Quote:
Originally Posted by Liviu_5
E-books status is unclear, but as far as I know right now they fall under the software category so their sale can be restricted territorially.
|
I think this goes back to the physical nature of p-books vs. e-books. P-books are difficult to copy, e-books aren't. P-books are difficult to distribute, e-books aren't. When a publisher has regional publishing rights to some content, the physicality of the books makes it difficult for the books to wander across borders. The PITA factor limits things.
Electronic content, on the other hand, has no physical limiting factor. It makes regional rights almost meaningless. For all intents and purposes, New York to Beijing is the same as New York to Boston. The nature of the technology creates situations where the consumer just has to state "I am in country X" to gain access to regionally restricted content (as with the Sony Reader). The movie industry had to gain or force the collusion of DVD player manufacturers to enforce regional restrictions. That added a little bit of the PITA factor back in.
Let's hope the e-book industry never goes down that road.