4 ms·

I still don't understand why, when content is digital and distribution doesn't cost anything extra, things like this are restricted to specific countries.

Hermel 12y ago
It's legal, not technical restrictions.
- officemonkey 12y ago
  It's not even laws, it's just contracts. Which, if parties were motivated, could be rewritten.
  - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
    "Please visit us again when it is available in your country." makes it sound like they are motivated to rewrite them. But you can't just rewrite everything at once. I understand the frustration that people outside the US feel when a new service is launched as US-only first but you have to start somewhere. And a US-based company is most likely to start at home and then branch out.
    - officemonkey 12y ago
      I was pretty bummed when Spotify was Europe-first. Motivation to rewrite is often tied to money. No money? No motivation. Which is why some people in "remote places" don't really have many qualms about piracy. If it's not available at any price, what _should_ I do??
omni 12y ago
Laws.
- Touche 12y ago
  Specifically which?
  - jasonlotito 12y ago
    Copyright. I'd imagine they don't have the copyright to distribute things in this manner outside the US at the moment.
  - fleshgolem 12y ago
    Depends on country. Laws for selling books can actually get quite complicated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_book_price_agreement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_book_price_agreement)
why-el 12y ago
I am really sorry people downvote you. People please don't downvote for mere disagreement; not upvoting is enough. You are actively discouraging otherwise completely legitimate and sensible questions.
- eclipxe 12y ago
  This isn't Reddit. It is perfectly acceptable to downvote out of disagreement, as pg has stated before.
AndrewDucker 12y ago
Contracts. See this explanation by author Charlie Stross: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-rambling-thoughts-on-regi.html http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-ram...
- msh 12y ago
  But amazon have no problem selling me ebooks and audiobooks even thou in am located outside the us.
  - gdilla 12y ago
    Sure, because those books have rights to be sold in your geo. OR, your account is based in the US (billing address).
    - dingaling 12y ago
      I think the OP's point is some subset of the Kindle ebooks are already available in his locale, so why not roll-out this service for those titles?
      - icebraining 12y ago
        Probably because the license they have to sell those titles doesn't allow them to rent them on this service.
    - msh 12y ago
      My billing address is Danish so that is not it. I have not yet been declined the opportunity to buy a ebook so it's strange that the rules for renting is different.
  - mwfunk 12y ago
    That's because they made deals with content providers to sell you ebooks and audiobooks outside the US, and presumably they don't have those deals for Kindle Unlimited yet. Just because Amazon has the publisher's permission to sell you an ebook doesn't mean that they automatically have the publisher's permission to give that ebook to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
TeMPOraL 12y ago
cstross elaborated on it recently. http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-rambling-thoughts-on-regi.html http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-ram... HN thread for that article: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7998604 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7998604.
ctdonath 12y ago
Content licensing. Different companies (or legally distinct subsidiaries) control licensing & distribution for different countries. Inherent limits of physical books (i.e.: space & mass & energy needed to haul content across significant distances) mitigated the issue, as it's usually cheaper to get a book locally than ship it from afar. Now that content can, for most practical purposes, be shipped free with instant delivery the legal ownership rights are being enforced and controlled (and more middlemen squeezing into). Amazon will get around to sorting out licensing issues elsewhere, but 'til then they've got a big local market to satiate.
easytiger 12y ago
They want you to pirate so they can later sue you. More profitable biz mod than making something useful

Hermel 12y ago

It's legal, not technical restrictions.

officemonkey 12y ago
It's not even laws, it's just contracts. Which, if parties were motivated, could be rewritten.
- jack-r-abbit 12y ago
  "Please visit us again when it is available in your country." makes it sound like they are motivated to rewrite them. But you can't just rewrite everything at once. I understand the frustration that people outside the US feel when a new service is launched as US-only first but you have to start somewhere. And a US-based company is most likely to start at home and then branch out.
  - officemonkey 12y ago
    I was pretty bummed when Spotify was Europe-first. Motivation to rewrite is often tied to money. No money? No motivation. Which is why some people in "remote places" don't really have many qualms about piracy. If it's not available at any price, what _should_ I do??

omni 12y ago

Laws.

Touche 12y ago
Specifically which?
- jasonlotito 12y ago
  Copyright. I'd imagine they don't have the copyright to distribute things in this manner outside the US at the moment.
- fleshgolem 12y ago
  Depends on country. Laws for selling books can actually get quite complicated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_book_price_agreement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_book_price_agreement)

why-el 12y ago

I am really sorry people downvote you. People please don't downvote for mere disagreement; not upvoting is enough. You are actively discouraging otherwise completely legitimate and sensible questions.

eclipxe 12y ago
This isn't Reddit. It is perfectly acceptable to downvote out of disagreement, as pg has stated before.

AndrewDucker 12y ago

Contracts. See this explanation by author Charlie Stross: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-rambling-thoughts-on-regi.html http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-ram...

msh 12y ago
But amazon have no problem selling me ebooks and audiobooks even thou in am located outside the us.
- gdilla 12y ago
  Sure, because those books have rights to be sold in your geo. OR, your account is based in the US (billing address).
  - dingaling 12y ago
    I think the OP's point is some subset of the Kindle ebooks are already available in his locale, so why not roll-out this service for those titles?
    - icebraining 12y ago
      Probably because the license they have to sell those titles doesn't allow them to rent them on this service.
  - msh 12y ago
    My billing address is Danish so that is not it. I have not yet been declined the opportunity to buy a ebook so it's strange that the rules for renting is different.
- mwfunk 12y ago
  That's because they made deals with content providers to sell you ebooks and audiobooks outside the US, and presumably they don't have those deals for Kindle Unlimited yet. Just because Amazon has the publisher's permission to sell you an ebook doesn't mean that they automatically have the publisher's permission to give that ebook to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

TeMPOraL 12y ago

cstross elaborated on it recently. http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-rambling-thoughts-on-regi.html http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/07/some-ram... HN thread for that article: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7998604 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7998604.

ctdonath 12y ago

Content licensing. Different companies (or legally distinct subsidiaries) control licensing & distribution for different countries. Inherent limits of physical books (i.e.: space & mass & energy needed to haul content across significant distances) mitigated the issue, as it's usually cheaper to get a book locally than ship it from afar. Now that content can, for most practical purposes, be shipped free with instant delivery the legal ownership rights are being enforced and controlled (and more middlemen squeezing into). Amazon will get around to sorting out licensing issues elsewhere, but 'til then they've got a big local market to satiate.

easytiger 12y ago

They want you to pirate so they can later sue you. More profitable biz mod than making something useful