Comments on: Protectionism maintained http://www.lawfont.com/2009/11/12/protectionism-maintained/ an analysis of law, technology, economics, and policy Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:59:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tim Yap http://www.lawfont.com/2009/11/12/protectionism-maintained/comment-page-1/#comment-56198 Tim Yap Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:43:53 +0000 http://www.lawfont.com/?p=807#comment-56198 I think The Australian picked it up nicely by saying that only those with computers and internet access and/or quite expensive e-readers would be able to take advantage of cheaper online prices like bookdepository.co.uk. The rest of the population, who can't afford computers or e-readers, or struggle with them, will continue to pay the higher price at the physical bookshop. The fact that the press release acknowledged that online sources are where consumers can exert competitive pressure highlights just how regressive this regime currently is. The poorer you are and the less access you have to reliable internet, the more you will pay for books. Mind you, the Productivity Commission probably shot themselves in the foot a few times with their shabby interim report and their rather lack-of-solid-evidence-but-plenty-of-conjecture final report. I think The Australian picked it up nicely by saying that only those with computers and internet access and/or quite expensive e-readers would be able to take advantage of cheaper online prices like bookdepository.co.uk. The rest of the population, who can’t afford computers or e-readers, or struggle with them, will continue to pay the higher price at the physical bookshop.

The fact that the press release acknowledged that online sources are where consumers can exert competitive pressure highlights just how regressive this regime currently is. The poorer you are and the less access you have to reliable internet, the more you will pay for books.

Mind you, the Productivity Commission probably shot themselves in the foot a few times with their shabby interim report and their rather lack-of-solid-evidence-but-plenty-of-conjecture final report.

]]> By: Kim http://www.lawfont.com/2009/11/12/protectionism-maintained/comment-page-1/#comment-56195 Kim Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:49:41 +0000 http://www.lawfont.com/?p=807#comment-56195 Kim, for some reason your November posts do not appear from the front page. Kim, for some reason your November posts do not appear from the front page.

]]> By: Tim http://www.lawfont.com/2009/11/12/protectionism-maintained/comment-page-1/#comment-56194 Tim Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:00:10 +0000 http://www.lawfont.com/?p=807#comment-56194 It seems completely illogical to me that the Government would seek to navigate the course that it has. The reality in this saga is that the increasing Australian dollar (which wont be disappearing in the short term - aka christmas sales - due to comments evinced by the US Fed of intending to keep interest rates on hold for at 24 months) and this absolutely creates a market which is disincentive towards purchasing local books at higher prices. More so - the Amazon Kindle reader is now internationally distributed (among many other e-readers including the upcoming Apple Tablet) and is leading the charge towards ebooks. Evidently, the Government even recognises its own flaws The Commission recommended extra budgetary funding of authors and publishers to compensate them for this loss .... If books cannot be made available in a timely fashion and at a competitive price, customers will opt for online sales and e-books. - so basically the taxpayer foots the bill, and consumers move to Amazon and e-books which they are already doing anyway. It seems completely illogical to me that the Government would seek to navigate the course that it has. The reality in this saga is that the increasing Australian dollar (which wont be disappearing in the short term – aka christmas sales – due to comments evinced by the US Fed of intending to keep interest rates on hold for at 24 months) and this absolutely creates a market which is disincentive towards purchasing local books at higher prices. More so – the Amazon Kindle reader is now internationally distributed (among many other e-readers including the upcoming Apple Tablet) and is leading the charge towards ebooks.

Evidently, the Government even recognises its own flaws The Commission recommended extra budgetary funding of authors and publishers to compensate them for this loss …. If books cannot be made available in a timely fashion and at a competitive price, customers will opt for online sales and e-books. – so basically the taxpayer foots the bill, and consumers move to Amazon and e-books which they are already doing anyway.

]]> By: pfctdayelise http://www.lawfont.com/2009/11/12/protectionism-maintained/comment-page-1/#comment-56191 pfctdayelise Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:06:08 +0000 http://www.lawfont.com/?p=807#comment-56191 Perhaps they figure that as their industry is dying anyway, they may as well throw 'em a bone. ;) Perhaps they figure that as their industry is dying anyway, they may as well throw ‘em a bone. ;)

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