offline installers? like a program to use to choose the place to download the installers to?

While I hate that apple can do this I'm even more upset that GOG does it too, I've had the Extra's Section Content removed in uplink(source code came with the game),Capitalism Plus(in game music), Quake 1 (music, though there's a work around on gog with the included cd image file). I don't understand why they can remove advertised content from a game AFTER you buy it. I got so mad about the uplink one that I got a refund/exchange from gog years ago before they even did refunds.
(The tech support could tell I was mad about it and was really nice about it though. In fact I still continue to buy here because of such nice people.)

ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR GAMES & THE EXTRA'S SECTIONS - THEY MIGHT NOT BE HERE FOREVER.

Its probably neither ones decision. The movie industry especially has been completely ridiculous about DRM and digital distribution in the past and some game publishers aren't much different.

Yep, not surprising because it's been in their TOS (or whatever the initialism) since forever for movies in iTunes. Over a decade? If the movie is pulled by the movie company, then it's no longer available.

Unfortunately, Apple has also never been able to do the same thing with the movie companies as they did with music, that is, sell without DRM.

I think it's really just a medium thing. Make a backup. I'm not sure whether that works with iTunes movies, but it seems like it's supposed to work. I think it's just the downloading that becomes impossible when Apple is required to stop selling it. Contracts and all.

Personally, I haven't had time for movies or books or the like, and most of those are just rehashed plots and stories anyhow.

That is exactly why I buy DRM-free and save stuff locally. If someone wants to rob me he is welcome to try (but better brings an army with him).

Sure, several.

But this isn't a worry you should have of GOG.

gogrepo is a popular one; I think there are some alternatives, too.

You think that's bad, if you have ripped your own CDs/vinyl or have exceptional lossless files, iTunes will delete your recording and download the lossy version from iTunes. If you have original content on your computer, when you delete your local iTunes library, iTunes can delete all your own original content as well!

Well, not all online purchases.

Apple users who fanatically support every subpar apple product DESERVE this.

The very fact that Apple banned Alex Jones proves that Apple does not care about its customers.
They only care about money and profits.