EU geoblocking ban

[John F]

"EU lawmakers include Spotify and iTunes in geoblocking ban"

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/eu-law...154512985.html

In a blow for the book publishing and music industries, European Parliament members voted to include copyright-protected content such as music, games, software and e-books in the law.

[Katsunami]

"Tailor prices to specific markets"

Like Canon did, and maybe still does a decade ago? If you wanted to buy a 70-200 f/2.8L, you could buy the lens in Yugoslavia.... go collect it there yourself... stay for a week to use it on that vacation... and you'd *still* have money left compared to the price in the Netherlands.

If there's one thing that should go, then it's geoblocking on digital products. Why should I, in the Netherlands, pay a different price than anyone else, in another country? Why should I be disallowed to buy a book in the UK, because I don't live there? In the past, I could understand; a seller might not want to go through the trouble of sending me a huge paper book, and it may even be too expensive compared to the local price (if the book is available). Now, with digital books, there is no difference to the seller who buys the book, as long as it's going to be paid for.

[AnemicOak]

The only way getting rid of digital geo-blocking really works is for authors/publishers to sell worldwide rights (or at least world wide rights for specific languages) instead of selling them by individual market. Publishers have to be on board with it too though (some are already) both in being willing to buy the worldwide rights and in making the content available (Some hold broad rights, but still restrict their sales to select markets). Books are small potatoes in this compared to movies, television & music though.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

"Tailor prices to specific markets"

Like Canon did, and maybe still does a decade ago? If you wanted to buy a 70-200 f/2.8L, you could buy the lens in Yugoslavia.... go collect it there yourself... stay for a week to use it on that vacation... and you'd *still* have money left compared to the price in the Netherlands.

If there's one thing that should go, then it's geoblocking on digital products. Why should I, in the Netherlands, pay a different price than anyone else, in another country? Why should I be disallowed to buy a book in the UK, because I don't live there?
{...}

I have an actual example. An ebook edition of the dispatches of the Duke of Wellington is available everywhere in Europe from the same publisher Penguin Classics.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Military-Di...dp/B00HO11CQO/

£3.99 in UK

https://www.amazon.es/Military-Dispa...dp/B00HO11CQO/

EUR 9,44

This was, I think, a marketing matter - it was an UK Open University set book which they thought would sell better at a lower price whereas in the rest of Europe mostly only scholars would buy it so they charged their "scholar" price.

So maximising their profits?


I edit to note that VAT on ebooks does vary a bit across Europe and Germany and perhaps other countries forbid book discounts so the publisher price is fixed by country.

[Katsunami]

The Netherlands has a fixed book price. It *has* to cost a certain amount, at the least, and stores are not allowed to discount publisher set prices, AFAIK.

[geertm]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

The Netherlands has a fixed book price. It *has* to cost a certain amount, at the least, and stores are not allowed to discount publisher set prices, AFAIK.

There is no fixed book price for ebooks. Although the publishers have done their best to change that.

https://www.cvdm.nl/vaste-boekenprijs/

[MikeB1972]

It's only at proposal stage, everyone now needs to vote on it.

Even if it passes, knowing the EU this will go like the roaming charges, originally planned to scrap them in 2007, now planning on June this Year

Edit : No way will France sign off on this.

[crich70]

Sounds like the idea of a standard currency in Europe. I.e. The Euro. Not sure how well the idea of a standard currency is working either over all.

[Seli]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

"Tailor prices to specific markets"

Like Canon did, and maybe still does a decade ago? If you wanted to buy a 70-200 f/2.8L, you could buy the lens in Yugoslavia.... go collect it there yourself... stay for a week to use it on that vacation... and you'd *still* have money left compared to the price in the Netherlands.
....

Yugoslavia, you say it yourself, so by definition a country outside the EU. So that still would not be covered by this proposed regulation.

[Lady Stardust]

Originally Posted by Seli

Yugoslavia, you say it yourself, so by definition a country outside the EU. So that still would not be covered by this proposed regulation.

Yugoslavia started disintegrating in 1991. EU became EU in 1993.
Slovenia and Croatia which were parts of Yugoslavia are now EU indeed.
And there is no country called Yugoslavia any more.

[Katsunami]

The point is, that somewhere around those parts, Canon sold stuff so cheaply that it would be worth it to buy it there, get it yourself by car, have a vacation of a week or so, and still have (a lot of) money left.

That begs the question why stuff has to be so expensive over here (and get a huge price bump in 2012 or so).

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

That begs the question why stuff has to be so expensive over here (and get a huge price bump in 2012 or so).

Would it have at least something to do with import costs imposed on manufacturers and also on costs associated with whatever consumer protections folks might be entitled to? (I don't know, I'm asking, but I know for instance folks in the UK generally get more after sale protections than in the US) It's also more expensive to market products in some places I'm sure that's passed on somewhat to the individual market, however that market is defined by a given manufacturer.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Would it have at least something to do with import costs imposed on manufacturers and also on costs associated with whatever consumer protections folks might be entitled to? (I don't know, I'm asking, but I know for instance folks in the UK generally get more after sale protections than in the US) It's also more expensive to market products in some places I'm sure that's passed on somewhat to the individual market, however that market is defined by a given manufacturer.

You wouldn't think that that would be an issue for digital media though. I mean it shouldn't cost more to ship an ebook no matter the distance. Across a country or half way around the world it should be about the same.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by crich70

You wouldn't think that that would be an issue for digital media though. I mean it shouldn't cost more to ship an ebook no matter the distance. Across a country or half way around the world it should be about the same.

The question I was responding to had to do with physical goods, not digital.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Would it have at least something to do with import costs imposed on manufacturers and also on costs associated with whatever consumer protections folks might be entitled to? (I don't know, I'm asking, but I know for instance folks in the UK generally get more after sale protections than in the US) It's also more expensive to market products in some places I'm sure that's passed on somewhat to the individual market, however that market is defined by a given manufacturer.

What Katsunami said I've seen too, in Hungary.

My mother lives there and prices there generally are cheaper for fysical products. Or more expensive. If the latter, it's generally the b-quality (often containing more flaws as if Q&A was done more sloppy) and won't last as long as exactly the same machine bought in the Netherlands. Unless you pay premium (and then it's generally more expensive), then it's the same quality. My mother prefers to buy her electronic devices here (in the Netherlands) as the quality is simply better and it's cheaper in the long run.