Consumers Urged to Bypass Geo Blocking

[Ferret]

Wonder how long before this has an effect on prices for software, music, movies, books etc. - if any?

Parliamentary report urges Australians to bypass online geo-blocks that can double prices for IT products (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-29/geo-blocking-mps-committee-price-report-apple-adobe-microsoft/4850484)


Among other recommendations the parliamentary report recommends

1 The government amend the Copyright Act provisions to secure consumers rights to circumvent measures that control geographic market segmentation.

2 The government consider the creation of a ‘right of resale’ in relation to digitally distributed content including restrictions on vendors’ ability to ‘lock’ digital content into a particular ecosystem.

[sheerluck]

I've just been reading that too. In theory it's good news, but I'm sceptical that it will actually have an effect in my lifetime, by the time the companies' lawyers have got involved, there's been appeals to every court in the land......

[LandyAndy]

Interestingly I have been pricing a new Sounder/GPS Plotter for my boat.Its a Lowrance HDS 9 with everything I need to run it.I can buy it cheaper from 2 WA Boat dealers or a Qld based cheaper than I can from EBay,either Aust or US based:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Chances are the USA versions are Geofenced too,which Lowrance charge $150 to unlock.
It seems shops are now taking EBay on,guessing its either do that or shut the door.
Andrew

[101RRS]

I thought we had a Free Trade Agreement with the US and under the agreement Geo Blocking would have been illegal - certainly would be if it was us stopping sales to the US.

Garry

[mools]

I'm sceptical that it will actually have an effect in my lifetime, by the time the companies' lawyers have got involved, there's been appeals to every court in the land......

If they can make Philip Morris and B.A.T surrender their brand identities (Marlborough and the likes) then they certainly could do it. Although I doubt the politicians actually have the will to do so.

Ian.

[Chucaro]

If they can make Philip Morris and B.A.T surrender their brand identities (Marlborough and the likes) then they certainly could do it. Although I doubt the politicians actually have the will to do so.

Ian.

Hang on! that battle have not finished yet. They first are taken Uruguay to the international court to see if they can beat a small country and set a precedent and then they will take the Australia case.:mad:
If the big countries do not help Uruguay to win the battle we will loose the war against the big corporations.
Today are the tobacco companies, tomorrow will be Monsanto or other greedy corporation.

[Eevo]

I generally try n bypass any company that does geoblocking

[BMKal]

Where there's a will ...................................

A how-to guide - Circumventing geo-blocking and online price discrimination - CHOICE (http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/computers-and-online/networking-and-internet/shopping-online/navigating-online-geoblocks/page/how-to-circumvent-geoblocks.aspx)

:angel:

[solmanic]

As far as iTunes is concerned, it beats me why anybody even bothers with an Australian account anymore. There was an easy step by step guide to setting up a US iTunes account published by the Checkout (ABC show by the Chaser guys a few months ago). Can't seem to find it now, but I'm sure it's still on the interweb somewhere...

Here is another guide here. (http://www.ausbt.com.au/how-to-get-a-us-itunes-account-in-australia)

[loanrangie]

I thought we had a Free Trade Agreement with the US and under the agreement Geo Blocking would have been illegal - certainly would be if it was us stopping sales to the US.

Garry

There are exceptions to all FTA's that are currently in place and FTA doesnt always mean free.

[101RRS]

There are exceptions to all FTA's that are currently in place and FTA doesnt always mean free.

So you are saying that Geo Blocking is exempt under the FTA.

[loanrangie]

So you are saying that Geo Blocking is exempt under the FTA.

Not something i've looked into but from what i've seen at work using FTA's not all goods are duty free, some only get a reduction and some are exempt so it wouldnt surprise me if software was exempt as well.

[3toes]

The regional blocking is only part of the issue. Almost all software in the terms and conditions says you cannot sell it on. This is done to ensure there is no second hand market created which would then impact on new sales.

