Regional restrictions now in the UK

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by 300com

Maybe the authors themselves should sell their own books themselves on their own website !

I think many would like to, if there just was a way to do it simply. No publisher-layer (also in financial terms for author and reader), and easier feedback.

[GeoffC]

Some do - some I could name are on MR !..... Others may be restricted by contracts ?

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Some do - some I could name are on MR !..... Others may be restricted by contracts ?

Yes... and also, there's the not-so-little problem of tech divide. Because not everybody is tech savvy or would allow ebooks around for fear of pirates (JKR, anyone?).

On the other hand, I love your cats

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Juliette

Yes... and also, there's the not-so-little problem of tech divide. Because not everybody is tech savvy or would allow ebooks around for fear of pirates (JKR, anyone?).

On the other hand, I love your cats

thanks - the big one in my av is a 'softie' ...

[Crowl]

Here's hoping that more authors start commenting like Joe did, maybe when there is pressure from both sides on the publishers they will stop being quite so stupid about ebooks.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Why do you insult people you debate with?
You may have some good points to make, but (imo) you discourage people from taking them seriously by being gratuitously discourteous.

Why do I insult them? Because they insulted me, because they accused me of theft when they don't have the first clue of what they're talking about. I'm never courteous to halfwits and buffoons.

Question answered?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

I am no more hurting publishers by downloading a file than I am if I visited the library, borrowed a book from a friend or found one (as I did the other day) on the seat of a bus.

Mojoe,

When you borrow a book from the library, the author (not the publisher - the author) gets a payment (5.98p in 2007) via the Public Lending Right. Can you clarify how this payment gets to the author if you download the book instead of borrowing it from the library?

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Why do I insult them? Because they insulted me, because they accused me of theft when they don't have the first clue of what they're talking about. I'm never courteous to halfwits and buffoons.

I am not sure who insulted whom first, but at this point, I ask everyone to respect each other and to discuss things politely.

Thank you.

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

But we can change users' attitudes, everybody must realize that unauthorized copying is wrong.

No, you can't. How can this not be obvious by now to everyone? Human nature ain't going to change because of publishing oligopolistic mechanisms, software, or anything else.

[Juliette]

Wow, we're getting philosophical I think the approach from the roots is the better. What's one's intention? How to protect one's right while avoiding abuse from another?

[reader22]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Mojoe,

When you borrow a book from the library, the author (not the publisher - the author) gets a payment (5.98p in 2007) via the Public Lending Right. Can you clarify how this payment gets to the author if you download the book instead of borrowing it from the library?

This scheme only applies in certain countries - the UK being one. In other countries like the US for instance there is no such scheme. So there is no compensation to authors for when you borrow a book. So it is exactly the same as downloading.

Also it is not strictly true to say that if you borrow a book a payment goes to the author. If you borrow a book in one of the monitored libraries (a handful of the total number in the UK) then a payment goes to the author up to a maximum of £6000. Other countries handle their systems differently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Lending_Right

[wallflower75]

What I don't get about the whole territorial restrictions crap is the fact that it's costing the author a sale. I realize it's a legal issue, but what author, publisher, or bookseller really wants that in this economy? I would think you'd want your ebook available to as wide an audience as possible.

If the ebook was available in the US, I would've bought it in a US bookstore, but it wasn't. I read a number of British authors and when WHSmith started selling ebooks, I was thrilled to see a number of them were by my favorite authors. I've even tried a few authors I hadn't heard of because the books were available in the store. Now I won't be able to do that without lying about where I'm from--and although I didn't go through with it, I do think it can be done. I changed the location on my account from US to UK and I started to go through the checkout process, just to see what would happen. It didn't stop me when I clicked on checkout. I didn't buy the book to make sure, but maybe someone would be willing to try.

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by reader22

This scheme only applies in certain countries - the UK being one. In other countries like the US for instance there is no such scheme. So there is no compensation to authors for when you borrow a book. So it is exactly the same as downloading.

Also it is not strictly true to say that if you borrow a book the money a payment goes to the author. If you borrow a book in one of the monitored libraries (a handful of the total number in the UK) then a payment goes to the author up to a maximum of £6000. Other countries handle their systems differently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Lending_Right

The issues also ties with the problem of paying libraries, which is in some countries a very uncommon practice; some, in my country, contest this kind of mechanism because free access to cultural resources is a right granted in the Constitution (I'm personally ok with a una-tantum contribution...).

Has anyone thought about buying by proxy? Meaning: A sets up an e-mail account (plenty to choose from as for the provider), B in country C agrees to buy books and financial questions are handled by means of paypal or even by barter (B sets up an e-mail account and A buys books through that). I know it's not very regular and it's rather complicate as for timing, but still, you can't let them beat us.

[EowynCarter]

What I don't get about the whole territorial restrictions crap is the fact that it's costing the author a sale. I realize it's a legal issue, but what author, publisher, or bookseller really wants that in this economy? I would think you'd want your ebook available to as wide an audience as possible.

Well, take Harry potter for example. Scholastic don't want us people to buy the book from bloomsburry, and vice versa.
Then, there is the problem of language, books available only in us / uk. Because i'm french, it don't mean I won't read book in english. And i'll have to order them from either UK or US.

[wallflower75]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Well, take Harry potter for example. Scholastic don't want us people to buy the book from bloomsburry, and vice versa.
Then, there is the problem of language, books available only in us / uk. Because i'm french, it don't mean I won't read book in english. And i'll have to order them from either UK or US.

Yeah, but no one has a problem with my ordering the hardcover from Amazon.co.uk. So why should an ebook be any different?

Reading the issues people are having a Fictionwise makes me think twice about a simple change of location would work. If they're getting information from your IP address, I probably wouldn't be able to download an ebook after purchasing it because even if I claim to be in the UK, my IP address is clearly in the US. Does anyone know if there's a proxy that would indicate I'm in the UK?