At a minimum, it means that payment for counterfeit products go towards fake scammers instead of the actual publisher. You're basically paying for pirated goods.
Maybe you're fine with piracy, but paying good money for it is probably a step too far for most people. Especially if the pirated books have smudge-marks and low-quality paper.
> That in itself is not much of a problem... returns are free.
Are you able to tell the difference from a counterfeit book on bad paper and an official book? Are you going to blame Amazon for the fake, or are you going to blame the publisher?
Are you able to tell the difference from a counterfeit book on bad paper and an official book?
You may, from the bad paper quality. But are you able to tell that the Canada Goose coat you just paid 1000$ for is fake? [1]
In Italy, for example, when you - the buyer - is caught with a fake brand product the fine is up to 7'000 Euro. France, with a range of strong brands, also takes a very dim view on fakes.
I wonder if they're more careful in fulfillment in Europe or if they hope that the same argument (we're only a platform, guvnor) will be acceptable to European courts.
I don't think it will wash and it would be nice to see criminal charges laid at them for being a distributer of fake goods.
What is clear to me is that they don't give a flying fuck, unless it gets expesnive for them or turns into a pr nighmare.
>>> I wonder if they're more careful in fulfillment in Europe or if they hope that the same argument (we're only a platform, guvnor) will be acceptable to European courts.
There are more regulations and norms. However given the amount of fraud over Amazon, think of the CE sign for example, I'd thought the regulators would have prosecuted and fined them to hell already. I can't explain the inaction on that part.
There are theoretically fines for carrying counterfeit but hardly anybody care about that. Just don't try to cross the Andorra to French border with a trunk full of clothes and handbags.
Where the US and EU differ, the EU leave official agencies take care of it and distribute fines, it's slow and easily half a decade after the fact, whereas the US leave anybody to sue the perpetrator for punitive damages or a class action. Strangely, neither have happened so far.
Really that just highlights fundamentally the true purpose of the law is guild style protectionism and not any of the pretenses of protecting consumers. That law is just a Freudian slip or a political gaffe in the "accidentally tell the truth" vein like a scandal afflicted organization head saying their highest priority is to "restore trust" instead of preventing the wrongdoing.
Actually, its No Starch Press's counterfeit book examples that have served as proof for why Comingling is bad.
https://twitter.com/nostarch/status/1183095004258099202
At a minimum, it means that payment for counterfeit products go towards fake scammers instead of the actual publisher. You're basically paying for pirated goods.
Maybe you're fine with piracy, but paying good money for it is probably a step too far for most people. Especially if the pirated books have smudge-marks and low-quality paper.
> That in itself is not much of a problem... returns are free.
Are you able to tell the difference from a counterfeit book on bad paper and an official book? Are you going to blame Amazon for the fake, or are you going to blame the publisher?