I used to deal with high end professional video and audit system used to create movies. All this is software driven. Once purchased you can only sell it on if the new owner paid a fee to the software owner. Guess what - the fee was more than the purchase price of a new kit.

Problem they did not seem to understand was that this type of kit was purchased on finance not via cash. Funders all knew about this licence trick and so only a limited number of specialist finders were prepared to take it on at a higher price to reflect the higher risk.

Can you imagine the uproar if a car manufacturer said you could only sell your car if the next owner paid them a fee to operate the car.

[mfc]

Basically geoblocking decreases there profits due to piracy .
and the Uruguay thing reminds me of the pharmaceutical company that tried to block a generic copy of a HIV drug for pregnant women in an African country ( 70% reduction on passing on HIV to foetus ) the company lost ( there price in Africa was higher than in its western markets and therefore unavailable)

[DiscoMick]

When I lived in Thailand the Thai Government commissioned an Indian company to make a generic copy of HIV medicines because the owners of those medicines refused to sell them except at outrageous prices which made it basically impossible to afford, so many people were dying. The pharma. company threatened to sue the Thai Government, which called their bluff and said, go ahead, we're doing it anyway. The Thai Government won the battle, I believe.
Another example of this market manipulation is the way that books from the UK cost more than the identical book from the USA.
Hopefully the internet will put an end to all this exploitation.

[vnx205]

When I lived in Thailand the Thai Government commissioned an Indian company to make a generic copy of HIV medicines because the owners of those medicines refused to sell them except at outrageous prices which made it basically impossible to afford, so many people were dying.
... ... ...
Hopefully the internet will put an end to all this exploitation.

Their argument is that if they can't make a profit, then it is not worth their while doing the research. Without the profits there would be no drug in the first place.

I don't know how valid their argument is and I'm not sure how much moral considerations should outweigh financial considerations.

[Chucaro]

Their argument is that if they can't make a profit, then it is not worth their while doing the research. Without the profits there would be no drug in the first place.

I don't know how valid their argument is and I'm not sure how much moral considerations should outweigh financial considerations.

I do not know the case with HIV drugs but I was informed by a respectable source that some psychiatrist drugs cost $0.02 each making a profit of about 1000%.
If that it is not greed then bugger if I know what it is.

[Chucaro]

When I lived in Thailand the Thai Government commissioned an Indian company to make a generic copy of HIV medicines because the owners of those medicines refused to sell them except at outrageous prices which made it basically impossible to afford, so many people were dying. The pharma. company threatened to sue the Thai Government, which called their bluff and said, go ahead, we're doing it anyway. The Thai Government won the battle, I believe.
Another example of this market manipulation is the way that books from the UK cost more than the identical book from the USA.
Hopefully the internet will put an end to all this exploitation.

Brazil's ability to negotiate price reductions with pharmaceutical companies for patented HIV/AIDS drugs saved the country US$1 billion between 2001 and 2005, according to a study.

Researchers from the US-based Harvard School of Public Health looked at the cost of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in Brazil.

Since 1996, Brazil has provided free access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The number of patients receiving treatment has increased each year, from around 38,000 in 1997 to 180,000 in 2006.

Prices reported for patented ARVs were found to be lower in Brazil than in other developing countries. The price reductions negotiated by the government halved the potential costs of ARVs, from US$2 billion to US$1 billion between 2001 and 2005.

[mfc]

Their argument is that if they can't make a profit, then it is not worth their while doing the research. Without the profits there would be no drug in the first place.

I don't know how valid their argument is and I'm not sure how much moral considerations should outweigh financial considerations.

With the Africa case they were selling them at a higher price than there western markets..

[mfc]

It's business I guess , doesn't make it ethical ... What would a pack of Marlboro cost in Legos??? Sell cheep then a captive market.
It would be interesting to see what the licensing fees for wifi tec licence would be if apple developed it and not the csiro. Even at a verry low licence fee the profit greatly yet have had several( some still b4 courts) copyright litigations against major tec company's who regard there patent as free to steal.