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A mono-culture is never healthy for an environment. Letting Amazon destroy all competitors would eventually allow for a monopolistic business. Where do you thin

A mono-culture is never healthy for an environment. Letting Amazon destroy all competitors would eventually allow for a monopolistic business. Where do you think book prices are going to go once Barnes and Noble finally bankrupts?

mseebach 13y ago
Protecting market incumbents from competition isn't exactly great for an environment either.
- gutnor 13y ago
  France is selling globally (tourism) its atmosphere, lifestyle and culture. Cities around Europe are spending enormous amount of money to revitalise their city centers after the devastation caused by huge mall and supermarket built in the 80's. So that make sense for the country to try to preserve them before they are destroyed. Also considering the simultaneous threat coming from the ebook that is also not such a bad idea to give physical shop some breathing space to adjust their business model. From France perspective again, it is choosing between having to pay social security to those failing business owners with tax money, or let Amazon clients foot the bill instead. So depending at what level you look at: Book Market, Global Economy, US Economy or France Economy, there are many readings you can have.
  - GeorgeOrr 13y ago
    It makes me wonder, does anyone know if the Model T customers where charged a Buggy Whip welfare fund surcharge? Just curious.
    - gutnor 13y ago
      Model T vs Buggy Whip is a radical change. The closest that could apply to this case would be EBook vs Physical book. But that's not what this is about. France has a regulated market for book. When stuff happen, like a player that manage to dodge the regulation thanks to specific circumstances, regulation need changing. If you want to wonder about something, wonder why does France regulate book market ?
  - mseebach 13y ago
    As a francophile european not living in France, I'm absolutely thrilled that France again and again volunteers to make their country both quaint and poor (thus cheap for tourists). As a human, I can not get behind a policy that makes food and books more expensive and harder (or at least less easy) to get at.
  - riffraff 13y ago
    > Cities around Europe are spending enormous amount of money to revitalise their city centers after the devastation caused by huge mall and supermarket built in the 80's. What cities are you thinking about? I don't know if you're right or wrong, but my data point is a noticeable increase in malls/big chain shops in the three cities I mostly lived in (rome, milan, budapest) in the last ten years.
    - gutnor 13y ago
      Many cities in Belgium (Mons, Charleroi), UK (Manchester, Liverpool ), France (Lille) are like that. Major work is done in the center, with peatonal areas, cleaning up of buildings, parks, rework of public transports, ... That being said I don't know what France is doing here. I just suggest that at country level there are more concern than just the physical book market.
icebraining 13y ago
My guess is down. Monopoly abuse only work if there's a big barrier for entry, otherwise the threat of competition is always there.

mseebach 13y ago

Protecting market incumbents from competition isn't exactly great for an environment either.

gutnor 13y ago
France is selling globally (tourism) its atmosphere, lifestyle and culture. Cities around Europe are spending enormous amount of money to revitalise their city centers after the devastation caused by huge mall and supermarket built in the 80's. So that make sense for the country to try to preserve them before they are destroyed. Also considering the simultaneous threat coming from the ebook that is also not such a bad idea to give physical shop some breathing space to adjust their business model. From France perspective again, it is choosing between having to pay social security to those failing business owners with tax money, or let Amazon clients foot the bill instead. So depending at what level you look at: Book Market, Global Economy, US Economy or France Economy, there are many readings you can have.
- GeorgeOrr 13y ago
  It makes me wonder, does anyone know if the Model T customers where charged a Buggy Whip welfare fund surcharge? Just curious.
  - gutnor 13y ago
    Model T vs Buggy Whip is a radical change. The closest that could apply to this case would be EBook vs Physical book. But that's not what this is about. France has a regulated market for book. When stuff happen, like a player that manage to dodge the regulation thanks to specific circumstances, regulation need changing. If you want to wonder about something, wonder why does France regulate book market ?
- mseebach 13y ago
  As a francophile european not living in France, I'm absolutely thrilled that France again and again volunteers to make their country both quaint and poor (thus cheap for tourists). As a human, I can not get behind a policy that makes food and books more expensive and harder (or at least less easy) to get at.
- riffraff 13y ago
  > Cities around Europe are spending enormous amount of money to revitalise their city centers after the devastation caused by huge mall and supermarket built in the 80's. What cities are you thinking about? I don't know if you're right or wrong, but my data point is a noticeable increase in malls/big chain shops in the three cities I mostly lived in (rome, milan, budapest) in the last ten years.
  - gutnor 13y ago
    Many cities in Belgium (Mons, Charleroi), UK (Manchester, Liverpool ), France (Lille) are like that. Major work is done in the center, with peatonal areas, cleaning up of buildings, parks, rework of public transports, ... That being said I don't know what France is doing here. I just suggest that at country level there are more concern than just the physical book market.

icebraining 13y ago

My guess is down. Monopoly abuse only work if there's a big barrier for entry, otherwise the threat of competition is always there.