ordeal in Canada

sic · 04-04-2007, 01:01 PM

Hi

I was trying to buy Hawkins's On Intelligence.
Being in Canada I'm locked out from the Connect store by default.
Luckily I work for an American company so I could access the Connect store from my office - I guess from our IP address SONY thinks I'm in the US.
Once I created an account I could not access the webshop from home as well.
I really really tried to buy the book, but SONY rejected the purchase because my credit card is not from a US address.
Other websites are also selling the book but as you'd expect it comes with DRM so I wouldn't be able to read it on my SONY Reader... unless I break the DRM which I don't want to bother with, plus it's illegal.
So I can still purchase the paper book for 25$ versus 15$... I don't really feel like it.
Finally I found the book on a warez website.
I let the end of the story for your imagination

igorsk · 04-04-2007, 01:06 PM

You can access the store from anywhere, it definitely doesn't check for the IP address. Though it's true that you can only buy books with a U.S. credit card.

HarryT · 04-04-2007, 01:30 PM

... but anyone can use a Connect Gift Certificate, which a number of members of this forum (eg "Leaping Gnome") very kindly offer to buy for people outside the US - you pay him by PayPal.

sic · 04-04-2007, 03:25 PM

Really?

Now how does that make any sense?

scottcstoness · 04-04-2007, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sic

Really?

Now how does that make any sense?

I believe the reasoning is that Sony has to exercise due diligence to determine that their CONNECT customers reside in the US, because they only have publishing and distribution rights there. If you try to buy with a credit card, they will run it, find that it is a non-American card, and prohibit the sale. If you provide an "American" credit card number that you don't use, and then purchase books with gift certificates, that seems to work (and presumably cover's Sony's legal rear end as you've given them an "American" credit card and they've checked the address every time you've tried to use it.

sic · 04-05-2007, 03:15 AM

how about paper books?
I can buy a book in the US and bring it with me anywhere I want.
Nobody gives a damn.
I guess online and Internet etc. is different

this is why I didn't become a lawyer...

astra · 04-05-2007, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sic

how about paper books?
I can buy a book in the US and bring it with me anywhere I want.
Nobody gives a damn.
I guess online and Internet etc. is different

this is why I didn't become a lawyer...

LOL.
It reminds me of another topic:
Been there done that

dhbailey · 04-05-2007, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sic

Hi

[snip]DRM so I wouldn't be able to read it on my SONY Reader... unless I break the DRM which I don't want to bother with, plus it's illegal.
[snip]

Is it illegal in Canada? I know it's part of the USCopyright law, but I hadn't heard that it was illegal in Canada. In the US it's illegal to disable DRM even on legally purchased stuff, but I didn't know Canada had enacted the same law.

yvanleterrible · 04-05-2007, 01:38 PM

There is a nuance between 'legal' and 'not yet deemed legal'.

In Canada the biggest hurdle I see is here in Québec. French books could cause hicups in legaleese processes. Plus we have many English language authors whith works that have not been exported yet.

It is a sizable undertaking, that of selling copyright protected works across the planet.

You have an escape route available to you. If like 90% of Canadians you live in the 300 miles near the border, you can always cross over and find a Borders or other store that sells Connect gift cards and buy a bunch that you will be able to use from internet.

sic · 04-05-2007, 02:35 PM

Cracking the DRM
Crossing the border to buy a gift card so that I can then purchase books conveniently online
HELLLOOOOO!!!
No wonder ebooks are a flop so far!
I guess I'll stick to downloaded stuff...

vaud · 01-18-2008, 02:59 PM

Hi All;

I recently joined this forum as I would like to get a reader. I am here to learn more about my options. Excellent site by the way.

I am considering getting a Sony 505 but because I am in Canada , I cannot buy books from the Sony Bookstore. I signed up for an account though and checked the box in the sign up that I was American.

