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Originally Posted by JayCeeEll
There is a quiet voice in my head that is hoping the international version of the Kindle is a big success, but that Amazon get a lot of complaints about regional restrictions, which they then dump on the publishers.
Maybe Amazon will also get some grief about epub as well.
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I think at the very least, the increasing success of ebooks is going to influence how future contracts are negotiated. There may not be much to be done about many back catalog books but hopefully going forward publishers will realize that the issue of international digital rights should be settled up front. There's a real incentive for that now.
I agree on ePub as well. With B&N opening a big ePub store selling books that can be read on pretty much every other device except the Kindle, I would hope that Amazon would see the value in opening up to multiple devices. I'm finding it a bit amusing seeing companies like Sony and B&N using the same tactic Amazon used on Apple. Bezos has said that they would consider other devices but that it was important that they got to control the level of service. Their model of delivery is tied into the convenience of Whispernet and I think the only way they can offer free wireless is if they know you're going to be buying from them. I suppose they could do that if they placed limits on the wireless, busted it down to just store and Wikipedia, maybe charged bandwidth fees for anything else, but that would be sad. After all, Sony's just offering store access. This would be so much easier if we didn't have such a fractured telecom system with providers that seem committed to the model of high flat monthly fees.