If only I lived in the US.

[Crusader]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

It's not about the USA. The USA isn't doing this... it's the publishers.

I think what Lente meant was that it would be much easier to live in the US, at least then it would be possible to buy ebooks from most online shops since they focus on the US market.

The real huge problem with geographic restrictions is that the rights holders/distributors in other countries aren't even selling ebooks they have the rights to.

Speaking from my experience for South Africe there is not ONE ebook store that caters to the country and none of the publishers offer ebooks (at least none that I could track down).

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Crusader

I think what Lente meant was that it would be much easier to live in the US, at least then it would be possible to buy ebooks from most online shops since they focus on the US market.

I understood that and can sympathize. If I had the power, things would be different. My statement was actually in reference to this:

Originally Posted by Blue Tyson

Or you can look at it another way. This is good for the Netherlands. Your money stays there, doesn't go to the USA.

[nick101]

Originally Posted by columbus

But they will not sell their ebooks to me, I am a British customer with British credit cards who happens to live elsewhere in Europe most of the time.

(Thought Hatchette were French)

Multinational mate... they've abandoned outmoded notions of nationality and border in order to embrace the truly global society that has emerged in the 21st century.

Oh, except for the bit where they decided that borders etc were not outmoded when it came to making money

[Blue Tyson]

Anyone have guesses about what percentage of book buying is done out of country - e.g. by people in the USA, UK and say, elsewhere?

Because if large percentages of people turn to ebooks, and they don't sort out the rights, that money goes away, for the ebook percentage. (minus whatever people buy in paper, instead, and buying from places that sell worldwise, of course). How much might substitute for what is available locally? More with more places with more choice?

Have to be somewhat happy about all this if you are in the computer games industry?

[Critteranne]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Absolutely right. It was, in fact, a British publisher (Hachette) who started the whole mess by threatening BoB with legal action for selling US editions of eBooks to which they had exclusive UK rights to British customers.

And just to confuse things, the overall owner of Hachette is a French company. When you look at the number of number of prints they own in multiple countries, you'd think they could figure out how to sell e-books to people in the UK (and other countries) without cutting off customers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachette_Livre

[nick101]

Originally Posted by Critteranne

And just to confuse things, the overall owner of Hachette is a French company. When you look at the number of number of prints they own in multiple countries, you'd think they could figure out how to sell e-books to people in the UK (and other countries) without cutting off customers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachette_Livre

Part of the problem is that, while these companies may look like multinational operations, they're not. Apart from some lawyers, accountants and such in the worldwide HQ, they're mostly run as a set of local businesses. Using Hachette as an example, Hachette in the States is a company dealing with the north American market. Hachette in the UK deals with Britain etc etc. No-one deals with the world as a market, and so it's no-one's responsibility to consider the the Brit who lives in Spain and wants to buy from the US. UK Hachette doesn't want you taking advantage of lower prices over, there - it's lost business to them. d don't ven g down the "Yes, but the corporation as a whole benefits" route, because the UK guys get paid on what the UK sells, US guys on what the US sells and so on.

It's the history of web commerce: one industry after another doesn't get the impact of the tech-driven change in the market, and tries like billy-o to hang on to the old model until it's too late. And until someone comes along and breaks the old model utterly, we get screwed.

Look on the bright side - in 10 years, any one of these outfits that still hasn't got it will be roadkill - and oh how we'll chuckle

[lente]

Originally Posted by Crusader

I think what Lente meant was that it would be much easier to live in the US, at least then it would be possible to buy ebooks from most online shops since they focus on the US market.

The real huge problem with geographic restrictions is that the rights holders/distributors in other countries aren't even selling ebooks they have the rights to.

Speaking from my experience for South Africe there is not ONE ebook store that caters to the country and none of the publishers offer ebooks (at least none that I could track down).

Yep, that's the way it is, otherwise there would be no problem and I could just buy them here in holland, but most ebooks are not sold here.

[nick101]

Originally Posted by lente

Yep, that's the way it is, otherwise there would be no problem and I could just buy them here in holland, but most ebooks are not sold here.

See, that's my point. If these outfits were really multinational, as their press puff always claims, this problem wouldn't exist.

Q: What kind of business turns away customers who are making a big effort to buy their products?
A: Going-out-of-business ones

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Blue Tyson

Or you can look at it another way. This is good for the Netherlands. Your money stays there, doesn't go to the USA.

If they would sell it here... There are a few online booksellers who sell English books. But those are in epub. And I have absolutely no use for epub. Also, those books are twice as expensive as on American bookstores (due to an even weirder rule than geographic restrictions, namely that ebooks aren't books but download services and thus attract the high VAT).

Luckily, there are plenty of ways of cicrumventing those restrictions. So, I'm faced with a choice. Pirate a book (and do something illegal, even though that's debatable here) or buy a restricted book oversees, lying about my locations (which is also illegal).

[GlenBarrington]

At least that's what everyone at DPR says.

[jlbfoot]

Google Witopia vpn.

[jabberwock_11]

Originally Posted by HarryT

They are American bookstores, but exactly the same would apply if he wanted to buy from Waterstones or W.H.Smiths in the UK. It's not that the bookstore doesn't want to sell you the books, but that the publishers in other countries won't let them do so.

I have to add that this might be a small problem for us folks here in the US, but it affects us as well. I have found at least a half dozen instances in which I could not find a copy of the ebook I wanted in any other location than a store in the UK and these ebooks were not available to buyers in the US. It is extremely frustrating to see an ebook for sale, WANT to pay for it, and not be allowed to. I guess with the added convenience of new technology comes unforseen problems. Who would have thought that the availability of an otherwise normal book would depend upon where you were and how you decided to read it?

[rmm200]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

buy a restricted book oversees, lying about my locations (which is also illegal).

You got my curiosity up - in what country is it illegal to lie about your location? Intent to defraud is illegal, but nothing about your stated location implies fraud. I am sure it would be breaking a company rule - but with some exceptions (DMCA in USA) they can't make what they don't like illegal.

Robert

[K-Thom]

Exactly. If anybody should find out, it's just a misunderstanding or some major typos you made.

"You mean, I'm not living in New York? Oops, thanks for the reminder, buddy! I didn't notice!"

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

It's not about the USA. The USA isn't doing this... it's the publishers.

Exactly. It's due to publishing contracts and territorial divisions....