I have found a dealer in the US that will ship to Canada. They also offer a rebate or credit for $199 worth of books. All I have to do is follow the instructions below:

How it works:
1) A Customer buys a Reader and follows these steps between 8/4/2007 and
1/31/2008.
2) The Customer creates an account with the Sony CONNECT™ eBook store (internet
connection required) using the supplied CONNECT™ Reader software.
3) The Customer connects the Reader to their PC through USB with supplied cable.
4) The Customer logs into their Connect™ eBooks account and chooses “Manage
Devices” where they will follow the directions to “Authorize” their Reader
5) Credit will automatically be put in their account. This credit must be used by
02/29/08. Please see Offer Disclaimer below.

The disclaimer though states I must be an American and have a valid American credit card.

My question is will I get to use this credit or will I end up having to give them a credit card number to activate the account and thus not be able to use this credit to download books from the Sony store.

Thanks for your help

- vaud

nermalscoot · 01-18-2008, 07:54 PM

i'm from canada too and i have a prs-505.
you don't need to add a credit card to your sony account. i was able to authorize my prs-505 and get the 100 classics credit without a problem.

vaud · 01-18-2008, 08:00 PM

Thanks Nermalscoot

- vaud

angelyne · 01-19-2008, 05:08 PM

What gets me is other online bookstores don't have that restriction. I can buy books from fictionwise and they don't require an American credit card.

I REFUSE to jump through hoops in order to give Sony money. If they don't want my money too bad. Obviously we (and most of the rest of the world) isn't an important enough market to bother with.

So even when books are available on Sony, I buy them from fictionwise and then convert them to Sony format.

Speaking of which, does anyone know of a software that will convert secure mobipocket formats to html?

vaud · 01-19-2008, 11:03 PM

Hi angelyne

Yes... but I did manage to convert a secured book I bought off fictionwise to lrf tonight , so i'm happy

The libprs software worked like a charm!

I ordered my 505 last night so this time next week i should have it. Add to that there are plenty of excellent books uploaded to this site ... I have been downloading ... so even without the Sony bookstore I'll be fine.

I noticed the manual for the 505 I downloaded is in both French and English... could be a sign they will be set up up here soon.

- vaud

04-04-2007, 01:01 PM	#1
sic Addict Posts: 202 Karma: 692 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: SONY reader	ordeal in Canada Hi I was trying to buy Hawkins's On Intelligence. Being in Canada I'm locked out from the Connect store by default. Luckily I work for an American company so I could access the Connect store from my office - I guess from our IP address SONY thinks I'm in the US. Once I created an account I could not access the webshop from home as well. I really really tried to buy the book, but SONY rejected the purchase because my credit card is not from a US address. Other websites are also selling the book but as you'd expect it comes with DRM so I wouldn't be able to read it on my SONY Reader... unless I break the DRM which I don't want to bother with, plus it's illegal. So I can still purchase the paper book for 25$ versus 15$... I don't really feel like it. Finally I found the book on a warez website. I let the end of the story for your imagination

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Reference Murfree, Mary Noailles: The Ordeal. V1 27 Feb 2010	crutledge	ePub Books	1	07-06-2011 11:22 AM
Hello from Canada	hpjrt	Introduce Yourself	13	08-07-2010 08:10 AM
Romance Murfree, Mary Noailles: The Ordeal. V1 27 Feb 2010	crutledge	Kindle Books	0	02-27-2010 03:04 PM
Romance Murfree, Mary Noailles: The Ordeal. V1 27 Feb 2010	crutledge	BBeB/LRF Books	0	02-27-2010 03:01 PM
So now it's available in Canada...	SteGar	Amazon Kindle	4	11-18-2009 11:56 PM

04-04-2007, 01:06 PM	#2
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	You can access the store from anywhere, it definitely doesn't check for the IP address. Though it's true that you can only buy books with a U.S. credit card.

04-04-2007, 01:30 PM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	... but anyone can use a Connect Gift Certificate, which a number of members of this forum (eg "Leaping Gnome") very kindly offer to buy for people outside the US - you pay him by PayPal.

04-04-2007, 03:25 PM	#4
sic Addict Posts: 202 Karma: 692 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: SONY reader	Really? Now how does that make any sense?

04-05-2007, 03:15 AM	#6
sic Addict Posts: 202 Karma: 692 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: SONY reader	how about paper books? I can buy a book in the US and bring it with me anywhere I want. Nobody gives a damn. I guess online and Internet etc. is different this is why I didn't become a lawyer...

04-05-2007, 01:38 PM	#9
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	There is a nuance between 'legal' and 'not yet deemed legal'. In Canada the biggest hurdle I see is here in Québec. French books could cause hicups in legaleese processes. Plus we have many English language authors whith works that have not been exported yet. It is a sizable undertaking, that of selling copyright protected works across the planet. You have an escape route available to you. If like 90% of Canadians you live in the 300 miles near the border, you can always cross over and find a Borders or other store that sells Connect gift cards and buy a bunch that you will be able to use from internet.

04-05-2007, 02:35 PM	#10
sic Addict Posts: 202 Karma: 692 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: SONY reader	Cracking the DRM Crossing the border to buy a gift card so that I can then purchase books conveniently online HELLLOOOOO!!! No wonder ebooks are a flop so far! I guess I'll stick to downloaded stuff...

01-18-2008, 02:59 PM	#11
vaud Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: none	Hi All; I recently joined this forum as I would like to get a reader. I am here to learn more about my options. Excellent site by the way. I am considering getting a Sony 505 but because I am in Canada , I cannot buy books from the Sony Bookstore. I signed up for an account though and checked the box in the sign up that I was American. I have found a dealer in the US that will ship to Canada. They also offer a rebate or credit for $199 worth of books. All I have to do is follow the instructions below: How it works: 1) A Customer buys a Reader and follows these steps between 8/4/2007 and 1/31/2008. 2) The Customer creates an account with the Sony CONNECT™ eBook store (internet connection required) using the supplied CONNECT™ Reader software. 3) The Customer connects the Reader to their PC through USB with supplied cable. 4) The Customer logs into their Connect™ eBooks account and chooses “Manage Devices” where they will follow the directions to “Authorize” their Reader 5) Credit will automatically be put in their account. This credit must be used by 02/29/08. Please see Offer Disclaimer below. The disclaimer though states I must be an American and have a valid American credit card. My question is will I get to use this credit or will I end up having to give them a credit card number to activate the account and thus not be able to use this credit to download books from the Sony store. Thanks for your help - vaud

01-18-2008, 07:54 PM	#12
nermalscoot Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canada Device: prs-505	i'm from canada too and i have a prs-505. you don't need to add a credit card to your sony account. i was able to authorize my prs-505 and get the 100 classics credit without a problem.

01-18-2008, 08:00 PM	#13
vaud Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: none	Thanks Nermalscoot - vaud

01-19-2008, 05:08 PM	#14
angelyne Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 50 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	What gets me is other online bookstores don't have that restriction. I can buy books from fictionwise and they don't require an American credit card. I REFUSE to jump through hoops in order to give Sony money. If they don't want my money too bad. Obviously we (and most of the rest of the world) isn't an important enough market to bother with. So even when books are available on Sony, I buy them from fictionwise and then convert them to Sony format. Speaking of which, does anyone know of a software that will convert secure mobipocket formats to html?

Advert

Advert

01-19-2008, 11:03 PM	#15
vaud Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: none	Hi angelyne Yes... but I did manage to convert a secured book I bought off fictionwise to lrf tonight , so i'm happy The libprs software worked like a charm! I ordered my 505 last night so this time next week i should have it. Add to that there are plenty of excellent books uploaded to this site ... I have been downloading ... so even without the Sony bookstore I'll be fine. I noticed the manual for the 505 I downloaded is in both French and English... could be a sign they will be set up up here soon. - vaud